Spring is in the Air

 It used to be “Grease is the Word” but in these rapidly fading last few days of a decent year (not counting Covid) 'Persistence' has become the Word! With overnight temperature still hovering close to or just below ‘double digits’ we persisted by keeping the home fires burning and reaped the benefits from the Moth Traps with the candidates below.

To kick off with a

DARK CHESTNUT

a far more striking and maybe slightly late
FEATHERED THORN

and to complete the trio a
RED-LINE QUAKER

and a backup
MINOTAUR BEETLE
Seems like our luck was IN on the day with not 'rare', 'scarce' or even 'uncommon' but a stranger to these parts with only c3 previous records, a female

SHOVELER

(we have added an image of the male to show the contrast)

on the Irrigation Pond but within seconds she had taken to the wing.
All that could be found next door on the Gravel Pit was this large

Plastic Container
which has been on pond-side for weeks now and our investigation (as it did hold a small amout of blue chemical) came to naught but surely an inevitable ending? Otherwise, a return of the

Mute Swan Family
along with a clip of the male

TUFTED DUCK
in a brief but heavy downpour.
Back to base via a scace view of a couple or 3 of the Rare Breed Cattle

OLD ENGLISH WHITE

BELTED GALLOWAY
along with the other

OLD ENGLISH WHITE
Wonder was wheather the venture into the Solar Panel Compound was worth it or not

with just a small 'fall' of

MEADOW PIPITs
while within a stone-throw of the homestead and the most active part of the property

CORMORANTs

2 in number

are fishing

without concern as on our return we found the first

DARLING BUDS of WINTER

on the Lime Tree next to the Caravan - Spring has Sprung!