Cuckoo Cocoon - Genesis

Wrapped up in some powdered wool I guess I'm losing touch
Don't tell me this is dying, 'cause I ain't changed that much
The only sound is water drops, I wonder where the hell I am
Some kind of jam?

Cuckoo Cocoon have I come to, too soon for you?

A slight increase in temperature of the night air, brought with it a couple of new species to add to the Property Moth List.

LUNAR MARBLED BROWN

(unexpected) and

POWDERED QUAKER

(certainly overdue).

 plus another first return for 2014

 SPRUCE CARPET

 GREEN BOTTLE FLY

 HONEY BEE

complete with sacks of pollen.

 Also unexpected, at such close quarters anyway, was this female

GOLDCREST

which was hanging around the Electric Dustbin

sited close to the redundant chicken shack.

It's CPA (closest point of approach)

was the extension to the power cable

 which supplies the trap!

We rarely, if ever, publish photographs of birds we don't see

but last week a visit was paid to

 BESTWALL, Wareham

 where a 'pair' of

BLACK-WINGED STILT
had been cavorting for a couple of days. As stated, I was a day too
late to see them but feel that this is such an

elegant and charming bird species

that a couple of images from the archive were in order. The plan had been to publish them the following day but they were lost in the mists of time, only to be re-discovered this morning. Another Bank Holiday so once again a day for sticking close to home included another wander to the north end of the property mainly to check the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. No sign unfortunately, but if they are sitting (on eggs) then they will be very low profile - we will return at a later date. Along the way

this 'stalk' with white tips looked interesting

especially the white bits which as yet have not been identified.
Any ideas? - Please let us know!

GOLDFINCH

and what is thought to be the same
WHEATEAR
as when Dave Foot paid a visit is still down by the small natural pool.

MARSH MARIGOLD

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY

Then I 'cracked' as the lure of the New forest and a potential Goshawk got the better of me. It was still early in the day so little traffic on the way out and while the midday diners were fairly numerous there was little by way of hold-ups. Good job I did make the journey as there was an unexpected avian sight never before seen in my 'birding' career, and one to behold.

Taking up position alone at this traditional Goshawk View Point,
the day had become warm but as can be seen from the photo there
was an element of low cloud and mist to contend with.

There is little or no chance to photograph these powerful Raptors here so the big camera was left in the car, much to my chagrin as it turned out, as this was when the

 Hepatic female CUCKOO turned up.

Perching in a tree some 70 yards away there was no knowing instantly what it was but a few things buzzed through my head. The bird stayed there for a full 2 minutes affording excellent 'scope views but having to rely on Wiki once more for an image. In addition there was a single Goshawk that showed itself, but like a migrant bird in transit rather than the usual here thermalling and/or displaying.

Hepatic definition - of, relating to, or resembling the liver, which was the colour of this bird.

Another GREAT day and good to get out again after the almost continuous
heavy rain and cold north-easterly wind of yesterday.

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'A' 200 - Deep Purple (Instrumental)

200 and COUNTING

Another light frost to contend with this morning brought visions of little in the Moth Traps, but even on cold nights there is the chance of a species or two. During his visit here last weekend Dave Foot produced the property's first

 PALE MOTTLED WILLOW

but as predicted by him this particular critter is not one for sitting around and being photographed. On that occasion there was a likelihood of the Insect doing itself damage so was released without an image being taken. This one simply sat there and was soon on its way to freedom. Otherwise

LESSER SWALLOW PROMINENT

 was the best of a small bunch along with

 The Micro

 EUDONIA ANGUSTEA

 Despite unbroken sunshine throughout the early part of the morning and semblance of a comfortable walk around Longham Lake was dashed by a persistent north-easterly breeze. However, in the same way as yesterday with Common Swift, the 'milestone' 200 species was achieved moments after leaving the car as a

 HOUSE MARTIN*

flew overhead to join the few Sand Martins feeding over the water.

 SONG THRUSH

was simply posing so got what it was asking for, while the next
sighting made the heart skip a beat!

 Surely any 'birder' seeing a Corvid appearing to have a 'RED' bill

approaching would do likewise

 NO! It was not a Chough, only a CARRION CROW playing with

What looked like a reddish nut or fruit.

A short chat with Dr George Green is now becoming an almost 

daily occurrence so no surprise as he was spotted heading in my

direction, reporting the whereabouts of a singing

 WHITETHROAT*

on his arrival. No sign of the Garganey today but a few more Swifts 

and Sand Martins brought a fairly short day in the field to an end

bringing the Bird List Totals to

G.B. Year List = 201     Dorset Year List = 177

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Broken Wings - John Mayall

One of Mayall's finest compositions (from the Blues Alone album) 

which, it is said, was the favourite track of 

Kurt Cobain frontman with Nirvana.

Click to hear Broken Wings 

Out there the Easter mayhem has begun on the roads so good reason to hang around the local patch and also catch up on the publication of a few images that should have appeared before now. Most of these are additions to the GB Year List which is now rapidly heading for the 200 mark, but first the amazing sight from above on Wednesday night at 21:50 precisely when the

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

cut across the clear and star filled sky.

First appearing in the West in very quick time

almost directly above Harbins before fading into the East.
It was Thursday 9th when the first 'chattering'

SEDGE WARBLER*
was discovered in a hedgerow at Longham Lakes and later, as
I enjoyed a smoked salmon bagel on the seat in the south west
corner of the lake the first 

CUCKOO*

was heard.

Since then another has been heard here at the farm followed by

another seen flying across Hartland Moor.

GRASSHOPPER WARBLER*

was next to make up a 'hat-trick' on the day betraying its presence

by that unmistakable 'reeling' song.

On Monday 14th a visit was paid to the northern shores of

Poole Harbour where

the first WHIMBREL was heard flying overhead

WHIMBREL

That was followed by a single

REED WARBLER
at Longham which since then have increased in numbers to at least half a dozen.
2 days later 'calls' from the hedgerow again allowed me to see

c4 BRAMBLING
a first for me in this area, but they were soon gone!
Yesterday, news of c2 Avocets was the tipping point for a drive to
Lodmoor, Weymouth. Unfortunately the Waders had gone but
consolations were at hand by way of

LESSER WHITETHROAT*
there followed by c2

LITTLE TERN*

at Ferry Bridge.

As ever there was time for a coffee and ham sandwich with Secret and his son Robert before making an early return hoping to miss the traffic. Fat chance, everybody and his missus were on the road and the nightmare traffic lights at Canford Bottom played their part in making matters worse. I'll content myself with the northern reaches of the farm tomorrow and likely the next few days.

As for today, well after releasing from just one trap (The Electric Dustbin)

WHITE ERMINE

 new for the property and

PEBBLE PROMINENT

 new for the Year,

 it was off to Longham Lakes which was found beneath a clear blue sky bathed in bright sunshine but a keen breeze blowing, from the east, leaving a sharp edge on things. However, you know what they say "it's a ch'ill wind that blows nobody any good" and I was soon to become beneficiary to that. Stepping from the car, a familiar 'sream', not heard for 6 months or more, brought to my attention c3

COMMON SWIFT*
flying directly overhead but lingering no time at all.
Taking a first cursory scan across the water, a couple of hundred
Sand Martin along with the odd Swallow were feeding by they too
quickly disappeared leaving me to find my first

COWSLIP
of the year.
Circling both lakes to the accompaniment of Blackcap, Song Thrush, Willow Warbler, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Cetti's Warbler, Reed Bunting, Mediterranean Gull, Nuthatch and much else, I was lucky to relocate what were surely yesterday's pair of

GARGANEY
First the male appeared, flanked by Mallard and Tufted Duck, from
behind the small island at the south east corner of the site

followed by the far less striking female.

They seemed happy to cavort for a while before she seemingly 

got  bored, found a perch and started preening operations.

 Always a little nervous, later they took to the wing and relocated
at the other side of the lake.

 Luckily the very few people there all got to see them!

 On the way back to Harbins there was another stop where after a
few days absence I also relocated the injured (broken left wing)

BLACL-TAILED GODWIT

still going about its business finding plenty of food.

In this condition it would be no surprise if it were there all Summer and beyond.

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