Candles in the Wind - Elton John

 While the Moths continue tumbling in we are now on something of a catch-up with a small selection of Firsts for the Year gracing the traps such as

OAK-TREE PUG

a most obliging

CLOUDED BORDER

YELLOW BELLE

SHARP-ANGLED PEACOCK

COXCOMB PROMINENT
while additionally there was one of the tiny

Plume Moths
which come under the heading of Micro Moths which we shy away from like the plague. Mainly because the vast majority only have Latin names while we can't even speak Engrish Plopery!
Just about all of interest down south was found

"Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree"
(Glenn Miller)

with CANDLES akimbo

while across the

 

Main Solar Panel Compound

there was little more than these

hunting

MISTLE THRUSH
very likely feeding young while through the barrage of trees and bushes that are now best part obscuring the Moors River we managed to 'click' almost all of this prowling

FOX
and ending the day with yet another visit to our beat of the

River Stour

and successfully adding

REED WARBLER
to the Year List.

KITES - Gentle Giant

 previously 'Simon Dupree and the Big Sound' backbone of which were the family taught multi-instrumentalist 3 Shulman Brothers from Portsmouth, highly rcomended if not savoured before!!

Not exactly the best way to kick off another day with the remains of a

BUFF-TIP MOTH
likely taken by Bird or Bat but whatever all part of natures rich tapestry, but on the up-side our first

GARDEN CARPET
of the year and ditto

SALLOW KITTEN

along with another

COCKCHAFFER

(slowly does it)

MAYBUG
call them what you will while in the second stable another nest of c5

YOUNG ROBINs
and while we will bring you an update of things from the
Two Ponds in days to come, for now there were but c2

HERRING GULLs

firstly bathing
(the left hand bird still has some juvenile plumage about it)

and then drinking and at the same location a

QUEEN WASP

was found and photographed in situ

while for the third day in succession we have 'seen' a / the

CUCKOO
along our beat of the Moors River.
To end today's Post this rather intriguing image of a partially albino

RED KITE

has been doing the rounds and just hope the © will not baulk at our sharing it with a wider audience!

Silver Machine - Hawkwind

Later to become Hawklords 

A bit of a milestone to kick off with as securing our first Hawk-Moth of the year

in fact not just one but c2

POPLAR HAWK-MOTHs

feeling gentle to the touch

and again from the archive and just for interest the
LARVAE.

Additionally

PEPPERED MOTH
was added and like the larvae the

melanistic version is added for interest and finally of the 'alive' specimens a

RUBY TIGER

larvae ditto

along with the remains of a hapless

PUSS MOTH
With numbers still fuctuating between 1 and 3 on the day

it was back to the middle-order of c2

HUMBUGs

adequately serviced by a loan

Parent Bird
and joined on the Gravel Pit by a new

family group of

CANADA GEESE

as if we need any more!
Having trecked geographically in reverse order it was worth making a stop at the Airport if only to listern to the carcophony of

ROOKs
seemingly having outstriped any breeding season thus far with this

Begging Juvenile

highlighting the number of Air Miles the parents have to undertake to keep them fed.
and finally a visit to the southern paddocks to see if the

WRENs

had nested

for the third year running

in this

makeshift

Equipment Cage?
as you can see, they have!

Shear Magic

 Content to catch up with the Moths on a later Post there was a

WHITE-TAILED BUMBLEBEE

clinging to the door post and followed in quick succession by a new aircraft for the list.

FLIGHT TRADER of EASTERN AIRWAYS
out of Dyce, Aberdeen an airport most familiar to me as an Oil Rig Rat in days gone by.

Starting north again there was no signs of the presumed departed Mandarin and still the

MUTE SWAN
remains sitting while at the Gravel Pit it was loud music that met the ear - to be investigated after a rendition from a mobile and vocal

REED BUNTING

looking

and sounding rather resplendent

against the

varying Blue and Green backgrounds.
The music, sounding more like the

Isle of Wight Fetival

than the usual tranquility hereabouts

heralding the arrival of

Shepherdess Loran

and her

Brigade of Shearer's

leaving them

as naked as the day they were born!

Baged and Ready for Market

WE JUST LOVE TO WITNESS THIS!

There is lambs-wool under my naked feet,

the wool is soft and warm gives off some kind of heat.

 A salamander scurries into flame to be destroyed,

imaginary creatures are trapped in birth on celluloid.

 The fleas cling to the golden-fleece hoping they'll find peace.

Each thought and gesture are caught in celluloid,

there's no hiding in memory, there's no room to avoid.

Carpet Crawlers from the album  

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis