Watcher of the Skies - Genesis

Part II of the May Day saga and initially it was more a case of
LOOK UP
what do you see? 
All of you and all of me florescent and starry some of them,
they surprise the bus ride, I went to write this 4a.m. letter.
Fields of Poppies, little Pearls all the boys and all the girls,
sweet-toothed each one a little scary I said your name.
I wore it like a badge of teenage film stars
hash bars, cherry mash and tinfoil tiaras
Dreaming of Maria Callas whoever she is.
THIS FAME THING, I DON'T GET IT!

Trivia:- E-Bow is an electronic gadget which acts like a Violin Bow only used on a guitar, the sound of which opens this fantastic track, E-Bow The Letter (Link) by REM. The female voice is that of Punk Poet Laureate, Patti Smith she of 'Because the Night' fame!

In quick succession

ROOK
most unexpected as absent for more than 2 weeks now

CORMORANT

 
(3 in fact)
followed by a pair of

SHELDUCK
another pair of which would prove far more cooperative
 
behind Eco latter in the day.
Completing the profitable Aerial Display was this
 
MUTE SWAN

Continuing along the River Stour, another lucky strike as

KINGFISHER
have also been keeping a low profile lately.

The ROBIN 
which is continually trying to nick what few Moths there are

is now sitting on eggs in Janet's Stable neatly tucked away in one of
the horses feeding baskets.
While another 'parent in waiting' and

 with little likelihood of missing out on

MALLARD

this vigilant male was surely the epitome of being

'pinned down'

while guarding his female sat on eggs no more that 30 feet  from the

Garden Pond Moth Trap.

No problem with

BLUE TIT
ever present at the Harbins Bird Table while nearby

 JACKDAW
continued nest building operations.

GREENFINCH
and 

one of the Harbins Garage

SWALLOW
joined the List before something of a deviation to watch a pair of

BROWN HARE

cavorting but no sign of the prenuptial 'boxing' associated with these creatures.
A total of c4 were recorded on the day.

DUNNOCK

 CHIFFCHAFF

and

WHITETHROAT
they all count, and then at the still frosted over meadow known as
First Parley

our 'first of the year'

 WHIMBREL

 There were c7 here and a further c3 behind Eco later in the day.

REED BUNTING
and the first

LADY'S SMOCK
or
CUCKOO FLOWER
if you prefer.

CHAFFINCH
was the penultimate species for this chapter leaving probably the
BEST
until last. It would appear that there are at least c3 individual

CETTI'S WARBLER
now on territory along this beat of the river, one of Dorset's rarest breeding birds.

Entry	Pageviews
United States	328
United Kingdom	287
Germany	69
Ireland	36
China	21
Russia	19
Canada	14
Brazil	11
United Arab Emirates	10
France	10

A Day at the 'Races' - Queen

Just like a kid on Christmas Eve, it was a night of intermittent sleep but before even 'showing a leg'

 PHEASANT

took pride of place as first on parade,

 and coming in a variety of plumage's this one has been

strutting his stuff locally for a few days now.

 The fluid songs of

 BLACKBIRD

 and

WREN

were heard before springing out of the hammock like the proverbial

Thomson's Gazelle 

and with the door flung wide open

WOOD PIGEON

GREEN WOODPECKER

 GREAT TIT

and

 HOUSE SPARROW

were logged.

As this appeared and making a necessary diversion to the

Moth Traps,

we found among the still meagre pickings 2 species

New for the Year

 MUSLIN MOTH

this specimen being something of a Max Whitlock of Lepidoptera

Beautiful Underparts

 IRON PROMINENT

 along with another

PIED SHIELDBUG

 With 2 of the traps sited close to the banks of the

River Stour

it was no surprise to hear, and later see,

 REED WARBLER

among the Sedge's, but unfortunately search as we did we could find no

Sedge Warbler among the Reeds.

MAGPIE

 BLACK-HEADED GULL

 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

'If I Had a Hammer'

I'd

Trinidad "Trini" López III

one or two of them.

 COLLARED DOVE

 GOLDFINCH

lots of breeding pairs with the closest nest just outside the door.

 MOORHEN

unusually no signs of breeding, it's getting late.

 BLACKCAP

a good number have arrived, with a few establishing themselves here,

since late April.

 A little thin on the ground at this time of year, so a valued addition of

GREYLAG GOOSE

having said that these 2 have taken to flying close to 

Slight Return II

each morning for the past week so thought "well pinned down"!

CARRION CROW

brought up the final Bird Species for this episode 

but please tune in again tomorrow for 

Part Two it gets Better.

The first of the 4 Mammals noted on the day.

ROE DEER

Entry	Pageviews
United States	341
United Kingdom	317
Germany	67
Russia	21
Ireland	18
Canada	15
China	15
United Arab Emirates	10
Brazil	10
France	10

It's All in the Game - Nat King Cole

This Post is simply a prelude of the Mini Bird Race 

undertaken on May Day which seems to have expanded

from a tiny Acorn into something of a Monster.

My interest in BIRDS has spanned 7 decades (and quite frankly I'll be glad when I get fed up with them - ho, flippin' ho) with the first documented record being that of Manx Shearwater in West Bay, Dorset viewed from the 'mighty'

Ocean Salvage Tug 'Confiance' 

at 18:30 on 29/05/1975.

(a water colour by Falmouth Lifeboatman Tony Warren 1983)

As an aside, over the years, and intermittently,  there was the privileged distinction of serving on her as

Able Seaman, Boatswain, Chief Officer (Mate) and Master.

Prior to that and to my chagrin, during the late 50's and very early 60's the focus was more on stealing their eggs and shooting the hapless creatures, but it was the Royal Navy that diverted me from such barbaric practices for a full 10 years during which time the interest lay dormant. It was only a casual conversation with my old shipmate Paul (Andy) Knapp, onboard the same vessel, about our respective boyhoods that rekindled the flame. Some time later, with Confiance dry-docked in Portsmouth and with plenty of time on our hands and me in charge, it was considered my duty to 'order' Andy to accompany me to the none-to-distant Farlington Marshes for a spell of Bird Watching. There, we met the Warden who introduced us to both Jack Snipe and Long-eared Owl which was also the first time we ever kept a Day List. Over many subsequent years it became almost traditional to spend New Years Day with another dear friend, Hugo Wood-Homer, undertaking a similar but now far more intense and dedicated day 'twitching! Who knows how many years that continued?? but during each of them we would suggest trying the same thing on May Day, when a whole different variety of birds might be recorded, but we never did. These Posts, regardless of how many, are dedicated to

HUGO and CAROLINE WOOD-HOMER

(hoping to see you both again some time)

There are few rules associated with such an event save to say the welfare of the Bird must be paramount, and each species should be positively identified either by sight or sound, you are only fooling yourself! In my humble opinion, the latter stems from what might be refer to as the Quail Effect, which is, if one of these secretive, threatened and infrequently seen tiny birds is calling away like billy-o in the middle of a corn field do we all 'really' need to dash in and flush it just for a 'tick' in the log?? Other terminology banded about days before the race begins, which in turn we have all fallen foul of, always raise a wry smile for me. "Pinning it down" (what like a Moth on a plasterzote sheet?), getting a particular species "staked out" (knowing full well it's still going to be there on your return??) and RECONNAISSANCE (reci for short) which has been my sole intent over the passed week in preparation for Sunday.

It was also decided to forgo the usual series of photographs and images to save time, but the equipment was still carried and the theory lasted little more than a micro-second. With more than 300 images/footage to edit, the reason is probably clear as to why we are not going to press today. Further to that, the intention was to make the report as short as possible but on such a successful day, when attempting to better the current record of 56, 'stuff that', you are in for the FULL BIFTA no matter how many Posts it takes - so best get to it! 

Just to keep the appetite whetted, here are this mornings finding

on a damp, drizzly, overcast and windy day.

 The nest of a

 WREN

Found, and pointed out by Janet directly above the first trap
and not noticed by myself during construction.

Within were both
LESSER SWALLOW PROMINENT and SWALLOW PROMINENT
(probably best distinguished, in simple terms, by the size of the 'white wedge' 
on the inner trailing edge of the fore-wing.)

 EARLY TOOTH-STRIPED
and
 
 EARLY THORN

and this tiny BEETLE yet to be identified.

Entry	Pageviews
United States	324
United Kingdom	317
Germany	68
Russia	21
Ireland	18
Canada	13
China	13
Brazil	10
Estonia	10
United Arab Emirates	9 - GREAT to see UAE back in the fold!