I Saw a Magpie in a Rainbow - Marillion

 While the dark and towering

CUMULUS CLOUD
chugged its way along the English Channel it brough little or no rain to our patch the

Back-up Cast

was the anemometer whipping around at a rate of knots.

 While the bulk of the bird that is the

EMU
is relatively shy and rarely presents a full frame we took the opportunity but rue the fact that we didn't endorse it with a video clip, another project for another day!

With all the Northern Thrushes seemingly having returned to Scandinavia for the Breeding Season

all down souther were the resident gathering of
HOUSE SPARROWs
which was by no means the same across the Norther Quater where the

FIELDFARE
appeared to be absent

REDWING

were still abundant

with the estimate still well into

Three Figures
Two sides of the coin were presented firstly at the Airport where on the roofs was a part

Leucistic / Piebald
JACKDAW
while along the Moors River a rather dark

CANADA GOOSE

which might qualify for

melanistic

status by comparison with the

Archetype.
There was no doubting

things were

Black and White

across the
Solar Panel Compound

where no fewer than c17

MAGPIES
were finding plenty of sustenance.
Although seen every day we still fine the take-off and landing of aircraft

AIRBUS
facinating particularly when one not sighted before such as this

AVRO R-J 100 of Jota Aviation

Barking at the Moon - Ozzy Osbourne

 Still a day or 2 behind, at dusk under the 3rd evening of the First Quarter of the

NEW MOON
on our way to flash up the Moth Traps on the Heath in the gloom we encountered both

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE
in quite unfamiliar territory while on entering the Moor we were met by this 'calling'

JAY

in silhouette only 

having to brighten the image a little.

Hopes were high at dawn as a decent overnight temperature had been maintained,
and we were not to be disappointed.

An early addition to the Year List was a not unexpected, but most welcome

PALE PINION
quickly outflanked

by a most eye-catching

PINE BEAUTY
Having done a mini-rounds on the way to the traps it was soon apperant that

SONG THRUSH
have now been knocked off their perch so to speak as the
most prolific songsters and more than overtaken by

CHIFFCHAFF

singing at just about every location except the garden thus far.
Securing video footage has been a lot more difficult but a matter we will address as the days go by.
Back at the 2 home based traps the catch was far more paltry with far fewer Insects with one minor surprise which was the first

TWIN-SPOTTED QUAKER

to be secured across the whole of the southern part of our area, while on the subject of detemination, as in Chiffchaff, we refer back to our hopes voiced on a previous Post of the opportunist and acrobatic

ROOKs

at the 'hanging' bird feeders

while asking the question,
"who was having most difficulty maintaining an
Even Keel
Cameraman or Birds?" And finally from our friends in Weymouth the first and only nest, with eggs, that we have been made aware of this year.

BLACKBIRD

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!