Yesterday Once More - The Carpenters

It was always going to be a warm and sunny day but the

Dawn Pea Soup'er

didn't make it feel or look like that and it also seemed to have affected the

Moth Traps

again!

Among the half dozen or so that have now become the 'usuals' was a bit of a battered single

ENGRAILED

 which was duely added to the Year List, but that didn't mean it was the end of the

Moth Trail for the day!

At the Ponds both Coot and Little Grebe appear to be thriving, with hopes of proof winging your way in the near future, but the Moorhen's seem to have no lust for procreation at all??

Along the Bridleway more good news as both

 (Common) WHITETHROAT

and

 LESSER WHITETHROAT

were in good voice with the latter not falling to the video fuction

but both added to the 2020 List

Yes, we realise we have featured 

MISTLE THRUSH

a couple of times already this year but when you capture a nifty little clip

it is difficult (nea impossible) not to include such.

It would seem that some trees are one day brown and the next shrouded in green

which was the case with the

Mighty Oak

at the gate to the Heath, but there's a thing - where was the gate????

Off its hinges and lying prostrate on the ground

 with the old wooden one, left on the ground where it fell over a year ago,
tossed over the barbed wire fence like a rag doll 
(The Four Seasons)
That was the Herdsman quickly oyked out of his bunk - well done Richard
The largest of the c5 Rare Breeds Cattle is the beefy
Old English White
which surely could not have been responsible for this so maybe we can attribute it to
VANDALS? 

"Give Me Your Answer Do"
With having been a bit of a dull Spring thus far we were not quite ready for the
Mini Bonanza 
to come as first out of the woodwork (or shold that be Heather) were a couple of daytime flyers

COMMON HEATH MOTH
and induced to follow suit by a wiff of pheromone a brace of 
far more gaudy and colourful male

EMPEROR MOTHs

 along with a female for  comparison

and only likely to be caught by netting or in a light trap

2 additions to 2020 in quick succession and

with the video clips just to give some idea of the response

It may also be of interest that these

EMPEROR MOTH EGGS
were found in one of our traps last year and taken into captivity by our friend
who has seen them emerge into adulthood this year
 Sticking with Insect kind just for a moment more, we also noted

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY
(male)

 and
(female)
on the wing in close proximity
Considering by recent standards that we had already done very well, we tarried a while 
by the Rare Breed Goat Compound to listen to the Blackcaps and Willow Warblers singing from cover and high perches appropriately but then to hear some unusual
Gutteral Sounds
No doubt about it a

NIGHTINGALE

only our 3rd since 2013 in usual form only showing its bill and forehead,
the image is 'borrowed'!
Not many get excited about the humble

FERAL PIGEON
but when your local and long lost bird suddenly shows up after more that 6 month, well there ain't going to be no Champagne corks popping , but nevertheless nice to see!
Fianally, and on another upbeat note, there is little dobt that

 WOODLARK

 are once again breeding on the Heath
BRILLIANT!!

Saturday

Things were a good deal more favourable both at the 

Mercury Vapour Moth Trap and across the

Recording Area while action in the LED Traps still remains very slow!

 LUNAR MARBLED BROWN

 GREAT PROMINENT

OAK-TREE PUG

were all first examples for the year

Also close to home both

 WHITE DEAD NETTLE

and

 GREEN ALKANET

is springing up all over but with Bird Life down this end still formed ony by

The Usual Suspects

The ponds proved to be much the same and having already mention the LED's we ventured to the south east corner of the Heath where Bird Life kicked of with the 

ever reddening 

 and vocal 

LINNET

 now being the most numerous species up there

 The clouds were gathering which might have helped the Mothing situation

but they soon cleared as the temperature kissed

+20°C

 A full hour waas spent in the area of the 

Goat Enclosure

as some Birds are prone to nipping down and nicking the victuals and where first thing a

 LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER

 was found both singing and

 drumming

Old Devil Moon - F.A. Sinatra

Computer Glitch - Running Late!
Another catch up and still trialing the 

Light Emitig Diode Traps

(which don't seem to be doing to well perhaps due to that)

Old Devil Moon in Your Eye

it was left i full for the single Mercury Vapour one in the garden to come up with the 'goodies'!

 All First's For the Year 

unless noted, first out was a real welcome contender as one of if not 'the'

smallest Macro of them all and certainly up there with my favourites

 the 

'Bird Dropping Mimic'

 CHINESE CHARACTER

followed by

FROSTED GREEN

 STREAMER

 SCARCE PROMINENT

 NUT -TREE TUSSOCK

 and included because it is such a classy looking Insect, but previously secured

 HERALD

Elsewhere, but before getting away from the Moth scene altogether,

my neighbouring 

 WOOD PIGEONs

 have, this year, taken to nesting in the

Holm Oak

which is more or less singularly the stronghold of a recent colonist to Great Britain the

 OAK RUSTIC

(which should emerge much later in the year)

This is all going on right outside my door so easily observed but last year they favoured the

 LIME

close by and at much lower altitude

but as we speak stands pruned and naked!

 Continuing the Patient Waiting Theme

it would appear that the female Kestrel is also 'sitting', as they did last year nesting

in the Owl Box sited in the gable end of the stables.

 The male meanwhile seems to sit it out

before his task of

 catching and carrying small Mammals and Other for the youngsters

 Otherwise, but not being an expert on such things, it is believed that this aircraft is a

 HERCULES TRANSPORT

 

which we notice is 'unbadged' and usually indicates some kind of 

'Special Operations'

 It has been flying around, seemingly in ever decreasing circles for the last couple of days, and more recently with its after cargo doors wide open which may indicate it is about to disappear??

Little as it is, all of this has taken place across the Southern Section of the Recording Area

while to the north things have remain stagnatly still with only a lone

 MALLARD
enhanced by the glint of the Sun

 Yet another 'singing'

 STONECHAT
 and to conclude, just about the only 'Micro Moth' I can identify
and describe by its Latin name

MUSOTIMA NITIDALIS

So new is this invader from the Antipodes that as yet it does not feature in that fine tome that is

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