The Geese and the Ghost - Anthony Phillips

 The 04:30 +4°C only lasted as far as the Heath this morning where it was at a rock bottom ZERO, but we get a little ahead of ourselves. 

At ‘lighting up time’ last night

 

a second occurrence of exactly the same as the night before when just a single

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE 

was seen on the main track across the Heath then, unusually, took to the wing and flew until it was out of sight. Usually reluctant to fly at all these were the first and second times we have ever seen them do so here!

Even before stepping outside the singing and calling of a lone

CHIFFCHAFF

could be heard but not for long as this

Augusta Westland Helicopter representing
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Service
thundered overhead. More familiar calls from the banks of the River Stour were investigated

to find c2, as ever quarralling,
EGYPTIAN GEESE on the far bank. 

At the Gravel Pit only a reminder of yet another Genesis lyric

Inside, a long rose-water pool is shrouded by fine mist
Stepping in the moist silence, by a warm breeze he's gently kissed
Thinking he is quite alone
he enters the room, as if it were his own
But ripples on the sweet pink water reveal some company un-thought of!

as c2 more Geese of a different species were seen on the way to the Moth Traps, this time

GREYLAGs
The collective from the traps didn't amount to much, and certainly nothing new but 

Best in Show ammounted to

DEEP BROWN DART

L-ALBUM WAINSCOT 

along with a

DARK SWORD-GRASS
While sorting what few Insects there were today's 'tappings' did in fact eminate from a

NUTHATCH

and not yesterday's Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
and a little later in the game it was found that either

the same

SWALLOWs

No, we are not going to bury you 'neck-deep' in images again!

had stayed over, or replaced with another small flock?
It was also plain to see that with no signs of the Kestrel today the

MEADOW PIPITs

had also broken cover again.
STAY SAFE and THANKS FOR TUNING IN!

Bird of Prey - Uriah Heep

  Despite the single figured temperatures and the stiff Nor-Wester we did get a little tickle from the Moth Traps, on a bright and sunny morning, with nothing new but while we are catching, we are also BUZZING!

WILLOW BEAUTY

PINK-BARRED SALLOW

ANGLE SHADES

SALLOW

One of the enjoyable by-products of monitoring the traps is the sound of silence, but better still the Sounds of whatever Wildlife may also be within hearing distance. This morning it was the gentle tapping on the trunk or bough of a tree which was considered to be only one of two things Nuthatch or

LESSER-SPOTTED WOODPECKER 

which is what it turned out to be. Seemingly feeding it didn't seem to appreciate my intrussion, and was soon gone, so once again we rely on the trusty archive to bring you the snapshot. Otherwise, across the Moor the mass of yesterdays Meadow Pipits seemed to have departed and entering the Great Wide Open there hovering before us was perhaps the reason why,

one of two

KESTRELs      

However, what came next was surely made of stouter stuff and something we had already given up on as sure to be somewhere between the near Continent or Africa by now! It is nowhere near too late in the day to encounter a Hirundine or two, there will doubtless be a Christmas special, but the twittering from above seemed a little hard to believe.
Involving no more than half a dozen individuals, all juveniles, we soon located them to present to our
Valued Readership
in pretty much the same way as the Woodlarks of recent days, while we have to admit to the continuation of the Buzzzzzzz!

SWALLOWs

We felt it best to stick in a couple of mandatory images of

STONECHAT

as we wouldn't want you thinking you had logged on to the wrong Blog!

"wot do you reckon mate,

shall we hang around until Crimbo and give 'em all a treat?

A short intemission to watch a 

TUI
take off, haveing thought they had been a carrier from here some weeks ago, maybe it's that we have simply missed them?

Being Sunday it was time to turn the 

REPTILE COVERs
mostly in hope of a Sloe Worm or 2 as it has been a very poor year with just c3 across Spring, Summer and now part of Autumn - without luck. A couple of

SMOOTH SNAKES

Hold a halo round the world golden is the day
Princes of the Universe, your burden is the way
So there is no better time, who will be born today
A gypsy child at the day break a King for a day

with this one fairly active while the other seemed content

 

to remain still and tightly coiled.

Out of the Shadow and into the sun
Dreams of the past as the old ways are done
Oh there is beauty and surely there is pain
But we must endure it to live again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz7BAqwIm5Q

Out of the Shadow - Iron Maiden

  Bruce Dickenson is not only one of, if not 'the', finest vocalist in Heavy Metal but also a fully paid up Internationnal Airline Pilot.

Sun Halo - 12/04/2013 - Havana, Cuba

In Black and White

Think someone must be sharing the secret, just 2 Hits shy of the

THOUSAND MARK

this morning. Many, Many Thanks whoever you are!!!!

More heavy Rain, Hail, Wind and Low Temperatures on Thursday but otherwise a perfect day!

Nonetheless we persevered and for our efforts found a

'first for the year'

LARGE WAINSCOT

BLACK RUSTIC

of no other value than sharply contrasting with the above

and the always eye-catching

FROSTED ORANGE

Individually,

CRANEFLIES

along with a combination of

BIRCH SHIELBUGs and CADDISFLIES

outnumbered the collective Moth total but at least we'd had a tickle!

COSMOS

likely of the cultivar variety are now gracing the track-sides

Like the recent 'off-piste' Stonechat this also unusually sited

WHEATEAR

was found at the entrance to the Gravel Pit

as was this fine

COCK PHEASANT

while within strange happenings were going on where the

LITTLE GREBE's

are displaying again

although we were a little slow in capturing the 

Main Event 

A check on the

BEEHIVES

showed that they were not quite dormant yet with a few Insects swarming in and out.

Best until Last

just shows the measure of the man as at 19:15 (yes, just as local parents are getting their children settled in bed) they decide to undergo engine trial on one of the Airbuses at Bournemouth International Airport. By the sounds of it, this was surely close to the fence so we decided to leave early for the Moth Traps and photograph it.

Nothing unusual about that you may think except, this is a 'second take'! Perfectly sited we reached  for the camera, which was next to the binoculars and I-phone safely tucked away back at Slight Return II (for once, pleased to have 'age' on my side) literally only a one minute drive back!

Good Night - Close as we have been able to get to the previously obscured New Moon!