Whiskey in the 'Jar' - Thin Lizzy

 While the weather could have been marginally better it was certainly a case of

'One Man's Meat being another Man's Poison'.

As the irritating pulses of rain were certainly welcome by gardener's and farmer's alike

while us Moth'ers and other Wildlifer's could have done without it!

However, it didn't detract from one of the best weekends ever on home soil and so 'full'
we will have to continue serialising our findings. Dave continued to be in attendance adding to our
First for Year Moths

 the relatively common

 SMOKY WAINSCOT

 the annoyingly 'closed winged'

 BORDERED WHITE
which was eventually teased into opening up along with the delightful

 SCARCE MERVEILLE du JOUR

 a master of camoflage

 when perched on its favoured lychen and for now at least

BRINDLED WHITE-SPOT
Maybe we should have introduced you to our charges before now

and as my next door neighbours

probably best that it is me who
feeeds them and collects the eggs each morning.

this one being refered to as the
Old Mother Hen.
It was on the 25th of June 2019 in company of one of my 4 appretices,
8 year's old Oliver, that we found a Nightjar close to one of the pathways
which we could view, photograph and video without disturbing a feather of the bird.
It was exactly 13 days earlier that this year Dave managed the self same thing
but on a different part of the Heath. The same rules applied as were were able to

 CLICK

and

 VIDEO

NIGHTJAR 
a migrant and denizen of the night

as she sat pesumably incubating

without moving a muscle or even blinking an eye.
There is no nest as such but this large clump of

RAINDEER LICHEN
close by certainly aided location.

Not exactly a series of 'action movies' but a huge priviledge to capture such a
bizzare creature for your pleasure, while we thank
Mister Canon for Zoom Lenses!
The final hour was taken up viewing the in flower

 VIPERS BUGLOSS

while the period covered by this post ended on yet another high 
as again it was Dave who found the

WHITE ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY
still surviving and breeding in very small numbers on our 'patch'.

Elusive Butterfly - Bob Lind

Friday night was something of a 'milestone' for this

Unmarried Moth'er

as again we changed the format of our trapping device with a change over to

Generator Power to run our Mecury Vapour lamps.

Unfortuneately, the former Light Emitting Diodes seemed not

attractive enough to the Insets so reching for the cheque book we bit the bullet - again.

Unfortunately, the weather condition also took a turn as a fresh breeze continued for

most of the night, clearing what valued cloud cover there was and the

temperature remain in low double digits! However, it would be churlish to complain after

adding  c7 new Macro species to the Year List including one particular 'scarcity'.

 To start with and unfortunately not in out traps, an image from our friend Dave Foot of

 SPOTTED SULPHUR
nurtured from an egg which is a rare Insect now extinct in Great Britain.
Loading the car with our gear in anticipation, the male

 PHEASANTs

were at it again, a sight we cannot resist capturing.
 Our Moths kicked off with a most welcome 

and eye-catching

 GREEN SILVER-LINES
 We will also punctuate the Post with a few of the common Birds we encountered
on the day plus other highlights.

 COAL TIT

MOTTLED BEAUTY 

DARK UMBER

BLACKCAP

 COMMON LUTESTRING

COMMON WHITETHROAT
(the 2 species above were vocal throughout our stay but
not to say they were the same individuals)

 PHOENIX

GREY WAGTAIL

 LESSER YELLOW UNDERWING
(an insect which rarely opens its wings at perch)

His Dave-ship Totally Immersed

DOUBLE SQUARE-SPOT

NUTHATCH
The best of the 'first's for year' is left until last as described as
"A local species restricted to Southern Britain"

 GREAT OAK BEAUTY

It is also described within Dorset as a
'Very Rare Resident'
so no wonder there was excitement as catching c2 on the same day!

TREECREEPER
Although already recorded in 2020 the magical

 CLOUDED BUFF

is added for its sheer beauty as a personal favourite.

SEDGE WARBLER
There was something of a downside when this young buck

ROE DEER
was found by the wayside with no visible signs of how
it might have met its end, but this was mightily countered on the
Post Traps Wander
and what should count as the highlight of the day when this

SILVER-STUDDED BLUE

was found as  a 'first' for the Recording Area!
What a way to end an already Great Day.

Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love

Albatross - Fleetwood Mac - Part II

The second and final part of that 'magical day' in Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand
in the company of Captain Gary Melville is, like the 'first' a pictorial - here's hopeing you enjoy it!

One of Gary's Promotional Shots

 NORTHERN GIANT PETREL

not the pretiest bird of the trip

with that attribute likely falling to

 SALVIN'S (SHY) ALBATROSS

 an absolute

STUNNER

 Another of the less 'pretty'

 but not to be missed for love nor money

 WESTLAND PETREL

 with close up of juvenile
WANDERING ALBATROSS

 while the last of the palagics

 was the also stunning

 WHITE-CAPPED ALBATROSS

 before being met at the harbour mouth by

RED-BILLED GULL

 LAND

HO!