A 'TERN' for the Better!

 Another Cracking start to another Cracking day in more ways than one, with another resonant

DAWN CHORUS
on the morning after the warmest night of the year thus far and we didn't have to wait long for a result from the Moth Traps!

LESSER SWALLOW PROMINENT

First for the Year
was considered a most desent start with back-up cast of our first

CRANEFLY
(Daddy Long Legs)
along with our second

ANGLE SHADES
but all outshone by a magical and most unexpected f.f.y. and only our second ever

SOULDER STRIPE
What a start, but if sensibilities should prevail the best of the Month was about to follow!

By design we had stuck with our GP in Weymouth, once moveing to East Dorset, as something of an incentive (as if one were ever needed) to revisit our old stomping grounds there and on Portland for Covid Jab Number 2 and what a swish operation from the Car Park Attendants to the Doctors all deserving of yet another clap and more - Here's to you with Thanks!

Unfortunatley only time for Ferrybridge where from the car park

DUNLIN

could be seen and more distantly the calls

of what were surely the

target birds of this visit!
With a full ebb tide there were things to see across the expossed sand such as and faily unusual these days just singles of

COCKLE
and maybe even more surprising for the location

WHELK
Patches of

SEA THRIFT
or alternatively

SEA PINK
were dotted all around but more so across the 18 miles of shingle forming

CHESIL BEACH
(left)

a lone

OYSTERCATCHER

along with

many thousands of

RAGWORM CASTs
and a carpet of

BLADDERWRACK
(seaweed)
Not surprisinglya few

PLEASURE BOATs
between a small group of juvenile

HERRING GULLs

were swinging to their bouyed moorings, but not for this kid!
Like any Ol' Salt
"every foot of boat is a mile of trouble"!
while 'sailing' is considered akin to standing under a very, very cold shower ripping up £50 notes!

Each to their Own

we finally reached the object of our desire the

LITTLE TERNs

newly arrived back from their 'winter quarters' in

West Africa

what a distance to fly for such a tiny bird

while finally ther were also a couple of much larger sized

SANDWICH TERNs

which occassional overwinter in our waters

but always find it intriguing that apart from the very obvious size difference the
 Little developed a yellow bill with black tip and Sandwich the exact opposite? 

That might have been the end of it had not been for some gale that washed this Lady ashore????
and surely endorses our point of 'miles' and 'inches''
As an aside, on the drive west we noted a squashed deer on the road coincidentaly directly outside of

Stag Gate at the Charborough Park Estate
The difference heading east was, an opportunist

RED KITE
thermaling above and despite the heavy volume of traffic my money was on the bird  getting a feed!