Bird of Prey - Uriah Heep

Despite the temperature dropping to +5°C there were still Moths to be had along with an unexpected visitor. As for the ‘no show’ yesterday, about 10 seconds before ‘take-off’ the power went down and not resumed until much later.

An unusual visitor to one of the garden feeding station this morning was a 'long-lost'

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
and with the 2 home traps still in the Sick Bay it was off to the 3 up north within a misty

Solar Panel Compound
and still they come including

FROSTED ORANGE

the migrant

DELICATE
along with another 'tale of the unexpected' a

RED ADMIRAL
likely looking for somewhere to hibernate
while  rain did interupt proceedings for a full 30 minutes

revealing these water drainage pipes on the solar panels never noticed before.

Still within many dozens of WOOD PIGEONS (left) overhead, which has been the way of things right across the County in recent days,

with far less
STOCK DOVEs
which is usually the way.

Closer to home the noisy and resident pair of
KESTRELs (female)

(male)
were behaving as if they had young

but investigating the nest box showed no signs.
Finally, while remaining on the theme, what we like to believe is a local bird the

SPARROWHAWK

got lucky while the

MOORHEN
didn't.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4JAUCRQ9_g

NOW THERE'S A 'ROCK BAND' FOR YOU!

On Golden Pond

 A quick flash-back to Monday with just a reminder that

it is said that "it is an ill wind that doesn't blow nobody any good" with ours being found on the first circumnavigation of the Main Pond.

Either our Old Pal of last Summer

or maybe a New Comer doesn't really matter much, a fine specimen of a male

MANDARIN
As for Moths, or lack of, numbers are now decreasing and the blow only allowed for 8 x 17 during the gale part of which included

VESTAL

GREEN BRINDLED CRESCENT

BLAIR'S SHOULDER-KNOT

SCARCE BORDERED STRAW
quality over quantity we would say and while they keep coming we will keep traping.

Also in the Solar Panel Compound more Fungi pushing through, to which we cannot add a name, and as 'leaf-fall' becomes daily it is allowing for more open views across the water-meadows associated with the Moors River allowing peeks of the

CHAROLAIS

HERD

and a few attendant

EGYPTIAN GEESE

and as for the Weather, this here is what us Seafarers refer to a Lional Richie Rain!

"All Night Long"

That's Why They Call Me Mushroom - 'Cus I'm Some Sort of Fun Guy!

 You didn't have to be

or Trevor the Weather to see what was afoot for Monday night and part of Tuesday, so a cunning plan was hatched.

The Glass-less Green House no tomatoes this year!

Part of the Caravan is Missing

Oh, there it is down the lane.
Our images from a wander across the Heath on Sunday were held over for such an event and presented for your delectation today!

Not at all a good start as we found the

GOAT ENCLOSURE
devoid of animals and even though they may have been in the depths of the Ferns and Erica it is more likely they have been taken to thier Winter Quarters as is the norm at this time of year? A decent start was

SHAGGY INKCAP

while always a delight to view and

listen to swaying to the breeze
ASPENS

Crossing Dean's Ditch via the railway sleeper bridge looking first to starboard

and then to port before reaching the

Open Heath
"Out on the wily, windy moors we roll an fall in green. You had a temper like my jealousy to hot to greedy" - Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush.

A rather unexpected female

BLACKCAP
was follwed by a clump of

SCARLET ELF CUP

Across the South-side still the

EUROPEAN CARGO AIRCRAFT
stand idle with another 2 on the main pan not seen in the air for months!

along with c2 quite seperate

STONECHAT

Across our 16 Reptile Covers unsurprisingly there was no more than a single

SMOOTH SNAKE
which might have gone down quite nicely with a blob of

WITCHE'S BUTTER FUNGI

More Open Heath across which no more than this single

DARTFORD WARBLER
was located along with a further species of Fungi

BROWN ROLL RIM
Overall a little disapointing in as much as our hopes were more than high for finding a

WRYNECK

which have showed up 2 years running around about this date!
YOU NEVER GET 'EM ALL!!