Going to My Home Town - Rory Gallagher

 There's a feeling I get when I look to the 'West', and my Spirit is crying for leaving!

In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees, 

and the voices of those who stand looking! 

Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Just a prelude to heading in that direction on Friday for an appointment and then visiting both of my former home turfs of Weymouth and Portland - what a day. Not so much for the Wildlife that was, or was not, on show but 'Long Standing Friends' from the past and another new to me! Priority, as ever, went to the Moth Traps from where we had some decent returns such as 'firsts for the year'

SATIN BEAUTY

BROWN-TAIL

YELLOW-TAIL

and

ROSY FOOTMAN

Before leaving there was yet another Garden Snail shimmying up the

North Face of the Caravan generating the request:-

“Will you walk a little faster?” said the Whiting to the Snail.

“There’s a Porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail”.

The Mock Turtle's Song - Lewis Carroll

On such a mini adventure it has always been practice to pay a visit to Lane End to view the almost 'certainty' of

YELLOWHAMMER

as usual

in company with

BROWN RATs
before continuing to
Maiden Castle

to view a decent number of

CORN BUNTING

before continuing to

PORTLAND BILL
to the tune of the newly refurbished

ACTIVE LIGHTHOUSE
an all too small passage of

GANNETs

and a single

ROCK PIPIT

about its ablutions!

THE HIGHER LIGHT
also once a lighthouse before being occupied as a private dwelling by
Marie Stopes

a pioneer of Birth Control among many other tallents, with the building still known locally as

The Stopery!

before dropping down to the Lower Light which is now the home of the

PORTLAND BIRD OBSERVATORY
(what a capture that has been)

Within, very quiet Bird-Wise but a few "pleasing to see" familiar faces and more especially our

New Young Lady Assistant Warden and hoping your Tenure is a Great Success Jodie (sincerely hope I have the spelling correct)!

Out in the notorious Portland Race and due to mist, an unidentifiable

ROYAL NAVY PATROL VESSEL
colloqually known by the workforce in the now expired H.M. Naval Base as

H.M.S. EXPENSIVE

You could hear the Silence of the Birds from the patio, just feeding

Jackdaw's and Wood Pigeon's

but it has to be said that in true

Martin Cade style - The Warden that is, he plucked a female

BLACKCAP
from one of the Mist Nets not to send us home 'empty handed'!

VALARIAN
on the driveway

which we always consider synonymous with Portland, and clicking a few scenes as we left the Island, in geographical order heading back north:-

SAINT GEORGE's CHURCH
designed in part on St Paul's Cathedral, London.

SHEERLEGS
from the old Stone Quarry Workings.
One of, if not `'the' best veiw of Fortuneswell, from altitude, at the north end of the Island featuring the World Famous

CHESIL BEACH
and at lower level outside of a now deserted

Fisherman's Cottage

what is said to have washed up during a violent storm over just a single night
and streaches off into the distance for 18 miles. Additionally, the stones are self sorting, by the action of the sea, with 'pea-sized' ones at the Portland end and those compared to footballs at the other! Best Wishes to All associated with the P.B.O.

P.S. - disappointingly, no more than a single adult

MEDITERRANEAN GULL
at Ferrybridge, the link with Weymouth.