The Emperor's New Cloths

 Despite the high winds overnight accompanied by sporadic pulses of heavy rain we managed to secure 23 Moths of 10 species with the best hanging on until last. In the first instance there was an addition to the year list by way of a

BRINDLED PUG
an example of what we had hoped we could bring to you before long, why the Spectacle is called

SPECTACLE

a rather dark,

maybe even melonistic,

YELLOW HORNED
and there laying dogo in the top tray of the last trap (in the Solar Panel Compound) a

female

EMPEROR MOTH
which as daytime fliers are rarely attracted to light and just for contrast and magnificence a

MALE
from the archive for comparison.

Having been sussing the wealth of local
BADGER SETTs
in recent days this active and productive one from last year lies abandond but lucky to find

a diurnal

representative within the same

Solar Panel Compound
Diminishing numbers of birds, especially waterfowl, at both ponds was unexpected but the return of

c2

GREEN SANDPIPER
at the Gravel Pit

made up for some of the deficit,

while the wander ended on the doorstep with a second

STOAT
of the week having forgotten to report the one sighted in darkest Hampshire during our recent visit!

Nikki Sue, How Do You Do!

 Despite the continuing windy and / or downright chilly weather still they come with

both

DOTTED CHESTNUT

and

RED SWORD-GRASS
added to the Year List while close to the traps in the
Solar Panel Compound

GREENFINCH

were at

their

Vocal Best
As for 'eye-catching', this

spectacular and equally vocal

GREY WAGTAIL
stole the show and also within the only

'active'
Badger Sett

we have found across our patch so far this year. Even the chicken wire didn't prevent them from excavating the Early Bronze Age Tumuli. While checking the still sitting

COOT
on the Gravel Pit we caught the refrain of our first

and most welcome

WILLOW WARBLER

of the year
and ended our wander in fine fashion with yet anoth 'new' Eddie Stobart

LORRY LADY

Black is Black - Los Bravos

 A 'GREAT' start to another day as we don't recall ever having recorded

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL

across any part of the Farm, north or south, but can be regularly seen at distance from the Heath and the same birds at closer quarters within Bournemouth International Airport (part of our Recording Area)

where they usually nest on the hanger roofs.
It was while having the usual early morning chat with the Lady Gardener that these 2 landed above the Main Pond and then, just to put the Cherry on the Cake another FIRST this

LAUDA PASSENGER CARRIER
Most unusually, what else was considered of interest across the day was found in the Southern Sector as both Birds and Animals started warming to the

PLOUGH

although this vehicle is rigged for hay-bale carrying with the first vestages of the bright yellow

OIL SEED RAPE
(with Roe in the background)

In the Margins a few

LAPWING

the 'first'

HARE

of the year and due to the none-cooperation of the subject matter a couple of

borrowed images from the archive of

MEDITERRANEAN GULL
and while perusing the neigbours

CATTLE
both

BRIMSTONE

BUTTERFLY
and

SMALL TORTOISESHELL
were on the wing and feeding,

but we didn't spot the

ZEBRA
slipping below the radar until later.
All else amounted to new works taking place on the Satellite section of the Heath

but all we could gleen from the foreman was a Bund was being created,
room for more investigations later!