Bird of Prey - Uriah Heep

It was again the piglet like squeals of a

WATER RAIL
from the River Stour, still under the cover of darkness, that kicked the day off and the realisation that we had not given our 'beat' very much attention at all. Not unusual at this time of year in flight

CORMORANTs

have become an early morning feature along with almost daily reports from the
Angling Fraternity
of at least c3 Otters hunting that stretch - we'll have to check it out - but firstly the

Moth Traps  

Comparing with the success reported on Friday’s post, when the overnight was +8°C, the now +10°C should surely improve on that catch but had it not been for

WINTER MOTH
the species would have remained very much the same.

This was in fact the second Moth to be caught this year on 04/01 just after the first, a Chestnut, on New Years Day but hadn't been seen since. In fact there were c16 of them only outnumbered by c30 December Moths.

Additionally, if it falls into the catagory of additions, there were but 2 speices of Birds on the Heath if you forgo the resident and opportunistic Robin and yesderday's Green Woodpecker which were

DUNNOCK

along with a contortionist

COMMON BUZZARD

which was showing off all the moves

but only lingered long enough

for a 10 second video clip

rather than the usual and maximum of 20.
To take a break from the usual habit we then popped over to the
Southern Side of the Recording Area
where we immediately came into contact with c2 species of most interesting
Mammals but not of the Wild kind.

Both

JACOB SHEEP

and

TEXCEL CROSSBREED
have been released again to open but distant pasture but nonetheless always good to see.
Additionally and presumably we also clapped eyes on the long time alone

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE

which we had considered a long time gone but not to be confussed with the c3 up north.
As we don't commit such things to a log this

BROWN HARE

may well be the First of the Year but our memory span only covers the last 10 minutes.

Once numerous here they too seem to have fallen to the Sword?
Nearing home, on the Main Pond Island was another

GOOSE
of dubious parentage but no doubting the hallmark of the

LITTLE EGRET

braving it no more than a stone's throw from the doorstep of
Slight Return II
From a little further afield a reply to my recent letter to Phil Sterling was answered in part with the fact he had been discussing Snail Kite with a freind, well don't we all, and asking do you have any images - the short answere Yes. As we had them out of the packet we thought it worthwhile to share them with our Readership on the understanding that they ain't going to win no
Lord Litchfield Awards!

A perfect bill for prizing out them there ESCARGOT.

and finally when you wake up with an image like this from Bomber

Herbury Gore and Chesil Beach just West of Weymouth
it's plain sailing from then on - Thanks Again Paul!