Turn My Head - Live

There is a sneaking suspicion that someone, or someone's are operating 
Behind My Back
by disceminating the Blog Link to uninvited guests?
An all time total of 800,000 HITS exactly
on the nose yesterday morning made up of a daily total of exactly 1,115
Many Thanks to All who have put in the effort but the spike was dulled today as back to just
121 
With a little more meat on the same bone again today we feel that 

Sunday Roast Fest

getting ever nearer with first out of the bag (trap) another 'first for year' 

 LESSER SWALLOW PROMINENT

 and similarly

 the first

 COCKCHAFER

or

May Bug

 With a degree of calculation and leaning on local knowledge, to add a further species or 2,

it was thought most likely that the recently ploughed, harrowed and seeded 

Maize Fields

of some collective 40 acres might just fit the bill for

Yellow Wagtail

while the Nationl Grid Pylons might just have been the roost for a 

Peregrine Falcon!

A thorough search produced neither, but then as if Sod's Law in reverse, driving the

Bournemouth Internationl 'Stay on the Ground' Port a

 PEREGRINE

flew directly in front of us

Thank You Very Much, We'll Have Some of That!

 One from the archive just to emphasize this

 Magnificent Creature

Yet another failed attempt was made to click / vid the 

Herring Gulls carrying nesting material was followed by the usual visit to the

Irrigation Pond

where it seemed both male and incubating Cananda Geese were AWOL

 A further search found them both on the northern bank

 without so much as a sniff of a Gosling 

(which we can live without)

 but there was also found a seeming forlorn

 COOT

 leting out an occassional

whimper with not one of the c7 youngsters in sight

We have to make a short apology before arriving at the

Gravel Pit-side

as we simply cannot resist Humbugs either in tins or in Ponds

so if you do not wish to see the result please turn away now!

this may well have been its

Very First Dive

 More Victuals Mum

They do say one picture can be worth a Million Words, to me this image just screams

PROCREATION!

 Turning to go we had covered no more than a couple of hundred yards before a

'delicate scratchy song'

had me turn-my-head to find a newly returned 

SEDGE WARBLER

knocking it out big time 

from the place where we once stood

Having listend to this heartfelt song a thousand times,

there was never once that it didn't bring tears to my eyes

(in fact it's just happened again)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLtqsEDxlqk

Anyone, caught in you mystery, keep it angry keep it wispy
I've fallen down, drunk on your juices
I turn my head, turn my head
it's aimed at you

Funky temple, your dress is torn to shreds
Your eyes are crazy, I bowed to save my head and
I can't forget you; but I can't remember
turn my head, turn my head
it's aimed at you

Oh no, we came to love you all day
These b*st*rds are leavin', somebody's got to stay
whatever we called you, it's just a name
just a name
I turn my head (turn my head)

+LĪVE+

is an American rock band formed in York, Pennsylvania in 1984, consisting of 

Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Chad Taylor (lead guitar, backing vocals), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), and Chad Gracy (drums)

 Dedicated in true admiration and respect of - Susan Hallam

 On the way to the Heath there was a second Swallow, which after yesterday's first, still "does not make a Summer" and as if to endorse this and you can get around the conjecture

 "Cast not a clout until May is out"

now does that mean may blossom as above? if so start casting,

or does it mean the end of the month of May, if so we still have a bit of a wait!

There was also something that has become an all to unfamiliar sight over the last few weeks a

 TREECREEPER

which was a

treat to see

On the Heath the second

Apple Tree 

is now also in full bloom and while we like to think they are 'wild' it is far more likely

they are the product of the Royal Air Force and / or Army during maybe both

World War I and World War II

Otherwise, some decent views, not committed to celuloid, of a pair of

 GOLDCREST

 nest building but only the

Lady of the House

showing any interest in the Canon

 and yet another new arrival - HEART and all

 and we finish on a sad note as if we haven't got enough concerns already as

VANDALS

have chossen to smash some of our

Natural Resource Solar Panels

Lord of the Ring'ed

First out of the traps was another minor goody which, according to the literature

shares the same credentials as

Scarce Prominent

as being scarce and resident in small numbers across the south east corner of Dorset

We have captured it before but good to know it still exists on our patch

 RINGED CARPET

 SALLOW KITTEN

and don't remember ever having seen

GORSE SHIELDBUG
before, a smart little fella, thanks John

Another brood of

MALLARD

this time at the main pond
and suddenly in just a single day

 RABBIT's
are everywhere

 Apart from the main ponds this little patch on the border with the Airport
is about the only 'wet patch' left across the Recording Area where we found this lone

LAPWING 
and is now likely to be the ONLY place where we will record
Little Ringed Plover????

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

are well into

their

Breeding Rituals
as 
Adrian Tugwell

arrived with his crew to spray the Nettles around the 
Solar Panels

A man who I know would agree that our respect for one another has grown enormously in the
short time we have known each other. Certainly through no fault of his own he unwitingly
caused a catastophy but since then, true to his word, he has called me to be sure the coast is clear of nesting birds before any of the evolutions!

Ruby Tuesday - The Rolling Stones

At long, long last there was a little more meat on the bone today,

but not quite enough to invite you all round for a

Sunday Roast

Certainly a ‘game of 2 halves’ between the Moths and the Birds

with the former outstripping the later as far as

First’s for the Year

were concerned by 6 to 2!
Of the former Mohamed only got half way to the Mountain before finding the first of these

WHITE ERMINE

 clinging to wet grass a couple of yards from the trap
similarly a

 CINNABAR
a daytime flier was doggedly holding onto one of the baffles

 yet another Prominent and our 5th of the family group this year

 IRON PROMINENT
was getly teased from the egg tray

BRINDLED PUG

FLAME SHOULDER 
and a brace of

 RUBY TIGER's

coming out of torpor and bringing up the ½ dozen

 In addition to the above and still close to home the first

COWSLIP
of the year was found in the most unlikely of places, the
Chicken Coup
We say unlikely, as these varacious feeders will eat just about anything but they may feel
like myself not exactly attracted to eating anything that has been in a 'cows mouth', no I would much sooner stick with 
EGGS!
With the hackle up we were certainly buoyant about capitalising on the traps
and didn't have to wait long as passing the 
Eco Recycling Works 
the refrain of a Garden Warbler which was not seen but this, over the years, has become a
Traditional (Breeding) Site
At the Irrigation Pond and for the second day running the only difference has been the
abcense of one of the c7 juvenile Coots, hoped to be just hiding away
Next at the Gravel Pit first to hit the lenses was a 

 GREEN SANDPIPER

never knowing if these are newly arrived birds

or those that we have been seeing sporadically across the winter months
 That was the moment the first

 SWALLOW
flashed overhead

 and seeming reluctant to land

considered an absolute 'must'

after such a long flight?
A further c2 

 GARDEN WARBLER's

were seen / heard briefly along the bridleway but

 for further clarity

Martin Cade
Warden of the Portland Bird Observatory

can be relied upon to come up with the goods!