Leavin on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul and Mary

 Having decided to leave the 'best until first', just to break with tradition, the Bird of the Day was undoubtably the scratching sounding

SEDGE WARBLER

found along one of the drainage ditches around the field know as Mead
and bringing up our 94th species for the year across our patch.

The next shocker was found at the Main Pond where the presumed c2 'male'

MUTE SWANs

now have no fewer than

'six' eggs but have to admit we could only manage 3 in the early morning omelette and

a strange sight to watch one of the local Wood Pigeons feasting on blossom?
An early morning encounter with a brace of

Eddie Stobart Ladies
this one not encountered before but

the other most familiar. We won't go into the Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses) anagram scenario again!

Much activity on the Airport

didn't seem to be

disturbing

this preening

COAL TIT

among the swaying Catkins.

We are now reliably informed that this
AIRBUS

is now plying the route between
Bournemouth and New York City
for reasons best known to themselves but we are keeping an ear cocked.

Additionally,

between bouts of hunting in the Heather, some

MEADOW PIPITs
continue to maintain these strange gaping postures while should there
be a reason for Moths to be on the wing, surely the

Blooming Sallows
are it and which neatly leads to one of the handsome ornimental

WEEPING WILLOW

All on the Irrigation Pond were these c2 male
TUFTED DUCKs
and a nosy Canada Goose with backing vocals provided by a still alone Little Grebe.
However, better than the misty

GRAVEL PIT
where there were no signs of life at all but something of a reminder of the Genesis classic
'The Lamia'

Inside, a long rose-water pool is shrouded by fine mist.
Stepping in the moist silence, with a warm breeze has 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.

Rael stands astonished doubting his sight,
struck by beauty, gripped in fright.
Three vermilion snakes of female face,
the smallest motion, filled with grace.
Muted melodies fill the echoing hall,
but there is no sign of warning in the sirens call:
Rael welcome, we are the Lamia of the pool.

We have been waiting for our waters to bring you cool!

From the album - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

It's Just Another Day - Paul McCartney

 As the chill nights continue we have nothing new to report from the Moth Traps but looking through an early morning window something of a novelty.

HERRING GULL

seemingly having bitten off more than it could chew and even stayed for an

outside shot - it will be in the crop in short time.

On the Main Pond the

CANADA GEESE
look to be incubationg as we missed any signs of nest building while most of the rest of the action was confined to the Heath.

Still a little quiet

but with another very brief sighting of the

GOSHAWK
(borrowed image)
more than enough to warm the cockles of the heart.

As for vocalists it has become a 2 horse race with

BLACKCAP

(male)

(female)

just about upstaging the now numerous

WILLOW WARBLER
Having had no chance of captureing our first

WHEATEAR

with the Canon that matter was redressed followed by a few seconds with this obliging female.

ROE DEER
as industrious

LINNETs

continue nest building apace.
Finally, and again what some might describe as dowdy the humble

ROOK

surely comes into its own when caught in the right sunlight!

Of note - there was a very early juvenile on the lawn yesterday unfortunately not Clicked.

Those Were the Days (My Friends) - Mary Hopkin

 By no means alone in all of this, the only real restriction Covid 19 has put upon me personally is having missed the occasional visits from my Mentors and Apprentices alike. No longer able to invite such luminaries as

Doctor Moth himself Phil Stiling (right) with brother Mike

 and the older of my own 4 apprecices

Chloe

Dave Foot

without whose undying help we would never have gotten back into the saddle
and with a little favouritism the 3 (one missing)

Mason Children

who never flinched when first having a Moth placed on their hands and marveling at the the likes of

ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH

Back to the day and best among another poor haul at the traps were repeats of

BRINDLED PUG

RED CHESTNUT
along with a

EARLY TOOTH-STRIPED
Following what over the last few month has become the way of things we again wandered off to
Longham Lakes and talk about Right Time, Right Place the sky was full of Hirundines with

most numerous being

SAND MARTIN

difficult to estimate number but to be at least 1,000 with the next being

SWALLOW
maybe a couple of hundred or more and already seen this year and finally among the meleé just a lone

HOUSE MARTIN

and additionally there was no more than a light sprikling of 'reed bound'

SEDGE WARBLER

and

close cousins

REEDWARBLER

all chittering away

in an effort to claim the hand of a
Fair Maiden
and in addition to a lovely clump of

BLUEBELLs

Better Late Than Never (or So It Is Said?)

 It seems like an Eon since we captured these snaps as on our way back from Weymouth where we took a shortish diversion up Bowleaze Hill on the outskirts of the town and now recovered from that dark corner.

The view from the knapp of a
Misty Portland.

Still redundant Ocean Liners swinging to their picks (anchor) in
Weymouth Bay.
An extra bonus (right time, right place) was a

Military Excercise
takeing place right before our eyes.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Directly below us at White Nothe, Redcliff Point and the former
Pontins Holiday Camp 

which we are reliably informed is on the market for a meer £5,000,000 which is thought ambitious to say the least as a Listed Building which cannot be tampered with

and the added disadvantage of the landslip.

A passing

added to the already good mood as was

what is also believed to be an

In Flight Trainer Seaking Helicopter.

Cargo Freighter
also at anchor and with sea container deck cargo looked every bit as awaiting
Free Patique to enter either Weymouth or Portland Harbour.

Looking inland Roadside Verges here are also well worth a little time before getting our very own

FLYPAST
led by a Merlin and followed by a Sikorsky Choppers.
This One's for Paul and Annie.