Helicopter - Roy Wood

For yet another day it was left to the

Moth Traps

to come up with the only 

First's for the Year

and singles of each in both cases in the shape of 

SMALL WHITE WAVE

and

NARROW-WINGED PUG

Additionally, there was also something of a blurred example of why we don't like

SPIDER's

in the traps as this one nicks, what could have proved to be a rarity,

for its breakfast

At this time of year it wouldn't be unexpected to find a new 

 Species of Bird

every day but the closest we got was another pair of

 RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE

in the southern part of the 

Recording Area

and even this was by a 'third party'!

While investigating these we did come across a second, presumed, breeding pair of

 KESTREL's

with only the female being obliging enough to pose for

 and a short

Video Clip

decent numbers of

 SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLIES

were buzzing about all over the area but were not alone in this as a

 ROYAL NAVY

MERLIN

helicoper flew backwards and forewards to eleviating some of the current PPE pressure at

Bournemouth Hospital

as reported on the evening new!

"we saw them all out and we saw them all in"

It is surely relevent to mention the skills and efforts of ALL those 

Front Line Workers

who are risking their lives that we might be safe!

CHEERS!

 

Our 'outside camera man' perched on his equipment

COMMON BUZZARD

Both

 STARLING

 and

LAPWING

are growing in numbers but without a single sign of nesting

which has been the trait here (and surely elsewhere)

over the last couple of breeding seasons.

GREAT TIT

singing

and at the other end of the

 KESTREL

scale

 the male from the 

Nest in the Stable

awaits another hapless 

Mammal or Passerine

We are hopeing for better tomorrow while looking for more Readers

You Can Help!

Clouds (album) - Joni Mitchell

By comparison with recent days, or maybe even weeks,  yesterday

saw a little light shining from the end of the tunnel,

but let's make it quite clear we ain't talking Serengeti

In fact the day started at 05:00 when as usual all attentions were being paid

skywards with full cloud cover and a sniff of rain on the breeze. 

With no backlight all that could be seen across the black was a narrow pale band of an estimated one to two miles in lenghth. Had it been at any other time it may well have been past off as 

the remains of a jet aircraft vapour trail but with none flying further investigation was made.

During my 18 years in the North Sea Oil business and serving on the 

Buchan Alpha Floating Oil Production Platform, a recognised Weather Station,

it was one of my nightly duties to take current weather readings for transmission to the

Meteorlogical Office and or Ocean Routes

who provided a manual of photographs and descriptions of all the types of cloud formation that maybe encountered. Having thumbed through that book thousands of times it was a surprise to find that what I was looking at was a

SHELF CLOUD

(image best viewed away from any light source) 

something not even heard of let alone seen

It is said we all learn something new every day, which was certainly the case in this instance!

Such things are of great interest to me and jogged my memory of the

Solar Halo

of

16 May 2019

 What followed was also something new but down a few degrees as only

New For the Year

First out of the Moth Trap and on the very first tray was one of my firm favourites

 MAIDEN'S BLUSH

with perched right next door

the almost prehistoric

PALE PROMINENT

with both considered to be 'on the wing' about 2 to 3 weeks early

 From there we found that all c7 Coot chicks are still on the Irrigation Pond along with incubating Canada's, while a new arrival

 a lone

GREYLAG GOOSE

with attendant Little Grebe and Canada Geese

 was of some interest as 'common across much of the County

 but only an occassional visitor to our neck of the woods

 On the way to the Heath this

 BLUE TIT

took some craning of both arms and neck

 to obtain these shots

 while seeming to be struggling similarly to collect nesting material

It was at this point that it seemed the Heath had been transformed overnight

 as the

ERICA

starts to show tinges of purple contrasting sharply with the green of the trees and

the yellow of the Gorse beyond 

(it was at this point we heard our first new 'migrant' for the day / year,

we would need to get closer to the Moors River)

while the late leafing

ASPENs

still stand naked, but not too long now we feel

On the way to check the Goats

PHATHER FEASANT

was found escorting c3 quite well matured youngsters

with the Rare Breeds craning their necks too to be 'clicked'

 FRENCH ALPINE

OLD ENGLISH

 CUCKOO

"Please Sir, may I have some more"

MORE BOY?

DREAMER

It was yet another day from which there was little to report

but you can never say 

'BLANK'!

All from the Moth Traps was a

STREAMER 

 which inspired me to write some lyrics

"I said Streamer, you're nothing but a Streamer

Well can you put your hands on your head, oh no!" 

Am now going to send the full version to Supertramp and see if they can knock up 

a mellody to fit aroud them?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dzmb4O67o8

Ah, that seems to have done the trick - just wait for the 'royalties' to flow in now!

 Otherwise, right outside the door the

 ROOKs

 continue to be excellent value

 A little further afield and having missed the first manifestation of new new

LITTLE GREBE

today we caught them

bang to rights

 Nest Building

and hope in the next 10 to 15 days to bring you some images and footage of

maybe the full process and hopefully the

HUMBUGS

the colloquial term for baby Grebes!

Not at all a common sight at any of the ponds here despite breeding right next door at

Bournemouth International Airport a

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL

dropped in for a bit of a dhobie!

 On the Heath where we found a free flying

ENGRAILED

 and a distant daytime flying

Common Heath

the

WOODLARK

continue to abound while remaining very much 

Camera Shy

Mobility rather than Shyness was the 

bugbear with one of the numerous and vocal

WILLOW WARBLER

but when the record shows you have never videoed one before,

to gain a 'first' they can be forgiven for that!

The small

BEE

on the entrance

gate to the

Solar Panel Compound

remains unidentified, but do know someone who may alleviate that,

while within we found our 3rd

 WHEATEAR

of the season

 which is the second female while

 CANADA GEESE

are no strangers here but have never been noted 'between' the panels before,

as a more familiar female

BLACKBIRD

continues with the nesting process - feeding young