Going to My Hometown - Rory Gallagher (Part III)

Continuing the introduction to our Recording Area which embraces both Parley Court Farm and Merritown Heath, today we reach the Gravel Pit where it is considered a 'dull day' if there is nothing to record. As ever we started at the Moth Traps but despite 322 specimens of Macro Moth to 68 species none were new for the year, with best on show being

 SCARCE SILVER-LINES
and

FOUR-SPOTTED FOOTMAN

With the terrain hereabout 'flatter' than East Anglia we have no
problems with Hill Walking, so that is why the blimp in the middle
of the Pit is referred to a

THE MOUNTAIN

(a Mountain out of a Mole Hill we hear you say)
This is viewed each morning from a great distance as being a
prominent watch tower for all manner of birds like Saturday's

 

brace of fairly confiding

GREY WAGTAIL

which presented a bit of difficulty focusing on at first

but not for long.

By sharp contrast yesterday's

King of the Mountain

was one of the resident

CANADA GEESE

but has also fluctuated across Cormorant, Egyptian Goose, Grey Heron
plus a selection of Gulls to name but a few.

 The banks on 3 sides are fairly steep, but do attract a small variety of
Wading Birds

while the eastern edge is partly 'scraped' but overgrown.
A tentative plan, hopefully in the very near future, is to clear
out the vegetation, dig out a gently slopping bank and top-dress with gravel.

(that's a Stock Dove on the shingle)

There have also been a pair of
LITTLE GREBE
here in recent days

carrying out some strange 'weed-shifting' rituals which
was hoped to be a sign of breeding, but nothing has happened yet?
This is maybe a good time to introduce you to the

 MOBILE BIRD HIDE

which also goes under the nom de plume of the
STRANGE ROVER

 At the south end there are also a number of far smaller pools,

associated with but not connected to, the main body of water
which attract their fair share of Wildlife.
On our gentle approach yesterday not unusually this

GREEN SANDPIPER
 seemed to be just waiting for our arrival

but while we have enough images of this particular species to
re-decorate the deck-head of the Sistine Chapel,
it was there, it was posing so it was snapped!
Last year we were blessed with a male

GARGANEY
first found here before getting the wander lust and visiting both the

Gravel Pit and Irrigation Pond.

Finally, what we consider another fantastic visitor to the
Trail Cameras

BARN OWL

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Going to My Hometown - Rory Gallagher (Part II)

In Part II of our introduction to New Readers, and a recap for all others, we can tell you that contained within the bounds of our Recording Area we have 5 main water-courses. The greatest of these is the River Stour, which forms the southern boundary of Parley Court Farm, while also in the southern section is Parley Pond and its nearby smaller subsidiary Pool. To the north are 2 further Ponds, created by gravel extraction which, like the others already mentioned, are visited on a daily basis cum rain or shine. Additionally, there are a series of small Fishing Lakes, given over to the Ringwood and District Angling Club, which historically have held little by way of Wildlife so are only visited on an occasional basis. The last of these is a small tributary, which runs into the Moors River, and forms a southern boundary between Merritown heath (to which we have access) and Bournemouth International Airport. As a part of this there is a Balancing Pond constructed just last year to hold Airport flood water and as a back-up for fire fighting. 

Between the beginning of March and the end of November
our days always start with a visit to our 5 Moth Traps laid
fairly close to Slight Return II where yesterday the best on show were a

First for the Year

TREE-LICHEN BEAUTY
which was considered a very good catch in as much that
prior to 1991 there had only been 3 records from the whole of
Great Britain.
Since those days there has been something of a surge in records
and is now a regular immigrant to the southern part of the country.

JULY HIGHFLIER
was photographed as a pristine specimen as was

COMMON WAVE
Returning to the subject of water-course the first is known as the

IRRIGATION POND
in that during the days of Turf Production here that was the sole reason for the excavation.

Our daily visits here usually turn up something, even if only a
bathing Gull or a Pied Wagtail hunting Flies, but yesterday was
coincidentally rather more interesting than that.
Since the beginning of April this pair of
COOT
have made 3 attempts at breeding but thus far without success.

The first nest, at another site on the pond, was abandoned before any eggs were laid and the second also on this buoyant water filter platform initially contained 7 eggs with just 2 hatching but the next day the remaining eggs and chicks alike were gone, thought to have been predated by Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The same nest was refurbished and a further 5 eggs were laid but strangely, one or the other bird has been 'sitting' for a full 5 weeks now with no signs of young. There was however some notable action including a manoeuvre we had not witnessed before, the

 parent birds changing over incubation duties.

Changing of the Guard

Egg Rolling
they must think they are still in with a chance?
Known to be torrid defenders of not only the nest and eggs but the
territory all around, there were some infiltrators a family of young

MALLARD
which originated from a nest near by.
The off-watch Coot was fighting them off with a venom which due
to incompetence was not captured on video, but what was became a little hard to believe.

Did you see that? Was it a little red head?
It was at this point both adults entered the frey chassing of the Ducks,
but even more so allowing an opportunity to get closer to the nest
to observe what was going on.

Not a sign of the Chick but there are at least 4 eggs so we beat
a retreat but will continue observing on a daily basis.

Now, with our mind elsewhere we very nearly missed the
Bird of the Month
and only a movement in the corner of the eye saved the day.
With the water here both evaporating and being carted off to the
Eco Recycling Works
to quell the dust the 'scrape' is back in view and we have been longing for a Wader

and there one was.

at the far side of the Pond unfortunately

 but we can be patient,

 and after laying on the bank for a good while, the

 COMMON SANDPIPER

closed to a decent distance.
To end Part II before moving on there is another

Small Cutting
at the edge of the Irrigation Pond which was excavated
2 years ago to provide gravel for the Solar Panel Compounds.
Already here Coot and Mallard have bred while
Reed Warbler were also noted prospecting the site last year .
Common Reed, Greater Reedmace, Broad-leaved Pond Weed
and a tiny tiny stand of Bulrush have also established themselves
with 5 species of Dragon/Damselfly also noted.
Shame, it was destined to be back-filled but a word with Hugh,
pointing out the benifits, has well proved its worth.

WE HOPE TO BE MOVING ONWARD TOMORROW!

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Going to My Hometown - Rory Gallagher (Part I)

More like April in Paris than the Summertime Blues
the murcury has hardly risen at all, it's raining
(in my heart) and there's been a Wind Crying Mary for a few days now!
But fear not, we are here to brighten up your day
with a journey around
'OUR PATCH'

No sooner had we plucked a

DELECATE

 from the Harbins Moth Trap, a First For the Year, we then recorded

GREEN SANDPIPER

on the River Stour, a location from which this species has never been noted before.

Mothwise, all else of note was a rather fine example of

DARK SPECTACLE

 but the game wasn't over yet!

 c2 quite seperate individual

BROWN HAWKER

 were taken, and what a priveledge it was to have such and Insect

'In the Hand'.

This was also the moment we were attracted by the distinctive song of a

 

CETTI'S WARBLER

at the 5th Golf Tee which is also on the river bank.

 Still not done there was also

 yet another example of the highly variable

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD

With so many New Readers having joined our ranks in recent days

it was though worthwhile to introduce you to some of our

Habitats and things we refer to on a regular basis, such as my

 HUMBLE ABODE

 known colloqually as
'Slight Return II'
a refrence to the recording of the classic
Jimi Hendrix
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)

but having enjoyed the 'experience' (no pun intended as this was the previous band of his band) so much he wanted the band to RETURN to the studio and do it all over again. Both versions were released to general sale but the title had changed 'slightly' to Voodoo Chile the black man's way of pronouncing the word CHILD. 

 THE ORIGINAL

"s'cus me while I kiss the sky" 

 remains on the Hendrix theme as part of the lyric from Purple Haze,

Purple Haze is all around

don't know if I'm going up or down.

Acting funny but I don't know why

S'cus me while I kiss the sky!

 Purple Haze (Live) - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

ASTERN
the theme changes to
Freebird - Lynyrd Skynard

which not only refers to the magnificent

Steller's Sea Eagle
(which it was an honour to see and photograph in Wakkanai, Northern Japan)

but also to my way of life!

I don't want your cold iron shackles around my leg
I don't want your cold iron shackles around my leg

Who killed John Henry, In the battle of sinners and saints
Who killed John Henry, In the battle of sinners and saints

Joe Bonamassa

(Please do not by-pass the Link above, 12 minutes of Rock 'n' Roll perfection!
Recorded at the Oakland Coliseum Stadium in 1977
it epitomises what this band were all about)
IF YOU DON'T GET YOU'RE ROCKS OFF TO THIS

 THEN YOU AIN'T GOT NO 'ROCKS'!!

in a nutshell this verse from the

Led Zeppelin Classic

KASHMIR

sums my life up perfectly, take a listen.
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded

"I look out of my window and what do I see"?

Not a Band of Angels following me but a juvenile

GREEN WOODPECKER

Feel sure that's sufficient bordom for one day,
we will continue manana!

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