I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing - New Seekers

Don't panic, it wouldn't be fair to burden you with the Link!
Having just recover from the frivolity of last weekend, 

BLINK,

and what do you know, it's the weekend again!

However, with this warming of the atmosphere and to a degree

a fair old whack of southerly airflow, we are seeing favourable returns from the

Moth Traps.

Despite its abundance it is always a pleasure to take

SMALL ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH

 but leaning towards favouritism there's a very long way to go before you can beat

CLOUDED BUFF 

Certainly in my Top Ten, it was probably due to a sudden change of wind direction

that we caught this 'beauty' at all. Jinking round to the north east for just a hour or two

was enough to blow this single off the Heath and into our hearts.

DARK ARCHES

 wasn't quite such a joy, but nevertheless an addition to the

Year List

and welcome for all that.

It looked right, but the size gave reason to doubt this was a

COMMON WASP

but we are assured that is exactly what it is, half size as freshly emerged.

 While monitoring, sorting and photographing our specimens an even larger

an far more menacing weapon flew directly overhead a

BOEING AH-64 APACHE ATTACK HELICOPTER

As Rory Gallagher once said "don't go Messin' With the Kid"!

There's always time to take a look at the

RIVER STOUR

as it wends its way through 

Parley Court Farm

and, being this time of year, having donned the full regalia of

COMMODORE STRAWBERRY

it is once again time to utter those immortal words,

"come to me oh plumptious one"!

 and not to be outdone we also stopped to take stock of the latest crop of

NEW POTATOES

in Hugh's equally new allotment.

Up at the Irrigation Pond, for a while at least, everything seemed 'rosy' for the

 COOT FAMILY

 it isn't always a good idea to be so adventuresome when you are a juvenile

 with tumbling down being quite easy

by comparison to

 getting back up again - there are dangers in wait.

We can report that on this occasion the chick made it back to the top

to enjoy the delights of the male bird bringing food, but it was all to be short lived

as from c6 eggs c3 juveniles hatched but have, since these shots, all been predated.

THIS WAS A 'SECOND BROOD'!

Far more delightful encounters up ahead to meet for the first time

LORAN

the new Shepherdess, there today to undertake worming and inoculating duties.

At least we'll have something to talk about over the dinner table later.

The juvenile Little Grebe continues to thrive at the 

Gravel Pit

where this morning a 

ROBIN

was 

King of the Mount

only for a few minutes before being dethroned by this

BLACK-HEADED GULL

while with no sign of the male in recent days the female

TUFTED DUCK

still remains quite at home, while the

SEDGE WARBLER

brings up his

50th

day of none stop 'singing', we do hope 'she' happens along!

On the Heath it was GREAT to see our first and only this year

 juvenile

 PIED WAGTAIL
we hope it wont be the last.

 PURPLE TOADFLAX
is shooting up all over the place and 

 HOUSE SPARROW
are still nest building likely for a 'second brood'?

Eventually back to
Slight Return II

where yet another juvenile and now daily visiting

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

is just one of maybe as many as 4 individuals, they seem to have done very well.

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Moth to the Flame - Thunder

Moth to the Flame - Thunder - Link
Last weekend was always destined to be something of a 

MOTH FEST

as already my friend Dave Foot had booked a bunk with a strong

likelihood of being joined by other eminent company?

While no weekend, or day for that matter, is ever strictly rigid as to what we do

Moths would in fact play a large part but there would also be plenty of other

INSECTS

to test us!

As my own 5 traps are confined to the wide expanse and well appointed

 HARBINS FARMHOUSE

 GARDEN

it was an obvious place to start.

In typically (ex) Military fashion we started as is usual at the

Stable Trap

where almost immediately the 'rounds' started with something of a

BANG!!

 SLOE PUG

was not only an addition to the Recording Area List but a 'first ever' for me personally.

However, there was a massive stroke of luck attached to this capture,

for had Dave not have been there it is no doubt that this 'first' would have been released

as a misidentified Green Pug, shown above (top) for comparison.

While it was quickly realised it had not been an overly productive night, save for the above,

another First for the Year was plucked from the trap at the now redundant 5th gold tee

 the tiny but absolutely superb

BARRED YELLOW

Just as we completed the final trap on this leg we met Hugh who was
busily refilling the winter firewood bunker, or had least he would have
been had he not found this

 NEST
of a

BLACKBIRD
 having been built in the top.
It was now time to travel a little further afield and to the Heath where

Dave had placed his c3 traps overnight and to make rendezvous with another

of our most welcome friends

Doctor Phil Sterling

not only

 Natural Environment Manager at Dorset County Council

 but also co-author of 

a fine tome even if like our self

"we don't do Micros"!

We met close to the 

GOAT COMPOUND

 where the traps were set that night, and while it may look from this image

that the Goats are interacting there has been some clashing of horns.

 As is his want Phil immediately got down to the important task of preying to the

Great God of Macros and Micros

ALABONIA GEOFFRELLA

Only one shortfall here, relating to myself, as it quickly dawned on me 

that I had completely forgotten to learn to speak

Fluent Latin

as the the other 2 commenced conversing in that

Foreign Tongue'

However, just a quick glimpse into the traps showed that there had been a reasonable catch,

and hopes were high that we might add a Macro or two to the list.

First out was a fine

 SATIN WAVE

followed by c3

 PRIVET HAWK-MOTHS

 in quick succession followed by the tiny bulk of a

FESTOON

We had started well but there were other interesting and sometime bizarre Insects

among the catch, and none more so than a

 ROMBIC LEATHERBUG

 and a far more recognisable

 14-SPOT LADYBIRD

What may look downright dowdy and uninteresting to the casual observer

was, on the day, singularly the Moth that most captured my imagination a

BRINDLED WHITE-SPOT

along with more captivating beauties such as

 HAWTHORN SHIELDBUG

BLACK SILVERHORN CADISFLY

 a new one on me, along with an unknown species of

CLUSTER FLY

With the ever changing face of all these wonderful creatures and the magical diversity

it may be difficult to believe that BOREDOM was setting in but, it was certain that

Dave would sense this and do something to distract our attentions for a while. 

Returning to his 'folding chair' it was obvious that he had done

something to make it collapse as soon as he sat down on it.

 Oh what a tumble, Oh what a laugh!

Via this clip the SYMPATHY can be heard simply oozing out!

 He was asked to do it again as the video camera was not on alert

but said there were enough repeats on BBC TV already.

So, if we may continue next out was a 

 much sort after

 SCARCE MERVEILLE du JOIR
and

LESSER TREBLE-BAR

While the other 2 continued potting Insects for identification my task was to
photograph the 'new comers' and release them without further ado.
The final flurry included

 FAN-FOOT

 MOTTLED BEAUTY

 the 'eye-catching'

 GREEN SILVER-LINES
and a single

 DOUBLE SQUARE-SPOT

With Phil and Dave looking very pleased with themselves that
concluded the Moth Trap side of the day, but Dave was not yet finished.
In the warmth of the afternoon sun he went off looking for the larvae of

PINEAPPLE WEED

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY
(male)

 (female)

 LIZARD Species

 Egg Shell

BROWN ARGUS

SMALL GRASS EMERALD

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