All in a Mouses Night - Genesis

 Herps is a vernacular term for non-avian reptiles and amphibians but as far as what we describe as

Herp Covers

is concerned this is something of a misnomer.

From beneath we have recorded small Mammals, as was the case today, Insects, Arachnids, Snails et al but still continue to use the term.

Being only Friday it wasn’t even close to the routine we have gotten ourselves into of turning them on a Sunday, but with little else to be found need where needs must! To emphersise the point all that was found yesterday was a

most welcome

WOOD or if you prefere LONG-TAILED FIELD MOUSE
 which will likely be the final find under the covers for 2020.

 Under such circumstances it is usual to take stock of what has been recorded over the year with the signs not being at all Good.

In no particular order, we would start with the humble

SLOE WORM
which appears not to have fared too well at all compared with previous years.

We only log individual sightings, with no attempt to specify individual creatures or mark them in any way, with this years count having been as low as 13 sightings where in other years it has been 'dozens'!

As far as the

GRASS SNAKE
 is concerned this was the only example recorded this year but not to say there are not others out there?

Next, the already endangered and protected by law

SAND LIZARD

of which there have been

no more than c2 sightings!

The absolute 'beauty' that is the

ADDER

 Creatures shaped this planet's soil
Now their reign has come to end

has only been noted on a single occassion across 2020

as, sad to say, has the

COMMON LIZARD

 Has life again destroyed life?
Do they play elsewhere, do they know
More than their childhood games?

which may be close to extinction here?
Maybe the lizard's shed its tail

This is the end of man's long union with Earth

Watcher of the Skies - Genesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5NOV0-EH0c
Finally, for our patch at least and most numerous,

SMOOTH SNAKE

Dave Foot
with shedded Smooth Snake skin.

Appears also to have declined with just 33 sightings whereas in previous years
3 to 5 dozen would be a usual tally.
We end this post with a likely impossible wish list as we pay a visit to Portland, Dorset

to view one of their specialities
WALL LIZARD 

Oh to have them Here!

No Need to Go Out!

We once read of a Chinaman who lived in an apartment converted from an old warehouse on the cusp of one of the countries many rivers, and had a Blog that featured just the images that he took from his windows. Emulating him will be something of a saviour today as the Strange Rover remains in the Sick Bay having failed her MoT - ‘sensors’ at £150 (whatever they may be) which won’t break the bank!

It's an orangy sky, always it's some other guy
It's just a broken lullaby
Bye bye Love

More in hope than expectation we set both of the homebound Moth Traps against a predicted +2°C which manifested itself at +4°C so hope might win the day. The total catch included another

MOTTLED UMBER
clinging to the collar and a whole host of

DECEMBER MOTHs

with some already in the process of

Topping Up Supplies for Next Year!
From there it was half a loaf liberally scattered across the lawn before taking up station on the
Door Step.
Inevitably, first up were

WOOD PIGEONs

which with such shaggy plumage

especially around the neck

might just make them this years progeny?

both Female and

Male

BLACKBIRD
followed in quick succession with

PIED WAGTAILs

certainly not going to be

left out of the picture.

It was at this point that the
EURO CARGO AIRBUS
thundered into take off and we are going to have to chop all those trees and bushes down.

GREENFINCH

was a most welcome addition to the list despite losing its tail with

HOUSE SPARROW (male)
being something of a foregone being lucky to have many, many dozens here.

With

RED CAMPION
and

WHITE DEAD NETTLE
both still in bloom it was the return of one of the

COBHAM
in-flight refueling trainer jets returning to base that indicated the day was getting long
(you can set your watch by them).
With it came, Mob Handed, my 'birds of the day" likely having spotted what morsals were left

STARLINGs

dozens of them and

just look at that sheen and plumage

all to often discarded as vermin maybe on account of its Latin name

Sturnus vulgaris
but surely a beauty by anyones estimate and sometimes look at the

EURASIAN NUTCRACKER,
which would attract thousands of observers should one visit our shores, and ask
What's the Difference?
You don't have to look to the skies around here to check if it is Dusk yet, all you need to do is listen for the rotor clatter of the

RAF CHINOOK
which circles overhead in ever decreasing circles just about every evening

but takes far to long to 'disappear'!