Another Day - Paul McCartney

With the wind having moderated somewhat it was thought worthwhile popping into Bournemouth International Airport to see if the 

ROOKS

had made a start on nest building. The trees were still swinging like pendulums

so it was no surprise to find that they had not.

In this area there is usually something of interest outside of the Wild World

which on the day manifested itself as 

 freshly sprey painted

LIGHT AIRCRAFT

However, we did find that Storm Ciara may have done the business as we reached the Irrigation Pond (IP)

to find the first arrival for the year of a lone

COOT

and as previously reported the c4

LITTLE GREBE's

remain in attendance but this time captured in their entirety

With nothing to hold our attention at the Gravel Pit (GP) it was

onward to the Moors River where there are still far too few Teal while the 

CORMORANT's

still hold station

It was also encouraging to find another

First for Year pair of 

GADWALL

already in part 'displaying' mode.

Male

Female

all our yesterday's continued

as on 16/09/2016 while wandering the Heath a slight movememt caught my eye amid the dense growth of Bracken. Breaking cover it was seen to be, almost unbelievably, a

WRYNECK

which flew into a gorse bush and within 30 seconds had vanished for good

(or BAD as the case may be)

However, not before securing these 3 images, and then making up the

156th

species for our Recording Area.

Living in the Past - Jethro Tull

One of the finest and inovative bands I never got to see live!

 Ian Anderson

(prime mover, vocalist and flautist still remains,

as far as we know, Laird of the Lochs and Salmon Farmer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsCyC1dZiN8

 The original Jethro Tull was the inventer of the Seed Drill!

Since taking up residence here and the extention of the Eco Recycling Works
we have formed and absolute facination for
Eddie Stobbart Lorries

and more particularly their given names.
Who knows how many, but in recent years a good number
have been employed transtorting treated scrap timber to the

Biomass burners, somewhere in Wales,
to further recyled power generation.

or may not dependant on the situation!

Nearly half-a-dozen videos which may have complimented images on a

previous post had we had our wits about us!

COMMON SNIPE

LAPWING

COMMON SNIPE

with overflying

Canada Geese

LAPWING

Living in the Past

On the 7th October 2017

 COMMON CRANE

was added to the 

Recording Area List

as c2 adult looking birds flew over the Heath from the south east 

and directly above the observer. They scribed 2 complete circles across the clear blue sky

before continuing their passage to the north west over a period of no more than 2 minutes.

This formed the 159th species recorded on our postage stamp.

The following day the

Dorset Bird Club
website reported 2 identical birds at a Dorset location close to Yeovil, Somerset which,
had our birds maintained course and speed, is where they would likely have ended up!

No Coincidence We Feel!

The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant

The wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And he was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind….

With the highest wind speed on my weather fax on Sunday being but 61 m.p.h. it was felt that somehow we had dipped out as, the BBC at Bournemouth International Airport (alongside which is my home) was showing 70 to 80. That aside, what was predictable is the mindset of any dedicated ‘birder’, worth their salt, who would all have had but one thing on their mind

A ‘YANK’

On such windy days the chances of an American vagrant are much higher but, early days yet as one might be located during the week? Were there a choice mine would fall firmly, but realistically, between 

Black and White Warbler 

or

Blackburnian Warbler 

both of which have been seen in good numbers on the other side of the ‘pond’
particulary Haiti where both of these imiges were taken..

But before floating off to dreamland we should surely revisit the last frosty day here when the temperature was on the cusp of Zero while the predicted figure from the Moth traps was exactly the same - but none of it. At this time of year a Moth is a Moth is a Moth and none to be sneezed at even though we don’t usually delve into the world of the Micro’s.First out was

 yet another

 CHESTNUT

along with a totally underwhelming

Depressaris daucella

 or maybe another of that rather difficult family group as advised by Messers Foot and Harris

Continuing the frost theme

and what is often the norm, decent numbers seem to have travelled south as our first flock of

GREENFINCH

appeared in the garden

A real stranger in the camp was this

easyJet

which is by no means a regular flyer from here but onward to more northerly climes

There, at the Irrigation Pond the cold seemed to have enticed a further 2 

 

LITTLE GREBEs

into the forum and if my eyes were not decieving me they were already into the mateing ritual of

Food Passing

At the Gravel Pit both

 LAPWING 

and

COMMON SNIPE

were nearly overlooked in the frozen long grass and with no better

images than these it was considered best to continue the rounds before a return

when they were likely to be more sun-kissed.

While the Heath was just about devoid of life there was a double figure count of

COMMON SNIPE

along the Moors River but they too and not unusually were also obscured.

However, the predicted and hoped for result back at the GP was worth the return

as all the Waders there were now active and far more viewable.

 LAPWING

 COMMON SNIPE

 LAPWING

 COMMON SNIPE

and who could resist snapping such a thing as a fully plumed male

MALLARD

in bright sunlight?

Returning to yesterday, there was a 4th Little Grebe on the IP (with all 4 noisily vocal) while the only hope across the RA of an addition was perhaps a Gull of sorts. The most likely of those not yet recorded here so far in 2020 being, in order, Great Blacked-backed Gull (the largest in size of the whole 54 strong world-wide family group), Mediterranean Gull and ironically something of a rarity here Common Gull. The best chance of the former is undoubtedly the aircraft hanger roofs within the airport, and sure enough Ciara had driven in at least c3. 

 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL

bringing the recording area list to a reasoable 72 species for the year.