Here Comes the Flood - Peter Gabriel

 Just a glance at the currant state of the

RIVER STOUR
(looking east)

what used to be North Bank to South Bank

and to the West, just 150 yards from our own front door,
suggested that there won't be much found there for a few days yet!
However, the very opposite was the case as scanning the Southern Sector, but more particularly the pylons, as expectations rocketed. Not a hope in hell of confirming our suspicions with binnoculars alone, this is annually about the only time we ever have to resort to the trusty telescope

to confirm a

PEREGRINE
at great distance, with maybe needless to say having to resort to the archive for the stills.
With such a capture and 'first for year' under the belt it was highly unlikely it would be upstaged but we carried on regardless! Things remained exactly the same the the 2 more northerly watercourses while a number? of

BULLFINCH
(male)

(female)

entertained us along the course of the
Sewerage Works Fence.
Very little was the bad news right across the Heath but seemingly some concern when finding

DEAN'S DITCH

clogged with effluent?
Something of a miracle at the
Rare Breeds Compound

as all of the Goats
5x Bagots, 2x Old English and the single French Alpine had consigned themselves into one frame

but not showing much activity.
Just like thier Ol' Dad here, only moving when you absolutely have to!

Otherwise it was just left to a single
ROBIN

along with a 10 second rather pale

STONECHAT
before returning back to base to find the

GUINEAFOWL
(now part of the daily picture just outside of the homestead)

fratanising with the local
HERRING GULLs

and also

continuously feeding.

The Taming of the Shrew - Bill the Bard

With the Forecaster’s seemingly a little uncertain they branded Sunday with being ‘wet’ from stem to stern. As it turned out here, there was rain in maybe Biblical proportions from 04:00 to 09:00 but followed by a severe outbreak of almost Spring-like Weather!

With rumour of Bomber's overnight success on Saturday in Weymouth with a

CHESTNUT MOTH
 it was decided to flash up just a single trap which was quickly extinguished at 22:30 as empty!     Just as well considering the rain soon after and with no Dawn Chorus either we started the drier part of the day down on the Southern Sector where was found a flock of an estimated 200

FIELFARE

with just 199 of them flying off to the sanctuary of the nearby trees from where,

on one or other of these clips, you may hear them laughing at us!
There was nothing then until arrival at the Gravel Pit where just a single

LITTLE GREBE
remains in residence but where again the flock of

TUFTED DUCK
had increased by a further male bird to c5 but proving difficult to capture

before something else, quite unexpected at this time of year, caught our eye and yes it was a

COOT

with regular visitors likely remembering the December bird which usually avoid such
small watercourses during the Winter months, but a welcome 'first for the year' this time!
Back to the Tufties which being 'Diving Ducks' were continously feeding as well as being widely distributed most of the time

but with a little patience

both Ducks and Drakes

did eventually

Come Home to Roost

as it were!
With a great start to the year already in the bag it would have been OK to think that might have been 'it' for the day, especially when drawing a complete 'blank' along the
Sewerage Works Fence
but there was no intent to leave the Heath unchecked.

We still do not know if this 'clump' (the accepted 'collective noun' for a bunch of)
AIRBUSES
are the ones plying there way back and forth to Malasia in an attempt to keep us stocked with PPE as on some days the Clump seems to have been Shuffled?
However, no ? against the flock of c9

WOODLARK

that flushed from underfoot before landing about 50 yards away and making for our second

First for the Year
as again regular reader will undoubtedly remember the fantastic breeding success of 2020
right across this area.
Before reaching the Goat Compound and during an attempt to lure a
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker,
without success, we happened upon a small flock of feeding

SISKINs

which would not only have rounded of the Hat Trick of FFY nicely
but also the Day as well had it not been a case of
BEST UNTIL LAST!

At this time of year there sems little point in turning the Reptile Covers as any self respecting Sloeworm, Smooth Snake, Sand Lizzard or Other would be well below ground in a hibernaculum of one form or another so this was just on a whim with camera primed in case!

THIS WAS 'THE' SHOT of the DAY
can you see it yet?

There, scurrying around as fast as lightning under the corrigated iron cover, was a most unexpected

COMMON SHREW

(we thank John Gifford for confirming identification)
Almost as if we didn't want the day to end, just a matter of a few yards from
Slight Return II our Caravan Home stood a

LITTLE EGRET
allowing for just a single shot before

taking to the wing and allowing for a second.

A day that could, on any other occassion, have been described as magical but had gone much further than that, as having met 2 amazing people en-route heavily involved with

B.O.A.T.

'Brownsea Open Air Teatre'

Having been a supporter, along with many of the people around me, for a number of years, there were alway between 10 and 20 of us would attend the annual Shakespeare Production which was always a joy to behold. I have to admit to welling up as the conversation continued and have to hope those 2 lovely people tune into today's post which prefectly fits out headline. and is dedicated to them. Do hope to see you again - Stay Safe!

"Kicking Around on a Piece of Ground in Your Hometown" - Pink Floyd

 Yet another clear bright night with evey Heavenly Body on display and what a way to end any day just laid in the bunk looking up through the Star Tunnel the see the likes of this!

The 75% Waxing Gibbous Moon
(as nicked from Bomber)

The accompanyment, still under the cover of dark, came from yet another strange quarter as the

KESTRELs,

both of them, were giving it large

long before dawn as cumulus cloud chugged along the
English Channel

while a hard frost clung on to the tennis court and bearing in mind it's still January both

SNOWDROP
and

CROCUS
are now also in bloom.
There can only be one thing better than a "Bird in a Bush" and we were about to encounter it as approaching the Chicken Coup as trpped inside the hut, no doubt nicking the groceries,

this fine looking fella

WOOD PIGEON

There is just a certain something about having, or seeing, a
Bird in the Hand, up close and personal,
as likely over emphasised on the Portland Bird Obsevatory posts of a few weeks ago.

After clicking and clipping a couple of the now local

HERRING GULL
there it was again

enjoying athe newly found freedom

but maybe not the empty crop?
A further addition to the tribe as we approached the

Gravel Pit

where the previous c3

had redressed the balance adding a futher male bird.

c2 Female Tufties preening with

GREENFINCH
singing in the background along with a

MOORHEN

and again accompanying Greenfich and c2 rather reluctant, but still in residence,

LITTLE GREBE
The

Bird of the Day

appeared along the Sewerage Works Fence at the very last knockings a male
BLACKCAP
which was duly added to the Year List before ending the day as it had strated,

with both

KESTRELs

still knocking about.