Silver Machine - Hawkwind

To use the technical vernacular, the weather over recent nights has been

Up and Down like the Proverbial Fiddler's Elbow!

Firstly high winds followed by gentle zephyr, then heavy downpours

followed by silence from the farmers previously moaning about the lack of rain,

but most disturbing for us ‘ere Moth'ers has been overnight temperatures

travelling the glass from +17°C to a low of +6°C.

 However, there have been a few additions to the Year List.

 SYCAMORE

 BLOTCHED EMERALD

 PEARLY UNDERWING

 ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH

SILVER GROUND CARPET
Later in the day there was a strange sort of clattering coming from the bow section of the

Strange Rover

which was reason to visit the garage at the 

Industrial Estate which is part of Bournemouth International Airport. 

Luckily nothing more than a stone in one of the front wheels,

which they removed at 'no charge', and it gave opportunity to explore an area

that abuts our own Recording Area.

We chronicled the construction of this 'hanger size' workshop through these pages

but this is the first time we had ever seen the front and the name

ALTITUDE

The opposite view of the tributary

and the hard-standing on the Heath where we often

Stand and Stare!

BIRD'S-FOOT TREFOIL

WHITE BLUEBELLS
 Back to Base and a call from the Golf Club

saying that they had found an injured bird.

 This
BLACK-HEADED GULL

 did have a broken left wing

 but looked in too good a condition and very lively to simply kill it!

 Instead, it was committed to the
River Stour
with its fortunes not being known.

 You get used to aircraft noise being so near to the runway

 that you can often identify the aircraft on sound alone, but not this

 ROYAL NAVY HAWK JET

 which had done a 'dummy run' and alerted us to its presence, the sound being alien.

 SMALL TREE MALLOW

Our first

 SMALL HEATH BUTTERFLY
of the year and once again the Heath is covered in the

 lairs of
FUNNEL SPIDERS

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The Last Three Days of May

Still early days yet, but we think we might have caught up with all of the
outstanding images for May. Those below, save the ones itemised as being from
the archive, cover the last 3 days of last month.

As has now become accustom, one of our little pals was waiting at the 

Moth Traps in hope of an opportunistic breakfast, hence we endeavour to dispose

of our 'releases' deep into the brambles.

 GREAT TIT

So, we are making hay as it were while the overnight temperature remain 

reasonably high and the Insects tumble in accordingly.

All Firsts For The Year!

 EYED HAWK-MOTH

 ORANGE FOOTMAN

 LARGE YELLOW UNDERWING

 PALE TUSSOCK

 WHITE POINT

 SHARP-ANGLED PEACOCK

 MAY HIGHFLYER

and the Diptera (Fly)

NARROW-WINGED HORSEFLY

(Tabanus maculicornis)

Down at Parley Pond 

after what seems like an interminable long wait the

MUTE SWAN

 cygnets

have finally hatched

and already well adapted to their new home.

After a little 

LAPWING

activity, with the birds still sitting on eggs at the Gravel Pit,

(We have noticed that both potential parent birds share

Incubation Duties

and presume the 'long crested' individual is the male!)

there was some action in the direction of

Bournemouth International Airport

from where this infrequently seen and all white

BOEING 737-300

(3YO)

took off.

From then onwards, all of the action was centred on the
HEATH

where a

BLACK-HEADED CARDINAL BEETLE

was found along with 'concrete evidence' (recently fledged) that

CHIFFCHAFF

have procreated here as well,

 SLOW WORM

are now increasing in numbers and showing more regularly
and there was even a brief encounter with a

MILLIPEDE

 This fine looking and beautifully marked male

 LINNET

is now father to a brood of c4 very low profile and mobile youngsters.

The best find over this period was not quiet as the images depict,
as we doubt we have got anywhere near to finding the nest and nor do we desperately want to.

 We have contented ourselves across the last few days

 with just the occasional glimpse of both male and female

 LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER

 undoubtedly feeding young, which for us is quite enough to know that yet another of

DORSET'S RAREST RESIDENT BIRDS IS BREEDING WITHIN OUR
RECORDING AREA!
Talking of which and as another Huge Bonus
we have been enjoying some of the closest encounters we have ever had anywhere
with the local

WOODCOCK
 not much to look at you might think but, this bird, one of a pair, was so close
that we couldn't get the camera to focus, personally my closest encounter
ever outside of being on the Buchan Alpha Oil Rig where we would pick them up occasionally.

 Finally, another 'close up' with a

GREY SQUIRREL

which simply came to me!

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