SongBird - Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac)

We are a number of days adrift with this particular Post, so if in part it
doesn't fit in historically with previous issues then please accept our apologies!

Another addition to the 2017 Moth List is

YELLOW HORNED

 Not only the first

 TUFTED DUCK

 of the year for our

Recording Area

but also the First Diving Duck of any description.

Here seen with passing Gadwall.

From then on it was left to the

SongBird(s) Link

such as our first vocal

SKYLARK

of the year along with

COAL TIT

 MEADOW PIPIT

 LINNET

with an unseen Wren providing the descant.

As punctuation our first Butterfly of the year represented by

SMALL TORTOISESHELL

and back to the last of the vocalists

CHIFFCHAFF

 To end just a couple or three shots

 from the top of the 20 foot high, and now grass covered, bund

 that surrounds the back end of the

ECO RECYCLING WORKS

and finally, while remaining with the subject of SongBirds this clip was found
on a recent brows through Facebook - brought me to tears!
Stairway to Heaven
Just look at the expressions on the faces of the 3 surviving members of
Led Zeppelin.
left to right John Paul Jones, Robert Plant (close to tears himself) and Jimmy Page.
We also believe that's Bonzo's Nipper (Jason) on drums?
What a Composition, What a Rendition!

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The Best Mandarin Song - Leo Tiam Siong Nyi

Bit of a Shot In The Dark - But Not Displeasing 
With overnight temperatures continuing to kiss the lower reaches of double digits
here over a short period now,
we have been seeing some returns for the Moth Traps including:-

the striking

OAK BEAUTY

along with decent numbers of

HEBREW CHARACTER

Additionally, there has also been a bit of avian activity with a

40+ flock of

LAPWING

circling the Common

but only c2 brave enough

to land.

EGYPTIAN GOOSE

activity continues, but not yet recorded on a daily basis,

while there has been just a hint of displaying.

This was followed, on the same day, by the discovery of a 'pair' of

MANDARIN

on the Moors River with the fanciful prediction being
"if tree nesting birds such as the Egyptian Geese can breed here (as they do)
then why not 'tree nesting' Mandarin"? We will be keeping a lookout.

 Can you see it yet?

ROE DEER
Only 2 days later we managed to secure these 2 clips,
since when we ain't seen hide nor hair of them!

 MANDARIN (female)

MANDARIN (male)

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Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin

Zep's Immigrant Song (Link)

The opening track on the Standard Edition of

Led Zeppelin III

(Donald Trumps signature tune)

A most endearing personal memory during my short history with contemporary music,

and surely one of the finest Page / Plant collaborations in composition?

We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
‘Hammer of the Gods’ will drive our ships to new lands.
To fight the horde, singing and crying, Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar, our only goal will be the western shore.

We all know where that is if your coming from 'mainland' Scandinavia!

'Dank' would be a suitable adjective to describe the commencement of yesterday morning with an overcast sky, light precipitation and a fresh north easterly breeze dashing into ones face - in fact a morning to regret stowing away the winter woolies. "Cast not a what"? On the up side the overnight temperature had hardly wavered from a reasonable +8°C so expectations were moderate for a return or two from the Moth Traps.

 It was just a return or one as

 DARK SWORD-GRASS

 was added to the Year List as the first immigrant for 2017.

 Up at the ponds it was equally quiet with just this juvenile

MUTE SWAN

 on the Gravel Pit and the now bonded pair of

 COOT

on the Irrigation Pond were seen to lay the

 first foundation twig to what might once again be their breeding platform

as it was last year.

What was 'missed' was that brief moment of copulation which somehow

has a familiar ring about it??

Things started to get a little more interesting inside the

 Solar Panel Compound

as these c2 male

 PHEASANTS

 were found jockeying for position, but the bright flash

of a white rump soon drew our attention away from such things.

 It was safe to say that, even though the bird flew off distantly,

this was to be the first

 WHEATEAR

of the year

 and soon relocated found to be a decent looking

male.

 Getting increasingly bolder

we 'clicked' and

 'videoed away to our hearts content

and thought it only right to bring you the best of these,

even though it may be considered 'overkill'?

 Shortly afterwards the Sheep frightened it away.

 A second look at the

Gravel Pits

on the way back

threw up another, or maybe the same

TUFTED DUCK

of recent days which was a little more than obliging at times.

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