(What A Day for A ) Daydream - The Lovin' Spoonful

This Post only paints half of the picture from yesterday
as the forenoon was unseasonably chilly, overcast and still
while at noon the rain arrived with a vengeance with a progressive increase
in wind speed up to gale force as the day went on. There has been little or no let up
in the precipitation since and as we sit here at 03:00 this morning
both phenomena still persist!
What is it said about the Cuckoo?
In July away I fly, in August away I must.
We don't flippin' blame them!
  Daydream - The Lovin' Spoonful (1966) 

The start of any new month is always greeted with a degree of anticipation and excitement as yet another opportunity to add more species of Moths, or more particularly Birds, to the appropriate ongoing Month Lists. As we have only been recording here for the past decade there are still plenty of chances to make addition for example the humble Feral Pigeon which thus far has only been seen in half of the allotted 12 months. This is the reason for the postponement of the next part of Going to My Hometown, which we figure will be with you soon. As ever our sprinting blocks were nailed in ready for first light but there were already a couple of potential snags that had manifested themselves. Looking at the thermometer, Blu-Tacked to the door outside of Slight Return II, at 05:00 it showed a paltry +9C and looking above it was either a case of

"Red Sky in the Morning Shepherd's Warning"
or
the Barn was on fire!
NIL DESPERANDUM
off we marched with a spring in our step and there to meet us at
Moth Trap # One was the now daily companion a

juvenile ROBIN

waiting in hope of some easy pickings.
Despite what may have sounded like negativity, we don't do that,

 the 3rd Moth out of the first trap was an addition to the
Recording Area List
in the shape of a

 MINOR SHOULDER-KNOT

and not far behind it a
First for the Year

 STRAW UNDERWING

 Additionally, and included for it bizarre shape and stance a

 COXCOMB PROMINENT
which is only our 'second' for the year, while

SCALLOPED OAK
is shown as looking so good among the egg trays.
Not at all a bad start to the day and still no rain although the
clouds continued to look threatening.
With the afore mentioned anticipation now reaching breaking point
we raced off to the Irrigation Pond, clocking 23 mph at one point,
the fastest the Strange Rover has been since my ownership,
and we were not to be disappointed!

 The very first bird clocked there was the

COMMON SANDPIPER

which has been a temporary resident there for the past few days
and an addition to the August List - another Good Start.
This was followed by a

 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL

which simple dropped in for a few sips of water

and then was soon gone.
What a beauty - we do love the Gulls!

There were also a couple of

 GREY WAGTAIL

 which were appended to the same List, and then straight round to the

 Gravel Pit
 where the 'pair' of long staying

LITTLE GREBE
had obligingly continued their stay also to be additions.

In company and also very much expected was a lone

GREEN SANDPIPER

and while of no 'list value' this is one regular bird here we could never tire of!
About to leave after a full search, it was no more than a
massive stroke of luck that the movement in the corner of the eye
turned out to be a

COMMON SNIPE 
(can you see it yet?)

 Not an uncommon bird here throughout the Winter Months

 as 3-figure daily counts can be assured if the ground doesn't freeze.

 It is however, thus far, unheard of to have one visit during the

 Summer Months.

 Consulting some of the 'shooting' fraternity none have ever
experienced such a thing, but this is our 'second'.

 With no time to have published it yet, there was a single in the
Balancing Pond at the Airport,

conveniently for listing purposes, on the last day of July.

 It is for this reason alone

that we make no apology for the number of images of this scarce
Summer Visitor!
Having drawn a complete 'blank' on the Heath, we returned to the
Ponds to take one final look only to find firstly that a

 GREY HERON
had arrived at the Irrigation Pond

but very quickly showed a clean pair of heels at our arrival.
There also were singles of Reed and Garden Warbler, the latter
also being an addition to the August List, but no images were possible.
Now having carte blanche to come and go in the
Eco Recycling Works
it was thought worthy of a look as this is about the only other place to have a
a water source (puddles) favoured by birds. There we were to find the
6th and final addition to the August List with a couple of

FERAL PIGEON
 tussling with a

HERRING GULL
We returned to Slight II at 12:00 with that satisfied grin on our coupon

just in time to seek shelter from the rain which had threatened 

all morning. It is still pisscipitating (sic) down as we speak, but with

dinner at Harbins later, doubtless including a fine bottle of Claret,

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" 

as surely the rain will soon be

Gone With the Wind!
It turned out that we spoke too soon!

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Going to My Hometown - Rory Gallagher (Part III)

Continuing the introduction to our Recording Area which embraces both Parley Court Farm and Merritown Heath, today we reach the Gravel Pit where it is considered a 'dull day' if there is nothing to record. As ever we started at the Moth Traps but despite 322 specimens of Macro Moth to 68 species none were new for the year, with best on show being

 SCARCE SILVER-LINES
and

FOUR-SPOTTED FOOTMAN

With the terrain hereabout 'flatter' than East Anglia we have no
problems with Hill Walking, so that is why the blimp in the middle
of the Pit is referred to a

THE MOUNTAIN

(a Mountain out of a Mole Hill we hear you say)
This is viewed each morning from a great distance as being a
prominent watch tower for all manner of birds like Saturday's

 

brace of fairly confiding

GREY WAGTAIL

which presented a bit of difficulty focusing on at first

but not for long.

By sharp contrast yesterday's

King of the Mountain

was one of the resident

CANADA GEESE

but has also fluctuated across Cormorant, Egyptian Goose, Grey Heron
plus a selection of Gulls to name but a few.

 The banks on 3 sides are fairly steep, but do attract a small variety of
Wading Birds

while the eastern edge is partly 'scraped' but overgrown.
A tentative plan, hopefully in the very near future, is to clear
out the vegetation, dig out a gently slopping bank and top-dress with gravel.

(that's a Stock Dove on the shingle)

There have also been a pair of
LITTLE GREBE
here in recent days

carrying out some strange 'weed-shifting' rituals which
was hoped to be a sign of breeding, but nothing has happened yet?
This is maybe a good time to introduce you to the

 MOBILE BIRD HIDE

which also goes under the nom de plume of the
STRANGE ROVER

 At the south end there are also a number of far smaller pools,

associated with but not connected to, the main body of water
which attract their fair share of Wildlife.
On our gentle approach yesterday not unusually this

GREEN SANDPIPER
 seemed to be just waiting for our arrival

but while we have enough images of this particular species to
re-decorate the deck-head of the Sistine Chapel,
it was there, it was posing so it was snapped!
Last year we were blessed with a male

GARGANEY
first found here before getting the wander lust and visiting both the

Gravel Pit and Irrigation Pond.

Finally, what we consider another fantastic visitor to the
Trail Cameras

BARN OWL

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