The End Is Nigh

With this mornings inclement weather, another heavy fall on the 'hits front there seemed little point in swinging out of the hammock like a new born lamb, but here we are!

Yesterday kicked off at 04:30 in a rather novel and unusual way to the vocal strains of a

COMMON BUZZARD
which around here are as the name suggests

but not considered an early riser.
Maybe needless to say this is not the bird concerned. 

As soon as daylight allowed it was off to the traps after another balmy and still night and while nothing new for the year there was a decent haul including a most unexpected and a little ragged

WILLOW BEAUTY
followed by

SPRUCE CARPET

GREY SHOULDER-KNOT

GREEN-BRINDLED CRESCENT
and a small number of

WHITE-POINT
While the c4 Mute Swans remain resident and sole agents on the Irrigation Pond

there was to be a mighty surprise just around the corner as we came within about a foot of running over a

JACK SNIPE
a species that we have only ever photographed on 'dry land' on a single occassion.

That was back in 2016 which, as it turned out, was the

last appearace here of a bird that was both annual and fairly numerous.

On the other hand they were common migrants in both directions while on the
Oil Rigs!

On the nearby Gravel Pit numbers of

TEAL

have increased to a most reasonable c21
and it is said that "all good things come in 3's" but not on the day - we had to be satisfied with just 2 as we were lucky enough to catch a

BARN OWL

thought to be heading to

roost.
Otherwise, it was from the doorstep that we spotted the first

MOLE HILL
on the lawn but know not why the image will not present itself in the horizontal

(it is an extremely 'poor' system) and our first view of a 'local'

SHORT-TAILED FIELD VOLE

scurrying under the afore mentioned step. Seemingly absent over the last
18 months we stopped feeding as the morsels were not being taken, so looks like we better
get back to the peanuts and residue fat.