The Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal

 With 70 specimens x 10 species of Macro Moth taken from the Heath yesterday, but not a sausage from home, there was surely going to ba a First for the Year among them with Pride of Place going to

BRINDLED PUG
with a back-up cast of a brace of

TWIN-SPOTTED QUAKER
already gracing the list, while that pesky Grey Heron once again came tantalisingly close but still not into view while the local pair of

KESTRELs

once agin, occupy the nest box in the stable intended for Barn or Tawny Owl.
A game of 2 halves from there on where to continue between the Heath and Moor River were found a distant couple of

melanistic

PEASANTS
not at all usual here unlike the 

irresistable

and even blacker

fine specimen of this

Close Encounter

BLACKBIRD
Going by the shape of the leaves

we are considering this as our first

DANDILION
while

SPONECHAT
now appear to have moved in 'mob-handed' a dozen + today.

Along the Moors River there was no more than this male

TEAL
but our arrival at the Solar Panel Compounds were as if we had made an appointment!

Not quite as "SILENT" as the headline suggests

there are now 200 head

of mixed

EWES

and
LAMBS

across 2 Compounds of lush Grass.
We will keep you updated from time to time.

Another relatively quiet day which we prefer to describe as the 

CALM BEFORE THE 'SWARM'!

Singing in the Rain - Gene Kelly

Our suspicions of yesterday's Mystery Moth we founded and confirmed as an exceptionally early and a little worn

GREY PINE CARPET
not surprisingly a 'first for the year' and which has been passed on to higher authority as of interest!

 Yet another frustrating moment to start the day as by no means for the first time the raucous calls of Grey Heron

broke the dawn silence but remained unseen. Never in all the years we have persued the interest have we had to wait 74 days (and still counting) to clap eyes on such a common bird on our home patch! However, on the up side, the other early morning songsters are being lead each morning at abot 04:00 by an unknown number 

of seemingly determined

SONG THRUSH
Also in early morning evidence have been Waterfowl with the previously industrious pair of

MUTE SWANs
having wrapped their hands in on the nest building front and most stragely not even leaving any evidence that they ever made the attempt?
Otherwise the small skein of c4

GREYLAG GEESE
(we'll have to get a bit quicker with that Canon) continue to transit our airspace each morning.

Maybe no need to highlight
CANADA GEESE

again, as now occupying all watercourses, but then the best news (with fingers crossed) looks like the

EGYPTIAN GEESE,
aggressive as ever, have taken up residence on the Moors River an occasional nesting site.

With a short break in the theme to make the most of a brief appearance
RAINBOW

while watching this

AIRBUS
shaping up to land at
Bournemouth International Airport

At the Irrigation Pond we again found the

COOT

having been deprived of its

favoured perch by a preening

(no prizes for guessing, yes yet another)
CANADA

The c2 male TUFTED DUCKs still hold station

but not without yet another invasive Canada and a much more welcome

Little Grebe singing in the background.
While ending with a little harmless mirth

as this gentleman hauls such a cargo from Wolverhampton every weekday,

with customers queueing at the Fencing Centre bumper to bumper!
Good Luck to Them!

Young Girl - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

 We were most pleased to meet a Young Lady yesterday, albeit by proxy, but more correctly a girl named Saskia. It was after Victualling Ship that I encountered her Auntie at the checkout who told me she is mad about wildlife, but more particularly Ants! What a coincidence that just the day before we had uncovered the first such nest of the season with these tiny beauties already carrying eggs which we videoed. We dedicate this clip to Saskia, a charming name that we have never come across before, but still pride ourself in being able to sing a recognisable song containing any girls name in the land!

RED ANTS
If anyone would like to pick up the gauntlet in that particular matter simply attach the name via the 'Comments' box at the foot of the page and it's 'Game On'!

Otherwise, there was again a decent enough catch at the Moth Traps starting with a first for the year

To Be Confirmed
among a total haul of 59 Macros x 11 species from the Heath while from the home traps

from top clockwise
Hebrew Character, a second mostly obscured,Yellow Horned, which given the wind direction may well have been displaced from the Heath, and a Common Quaker along with a tiny

LARVAE
Before leaving home we failed once again to capture the more acrobatic of the

ROOKs

coping with the 'hanging' bird feeders

but feel it only a matter of time before videoing?
Not so much bother with the now far more confident local

pair of

KESTRELs

as they get nearer to

procreation.
Back on the Heath we decided to turn those Reptile Covers not investigated on the previous day

only to find a second

COMMON SHREW

of the year under a different cover altogether some distance away from the first.
Always worth a second look despite also having visited the
Rare Breed Goats Compound
only yesterday, but to be bless in the first instance by a very smart

but somewhat mobile

GREY WAGTAIL

while close by a close cousin

PIED WAGTAIL

was being dwarfed

by one of the

Rare Breed Goats
Our return home mid-afternoon met with the welcome sight of

TREE PLANTING

right outside of the door

WILLOWs
of sorts?

and as if Head Nodding in Approval as

Mini Narsisis
have also broken surface.

We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower.
a flower?

Supper's Ready - Genesis