Swallow's but no Amazons

Well, as predicted yesterday's Post proved to be the Crowd Puller we hoped it would be smashing the Hit List previous record during the new generation of the Bagsy Blog!

2,285 of you and Thank You Very Much and more next Sunday.

A lot of

KESTREL

activity close to the homestead, long before getting to the Moth Traps, with both
male

and female birds looking in good nick so now just awaiting the arrival of

juveniles like these taken last year at the nearby

horse stable nest box.
Another 'first for the year' was this most welcome

NARROW-WINGED PUG

along with a
Bevy of Brindled Beauty's

with one she-male leaving a small deposit which were scattered to the wild.
With the Sun up it was impossible not to include another

shining 'black'

PHEASANT
just ambling by.
Along the main Bridleway

the first of

c3

and first for the year

WHITETHROAT

along with

yet another irresistible female

WHEATEAR

(the wait is long so "snap 'em while you can"!)

Returning to Base again it was impossible to pass the single

ROOK

by at Pond-side and even closer to home

taken from the doorstep in fact

what may well be 'our' own

SWALLOWS
that nest readily in the farmhouse garage.

Living in the Past - Jethro Tull Part I

 A strange Old Beast the memory, as one day you cannot remember where the hell you left the car keys or even your Royal Navy Ships Book Number, formally indelibly consigned to the Grey Matter. However, just a single inkling of

HATO PIÑARO

 and every second comes flooding back as clear as crytal.

we're here

Initially this trip was to have been a 10 days Guided Birding Trip with others in Colombia with Bird Finders under the watchful eye of the aptly named Steve Bird. Every day prior to take-off was filled with thoughts of such a distance for such a short period of time being a great waste so was added to allowing me to book my own dedicated guides in for a further 7 days in Venezuela before flying to Quito, Ecuador and continue overland until finding a flight to Galapagos. All very well had it been remembered that the Fat Chap in the Red Burberry and beard was about to decend a chimney near you with not a seat left on any flight south until after the holiday. My former guide David Ascanio, (the most eminent Ornathologist in the country and author of the definative Bird Guide to that of the same name) and his side kick had left me with their phone number should there be any problems which was the reason for the visit to

H P 

With more images than could fill a dozen such posts, we will restrict this session to just 3 posts over the next 2 Sunday's to give some idea as to the marvels of one of the most fabulous places ever visited.

With sidekick BRUNO at the helm.

SCARLET IBIS

and we are most surprised that the video has glued on!

the bizarre as most things are here

YELLOW-KNOBBED CURASSOW

BLUE and YELLOW

MACAW

BAR-BACKED WREN

ORIOLE BLACKBIRD

BURROWING OWL

The only Underground Owl in the World

YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA

HORNED SCREAMER

MATAMATA

TURTLE

BLUE-and-GREY TANAGER

PEARL KITE

one of the World's smallest Raptors.

ORANGE-CHINNED PARAKEET

Oh to see the BEER BAR when the exhausting day was over but

there was still the night to come when a

COMMON PAUAQUE
was easily caught but will have to get that shirt dhobied!

With the 'prize' of the whole visit only 'caught' in the headlights!
OCELOT
(more memories as having served on a Submarine of the same name)

Talking of which think it is well in order to spare a huge thought for the

Indonesian Submariners 

who perished last week, simply doing their jobs, and their loved ones.

'Run Silent - Run Deep'

Forget Me Not - Eden Kane

Only potentially the ‘scarcest’ Bird that is likely to alight on our patch this year, so how the deuces could we have forgotten it?  We have to hark back to Thursday to find out, not about the absentmindedness but the

WRYNECK

which was seen briefly in flight before

perching on the Heather then disappearing as quickly as it had shown up!
This is the 3rd successive year that this species from mainland Europe has shown up here, with memories of the last one which was also a 4 Woodpecker day including

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

GREEN WOODPECKER
along with the Sparrow sized

LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER
'not many of those to the pound' and we cannot continue before recalling another magical day at the
Portland Bird Observatory
when only on one single occassion we were privileged to see one

In the Hand.
Otherwise the overnight temperature, which continues to be unseasonably low, did once again produce the 'goods' adding

LUNAR MARBLED BROWN

(note the 'moon crescents' on the white bar)

SWALLOW PROMINENT

following the capture of close cousin
Lesser Swallow Prom yesterday, both being May-time Insects but much has been early this year. 

It was refreshing to find a 'pair' of

TUFTED DUCKs

on the Gravel Pit which has been more or less abandoned by Waterfowl and Waders alike this year,

as the female appeared to be totally ignoring her potential suiter

while he was buisily and obviously trying to turn the tide!
Back on the Heath it was more

LINNETs

with this irresitable songstress

knocking out a very

Plaintive Tune

Yet another

SLOW WORM

won't go horizontal

more repeats than BBC 1 but at last a

COMMON HEATH
moth going against the afore mentioned trend as 15 days later than last years first sighting.

We also note that the refurbished
Airport Fire Fighting Practice Area
seems to be completed and now looking foreward to here the alarm bells sound!
We also ended the day with another 'first for the year as a

LARGE WHITE BUTTERFLY

was flitting and perching around the garden but be advised these

LARVAE
will be nibbling your
BRASSICA'S
in a few months time!

NOTICEBOARD - We intend starting a 3 Part Series tomorrow coverning Sunday's which we believe will be a Crown Pleaser? We wouldn't want your Families, Friends and Others to miss out so act now, send the Link to save disappointment! With THANKS!