Alright Me Duck

Returning to Sunday for just the briefest of moments,

by the time we got back to base it looked as if there were at least a couple more hours

of dry weather left before the predicted 'wet afternoon' kicked in'?

Oh how wrong you can be!

The reasoning was another rare vagrant Duck on 

Longham Lakes

which had been giving most of its would be viewers a right old run around,including myself.

However, having been reported sheltering on the largest island of the southern watercourse

that was surely as good a strating point as any.

It could have been amazing had it not been for the now 35 knot wind and some light drizzel,

but as that increased to a full blow deluge, that was the very moment the bird was spotted!

Deja Vous????

Consigned to the note book and personnally "wet as a Cormorant" these

Clicks and Clips

bear no resemblace of what was witnessed on the day, in fact they were secured on

April Fool's Day 2017 at Pitlochry, Perthshire, Bonny Scotland

as part of an extended weekend's Wildlifing in the company of Dave Foot.

 RING-NECKED DUCK

The 'ring' to which the name referes can be clearly seen at the base of the neck 

on the last 2 images.

Additionally and as an aside, our first landlady kindly allowed us to run a

Moth Trap

in which we caught a number of

RANNOCH SPRAWLER

a Moth  not seen by myself before.
 Monday satrted as usual with a visit to both
Moth Traps
and finding among just c6 Insects c2 whch were new for the year.

 OAK BEAUTY

 and the far less glamerous

 COMMON QUAKER
but they all count.

While the situation regarding the virus is serious enough

my stance is the philosophical one and take heed of a quip uttered by

Dairyman Dick in the fantastic Thomas Hardy novel

Tess of the d’Urbervilles

'Tis comfortable enough here for rough folk; but we don't live in a cowcumber frame.”

Dairyman Dick
All the week:
On Sundays Mister Richard Crick.

So, the rest of the day was taken up mostly with a re-visit to what was once my hometown
WEYMOUTH
 but before visiting friends there the pull was too strong to drive past

 MAIDEN CASTLE

 one of Europe's largest and most complex
Hill Forts
 There, before Prince Charles came along and built his carbunkle of a 'squat'
there were once many hundreds of Golden Plover decent numbers of Yellowhammer,
Grey Partridge etc, All that was found on the day were a few
Mediterranean Gulls and singles of

 SKYLARK
(first in Dorset for me)

and

 CORN BUNTING
(first for 2020)

with both being vocal despite being a little in the gloom.
At my destination it was found to be both warm enough and

sunny enough to enjoy out coffee in the garden, but that was not all!

In very quick succession c3 species of

BUTTERFLY

graced the already blooming flower beds including

 PEACOCK

 BRIMSTONE

and

 COMMA

 all 'first for the year' as a family group and as individual species.

Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins

One of those days seemingly running around chasing 

my own tail, but standing back at the end of it some Birds were seen

and there was a good deal done hopefully to improve the Moth catching and environment.

On that front the catch was particularly low but the was a 

Trick to the Tale

as what might be considered to be a slightly early

Horse Chestnut

fell to the new 

Light Emitting Diode's

Furthering that, my Electrical Friend Geoff arrived with the

completed new fit 

(or as Gary Numan once asked - Are Friends Electric?)

which took up most of the rest of the day but not before a bit of 

BIRDING

 Common fare and all from the Heath where the border fence with 

Bournemouth International Airport

is always the most productive spot the following were found, but very few aircraft!!!!

BLACKBIRD

 the first flush of

PRIMROSES

the pair of 

 RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE

 unusually scampering for cover

 Followed by the unequivical 

Bird of the Day 

and our 78th species for the Recording Area and the first true migrant a single

 WHEATEAR

Don't you agree that a strand of barbed wire adds a certain something to the image?

 male

and female

STONECHAT

were on hand as were resident

 STOCK DOVE

 Another welcome prile of Fungi such as 

TURKEY FEATHER

 and

Unknown

 with our wanderings ending with the acquaintance of another 2 ladies

 

 from the 

Eddie Stobart Stable

Lost At Sea - Rory Gallagher (Part IV)

It is a fact that any migrant that wishes to visit or leave these

Sceptred Isles

be they Bird, Insect or Human have one thing in common;

they must transit one seaway or another. 

For this final part of  what is of great facination to myself we have saved some of the

Scarce and Downright Rare 

until last!

 Lucky shot of this

 BLUETHROAT

 GREAT GREY SHRIKE
with in the first instance was seen to peck a hole through the scull
of a hapless Meadow Pipit before its 'lader' was found amoung some
small bore pipework holding a dozen mixed passerines.

 rather unfortunate to see such a bird in this state

 MEALEY REDPOLL

and who could ever have imagined a 

 HOUSE SPARROW
being out there, up until then it was the only one ever recorded across the
North Sea

 REED BUNTING

 STOCK DOVE
another surprise unlike

 HOODED CROW
which were annual.

 DUNLIN
alongside more

 CASUALTIES
and who'd a thought it particularly on my 18th birthday in 2006????

 as one of the Clankies (Engineers) bust in and announced he had a birthday present for me.

 and even though it to be what is was a

 LITTLE STINT

 ROCK DOVE's
another North Sea first

 COLLARED DOVE

 GARDEN WARBLER

 REDSTART

(a smart male)

 PIED FLYCATCHER

 and the very

 BEST

and

 RAREST

until last

SHORT-TOED LARK
The Buchan Alph Oil Production Platform
was put on station at the sea area known as the
South Halibut Basin - North Sea in early 1974 producing an incredible
148,000,000 barrels of crude oil before being decommissioned on the
12th May 2017 after being towed to

DALES VOE SCRAP YARD, LERWICK, SHETLAND
All the various crews across those years owe the 
Old Girl
a great deal of thanks for providing us all with a very large drink!!