It Might As Well Rain Until September - Carole King

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO!

An Amazing Stroke of Genius, coupled with an Incomparable 

Knowledge of Computers has brought life back to the

Video Clips!

If anyone has any ideas as to which button we tweaked

then please let us know for the next time.

If you intend re-visiting the Sparrowhawk footage of

yesterday, please log off and then return - we get more 'hits' that way!

It was the turn of the wind last night to disrupt the Mothing, and without leaving the sanctuary of the hammock, it was estimated to be blowing about 20 knots. Any self-respecting Moth would, under such conditions, be tucked up under some leaf or other but on the positive side there was little or no rain. None that is until 05:00 when, 'inside' my feet hit the deck and 'outside' the first raindrops did likewise! With the Farm Yard 'electrical ring main' also still inoperative, reducing us to 2 traps, it was unlikely there was going to be any catch at all?

HERE ENDETH THE MOANING!  

The flavescens form of
SALLOW
from yesterday is presented here again today for comparison
with the 'coincidentally' taken archetype icteritia secured today.

SALLOW

DRINKER also for comparison with OAK EGGAR

along with

BURNISHED BRASS

ORANGE SWIFT

SIX-STRIPED RUSTIC

TREBLE-BAR

and

FLOUNCED RUSTIC
contributed to making up a better, even though fairly common, haul.

Several
HORNET
were also found along with

SCORPION FLY
(female)

and a

FIELD GRASSHOPPER
At 08:00 there was a lull in what had been a heavy rain storm
so advantage was taken for a look around the northern part of the property,
including the Solar Panel Compound
and Merritown Heath.

Despite a good number of 'singing' males during the Spring there
has been no indication that

REED BUNTING
has bred here, not even along this beat of the River Stour.
So, it was good to welcome what is considered the first 'returning'
bird if we might call it that.
Next up were a couple of 'fly-by'

EGYPTIAN GEESE
which seemed not to linger (archive photo).
All that was found on the Heath was this example of what might be

VASCELLUM PRATENSE

(but that is not as yet 100%)

and yes, we do realise we have been harking on about the Balancing Pond ever since the first sod was lifted but, the prospects of just what MIGHT visit this water-course when completed is buzzzzzzing through my head each time it is viewed!

Outside of the regularly occurring birds of our Recording Area

it is thought that the first (foreign) visitor might just be

WOOD SANDPIPER?

If you, as no more than a bit of fun, would like to take a shot at this

then you can submit your Species via the Comments Facility at the bottom

of the page or, via my E-mail address which is

captbagsy@btinternet.com

NOT AS STATED AT THE TOP OF THE POST

Leaving the Heath via the Parley Gate, once again there were

c17

MISTLE THRUSHES
feeding on Rowan Berries.
A quick drive round to the main Solar Panel Compound found even more there

commuting between perches on the panels

and the food source below.

Difficult to say with certainty but is was considered that there were

a further 37 within the fenced off area.

Let's hope these work, don't want to use up all that Genius.

Don't blink, It'll be gone!

By this time the foul weather had me seeking a lee so,

 returning to Slight Return II
there seemed to be a rumbling within.

 Maybe a Burglar - if so disappointment was about to follow.

 No, it was this bold

ROBIN.

 Who that 'in the eye of the beholder'?

It's only ME!
Safely back from the photo call, snuggling up and trying to get dry
there was a Text from Hugh
"Moth in the Golf Club Restaurant, they think it's a Hawk-Moth"?
Without further ado, knowing that on such occasions a 'RARITY'
could be at hand, I was met by the Captor
KIMBERLEY
and shown another female

OAK EGGAR 

which was already producing eggs. Quickly back to Slight, and more
particularly the long grass close by,  it was committed to celluloid and
then back to Nature.

Delightful Weather Conditions
considering we are just 2 days away from the
August Bank Holiday!
Finally,

and sent to us by one of our most Ardent Readers, the

Micro Moth

BUCCULATRIX ULMELLA

less than 3mm long.

AIN'T NATURE WONDERFUL!

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A View to a Kill - Duran Duran

As may have been seen by some Readers, via the 'comments' box, once again

Regular and Valued Reader Roy Norris has been a 

'Flip-to-the-Front'

in identifying the outstanding aircraft from the weekends

Bournemouth Air Festival.

Our THANKS go to Roy.

Looking across the Golf Course 

the 'Lower Limb' of the Sun was just touching the Horizon

seemingly taking the remaining Rain Clouds with it?

Looking in the opposite direction you didn't need to be

Tomasz Schafernaker

to realise there was a whole lot more rain to come!

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.

Ooh. and it makes me wonder,

Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

In the Moth Traps, and now at almost plague proportions both

 WASP

and

RED-LEGGED (Forest) SHIELDBUG

punctuated today's haul.

 Surely the 'catch of the day' this fine but slightly worn

 RED UNDERWING
new for the Year, as is

 SALLOW

 of the rather more scarce 'aberration'
flavescens.

 DUSKY THORN
a slight pause as this

COMMON TOAD
walked across the lawn.

WATER LILY
now blooming on most of the ponds around here.
Awaiting my arrival at Merritown Gate this morning a group of c4

RAVEN

cut across the murky sky.

Where, in quick succession, we found the Fungi
INOCYBE BONGARDI

the Larvae of a
FOX MOTH
and noted a sight we have never seen before,

 Rain Water retained in the ruts of the main cross path,

 before reaching the ever deepening (with rain water that is)

BALANCING POND
Just before arrival back at Slight Return II an encounter with

Tracy, one of the Equestrian Ladies, gave me the best lead of the day.

She had seen what was described as a

SPARROWHAWK

thought to be caught up by something on top of a pile of grass cuttings,

and seemingly unable to fly. She also pointed out that it looked as if it

had caught 'prey' and on closer inspection Tracy was considered correct on both counts!

Rather than being caught-up, the Raptor had taken a

MOORHEN

which was thought maybe too heavy to carry off.

Closing to 10 feet it made no attempt to fly off and even allowed time

for me to return to the Caravan to collect both the small camera and

the St-Range Rover/Mobile Bird Hide.

It would seem that some technical difficulty is preventing us from

posting the Video Clips. A number of different ways have been tried

to get them to work, without success. All are well under the permitted

100MB so it is not that!

We make no apology for fielding 6 x Clips

of what is considered pretty dramatic footage.

Watch Carefully

'In one end and Out the other'.

We certainly don't get this close every day!
THANKS AGAIN TRACY!

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