Moth-er's Little Helper - The Rolling Stones

We'll quickly address our foible of yesterday as still cannot understand why / how we captioned the 'deer' as Muntjak?? Plainly 'Sika' but sometimes worth being a Senior Citizen just to get out of it!

Across the Solar Panel Compound

After that all too short but magical encounter with Dave over the weekend his final words still resonate in my ears, "Thank Heavens that over and don't forget to shut the breather valve on the header tank to the generator"! Comparable with the raising of Lazarus we remembered but an all too long a wait for dusk to arrive and flash up for the first time in anger!

The black cap right on the orange header tank and we'll tidy up the spaghetti later.

All shiny and ready to go the genny did kick in with a few splutters at the first time of asking and with all steaming lights burning brightly we wandered off in search of Woodcock giving it chance to prove all was OK.
As far as the Birds were concerned one

WOODCOCK
(we are yet to capture this elusive and well camouflaged bird on camera)
was heard (a most unusual sound) flying overhead while a further c3 were noted as we returned to a Darken Ship Trapping Area. A quick check around and a couple more pulls and we were in business again and loitering for anoth 30 minutes all seemed well? Returning the following morning as soon as light would allow we found more darkness and at which point rmembered we hadn't opened the same valve to allow the required air into the system - HIS fault for not telling me!! It was doubtful the engine was running for more than 30 to 40 minutes but the result was seriously astounding given the temperature!  

Quick as a Flash our Ol' Mate was back looking for a free meal

and not caring a jot about Social Distancing, that's me in the mirror!
        First out and in quick succession c3 First for Year

OAK BEAUTY

what a start, followed by a

single and again First for Year

SATELLITE

as were c4

YELLOW HORNED

and we add finally add for comparison this dark phase

HEBREW CHARACTER

along with a far more pale specimen out of the same trap.

With little time for much else, victuals and bunkers were beckoning,
there were the persitant chatterings of 2 or more

NUTHATCH
A less than enthusiastic rounds of the

Reptile Covers
particularly as Adder has been found on Portland and other County site but only to find

BROWN-LIPPED SNAIL
along with a

Rodent's Nest of a Kind

while the largest and heavyest of the corrugated covers had been wind-blown
about 100 yards across the Heath.
Continuing the 'Scrap Metal Theme' this

Airport Hulk
is now open to view after the refurbish which John tells us is a
CANADA AIR CL44 also known as a GUPPY.
The Rare Breed Goats were also allowing for a 'full crew'

in the same field of view while the passing

Skien in Silhouette
were considered to be Greylag on bill size and shape alone.
While we still have not recorded a 'true' migrant yet (early days) things out there really do seem to be perking up, so fingers crossed for days to come and you know where you will see it 'first'!

Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman - Part II

Lock up the streets and houses,
because there's something in the air.
We've got to get together sooner or later,
because the revolution's here, and you know it's right. 

We have got to get it together,
we have got to get it together now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTZoJ01FpD8

BROWN RAT

was not the only Mammal to be represented as a small squadron of

SIKA DEER

ambled by reminding us of how they were introduced to the county in the first instance

and how they took over.
Said to have been initially released on Brownsea Island (famous for the formation of the Boy Scout Movement) year not known, they immediately swam across Poole Harbour to the mainland and the damage was done!
It was from here more a case of 'Watcher of the Skies' - Genesis rather than Thunderclap, with no signs of that, with also a steady flow of lovely people who stopped (at a safe distance) to show an interest in our activities!

COMMON BUZZARDs
were first to visit the thermals while keeping a watchful eye onthe more common and grounded fare.

YELLOWHAMMER

in full voice and along with other aviators

AIRBUS A400A ATLAS

for which we thank John once again for confirming ID while the fight for survival

continued on the ground
BULLFINCH

CHAFFINCH and YELLOWHAMMER

GREAT TIT
in strange voice while a couple of

SKYLARK

joined this

Lone Heifer
The unarguable highlight of the day followed soon after when one of maybe 2

GOSHAWK
took to the 'blue' but seen nothing like this as just to give the readership the full value of such a bird!

This was about as good as it got through camara and binnoculars

while these 2 images are again from the

archive and leading to yet another from

South Korea
which has another story of its own which if we remember will be re-lived another day.
A number of views were enjoyed punctuated by a lone

SPARROWHAWK

the occassional

CROSSBILL
and single

RED KITE
We might just as well add the residue videoes, as just as easy as deleting with

Bullfinch, Yellowhammer and Chaffinch

single YELLOWHAMMER feeding

2 YELLOWHAMMER feeding
and

3 YELLOWHAMMER + 2 CHAFFINCH feeding.
The visit ended with a fly-by

RED ADMIRAL
the first Butterfly of the year which was never going to lend itself to the Canon.

We did give our Link to a number of passers by who it is hoped are tuning in.

A pleasure to meet you all and please passs on the Link to all of your addressees!

Thank You and Take Care.

Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman - Part I

 Again we find ourselves in something of arrears as far as Posts are concerned, but better overborne with Wildlife than stay here twiddling the fingers. The following 2 offerings relates back as far as Saturday when the absolute priority was pulling the Moth Generator out of Dry Dock, completing Basin Trials before towing her back to her berth in East Dorset!

With a crisp Frost and still a little early morning Mist there was time to undertake a mini-rounds of the Recording Area before popping off to rendezvous with Chief Engineer and fellow Wildlifer Dave

but not before watching the last of the
Snow Moon
sink below the western horizon.

With some garden plants already in bloom our desires are now focusing on such exoticts as

HUMMINGBIRD HAWK-MOTH
(already recorded on nearby Portland and elsewhere)
All else down south amounted to a few lingering Redwing and Fieldfare and this

HERRING GULL
looking 'puffed out' after so much perching with more northern climbes proving a little more productive. A decent start on the Gravel Pit was the presumed 'return' of just a single female

TUFTED DUCK

seemingly more interested in

Roll Preening
and generally sprucing up rather than anything else!
However, what was to follow was simply a 'joy to behold' with c2 adult

LITTLE GREBEs

being of no surprise but look a little closer to find them

NEST BUILDING

in February

unheard of and seen in this clip to be 'stamping down' the building material which is usual.
The nests are also built to float to contend with changing water-levels.
The fact that there were also a gaggle of c7

CANADA GEESE
there as well paled by comparison to what we had just witnessed, but there was also that important meeting to consider.

While being late is not an option Dave usually manages to get there before me
and had already sussed out a decent start to proceeding with the generator seemingly fading from the memory as the local

Farmer was also about his own business.

Conditions were perfect but even though my visits to this location started back as early as
1974 proceedings started with something never seen there before

BROWN RAT

by no means singular

as the footprints showed but maybe 'dozens' with more to come as we progress.
Traditionally 'fed' by both the local residents and visitors alike it is not surprisingly a catchment for a host of birds but on the down-side it is a bit like photographing down a dingy tunnel, but we won't let that deter us!

YELLOWHAMMER, CHAFFINCH and BULLFINCH

HAMMERs and  CHAFFs

BOEING 777

of Dutch Airline KLM
(we thank John Gifford for the ID)
Call out the instigators,
because there's something in the air.
We've got to get together sooner or later,
because the revolution's here! And you know that it's right