A Fly in the Ointment - But not for Long

 While the first day of Spring was a deluge, dark, damp, dingy, drizely and dull affair, it was OK once we got outside, and brought with it a couple of ‘minor milestones’! 

With the overnight +10°C continuing it was considered worth flashing the

Moth Traps up again which came back with another ‘D’-word, DEVOID. Not that a Moth of any sort would have kicked off the new season or the new month for that matter, as all dated records are submitted as of the day the traps are activated, so fingers are crossed for tonight while no-one is going to be much interested in last night’s c2

HOUSEFLY's

  but we do hear on the 'spunyarn radio' that Bomber in Weymouth is still hauling them in  

    Well Done and Best Wishes Sir!

The latter of the D words describes perfectly the findings across the southern reaches as it does the Irrigation Pond with neither sight nor sound of a waterfowl but a huge change in fortunes as arriving at the Gravel Pit

to flush c3

COMMON SNIPE

First for the Year, but with Waterfowl there "to few to mention".
By and large the rest of the morning, before the rain set in, was a methodical search both inside and out of the main Solar Panel Compound with luck at the latter in finding the lone and elusive

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE

trying to avoid our advances at any cost.
Some readers may recall that this bird has been teamed up with this cock

PHEASANT

and having clambered back to the 'safe-side' of the perimeter fence

to join its guardian, both became very

Camera Worthy
What came next was the find of the year thus far, even though still being in it infancy, the humble

HOUSE SPARROW
which has never been recorded in any of the Solar Panel Compounds

or for that matter across the  

    ¾ of a mile between the Fencing Centre and the Sewerage Works, so considered quite a find!         All else up north involved a collection of

at least c6

STONECHAT

the highest count

across the whole of the

WINTER 

while returning to Base we were met by a lone

GREEN WOODPECKER
but not the brightly marked one we had hoped would have graced our pages befor now, must have got wind that we are after it - but hopes are still high!