"Stan' Up An' Fight" - Sammy Davis Jr

 It is with no disrespect that we are a day late in acknowledging the passing of

'Marvelous' Marvin Haglar

with whome we had the most tentative of links through a 'third party'! On the 17th February 1983, as top World Contender for the Middleweight Championship, the pride of Leicester

Tony 'Sibo' Sibson
put up a fantastic fight to releave him of the title but failing to do so in the 6th round.

https://www.boxingnewsonline.net/on-this-day-marvin-hagler-slaughters-britains-tony-sibson/

Many years later 'Sibo' was introduced to me by my youngest daughted, a long time friend of the man, who in turn became a sidekick with myself. His stories were boundless, you could find no better company, and often told of his udying respect for the man who not only defeated him but also befriended spending time with the Hagler family year after year in their Italian home. After many, many memorable runs ashore together, mostly at the Sailor's Return, Weymouth, it was a foregone that he would be invited to my

60th Birthday Party

My Daughter with other Friends

Hagler was quoted as saying after the bout that he had never ever been hit so hard in any of his fights.

Sibo - Sibo - Sibo!
(and notice how Jim the Medic has to muscle his way in)
Even though

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL
has been reported in every month since records began in 2013

it still remains on the 'scarce' list here so most welcome was an early morning adult

flying in from seaward and almost making a stop at the Main Pond and added to the Year List.
Later in the day and with covid restrictions reduced slightly the
Bournemouth Airport Industrial Estate
is now back in action allowing us to resume our weekly Sunday visits once again as part of our Patch! Both

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL

and

HERRING GULL
nest on the Hanger and large Workshop roofs, but the bug-bear comes wit distance, all being compounded by chain-link fencing and other metalwork as seen above. However, to our knowledge Great Black backs have never done the business there but we continue to observe!

Before signing off we return to a pugilistic theme with another visit to the

RARE BREED GOATS

where in the first instance it was
England v France

with the darker French Alpine v the Old English

Bagots Round One

Bagots Round Two

A Bout of Inter-Racial

Why should the Saplings Get Away With It?

Peace on Earth

Before returning home another familiar bird appeared, absent for much of last year

this most striking
FERAL PIGEON

Notice the Ring - Chris Isaac

 By the time the Mist had burnt off and the Moon had been Obscred By Clouds (Pink Floyd) we did find Moth (singular) or Moths in all of the traps but nothing new. That milestone was left to a

BUFF-TAILED BUMBLEBEE
of which there were also a couple or 3 'free-flyers'. Further to that and jumping the gun a little we recieved the 'heads up' from Dave that

ORANGE UNDERWING (Moth)
are now in-flight so gave the

ASPEN CATKINS,

which they seem to favour here rather than

SALLOW
a close inspection but without result.
Better news at the Irrigation Pond where a second, or the same returning,

COOT

bringing hopes of yet another successful breeding season?
(early days yet)

The silence was once again shattered by the

MERLIN HELICOPTER
but where would we be without the Royal Navy
even the Wafu's (nickname for membersrm of the Fleet Air Arm).
It was sure to happen sooner or later and at long last it was the day for clapping eyes on our first

DARTFORD WARBLER

although it had reached the log weeks ago

on song / call alone.

A bonny bird as it is but just wait until

they start trying to attract a Mate in
Best Bib and Tucker!
The fly-past of the

Electrickery Chopper

seemed to bring that part of the morning to an end but about to exit the Moor
we shaped up on a pristine male Chaffich which by the time we had depressed the shutter
had manifested itself into a far better male

SISKIN,
seemingly carrying nesting material, but there will surely be those who cry 'misidentification'!
Call us stubborn, which we like to think as dedicated, there was room and time for just one final and 5th try at Longham Lake in the shaddow of the

LEANING OAK
We found from a 'first for the year' Dr George Green that our target bird was still present but it was idle chatter that stole the theme, always great to talk with that gentleman!
Also chance to admire the recently bloomed

MARSH MARRIGOLD

before George relocated our target bird the female

RING-NECKED DUCK

(left)
some way off-shore with a small party of Tufted Ducks.

By no means 'blistering views', given the distance, but enough to

Slake the Desire

of seeing this nifty YANK, a resident of North America which had at least
travelled Trans-Atlantic to get here.
"It's One 'o' Clock and Time for Lunch (hum de dum de dum)" - Genesis
with eye-catchers on the way back to the car park including

now full blown

adult

GREAT CRESTED GREBE

in display and a

CORMORANT

just dying

to have its photie taken!

Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harem

Despite the inclement weather it has proved almost impossible not to succum to flashing up the Moth Traps with a resultant 'first for the year'

GREY SHOULDER-KNOT

ditto with a first
CADDIS FLY
plus another

DOTTED BORDER
With nothing more than a pair of

nest building

MUTE SWANs

and a 'brace' of

CANADA GEESE
looking likely to follow suit anytime soon, holding our attention we decided once again to toddle off to Longham Lakes.
Having given up on the Ring-necked Duck, which is still being reported but evading us, this was no more than a hit or miss expedition but started on the right note with this:-

Do you remember?
Chalk hearts melting on a playground wall.
Do you remember?
Dawn escapes from moon washed college halls.
Do you remember?

the Cherry Blossom in the market square.
Do you remember? I thought it was confetti in our hair!
At the lake and try as he may, the lad didn't seem to be havong much success with his offering

GREAT CRESTED GREBEs
By the way, didn't I break your heart?

Please excuse me, I never meant to break your heart.
So sorry, I never meant to break your heart,

but you broke mine!

but then sauntered over to directly below my viewing possition which resulted in

catching this
ROACH

Blink and You'll Miss It!
That Moment of the Day was followed by The Bird of the Day

'another', but we use the word guardedly,

LEUCISTIC

BLACK-HEADED GULL

which may have been another but consideration must go to the possibility

of being one and the same as that found on our own patch on the

1st February 2021
just 2 or 3 miles up the road

and highly unlikely we will ever know but here is the
Sewerage Works Bird

 Leucism is a wide variety of conditions that result in the partial loss of pigmentation in an animal causing white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales, or cuticles, but not the eyes.

For comparison, but before closing the subject ,another oddity from the same species onboard the

Buchan Alpha Floating Oil Production Platform in the North Sea

when one was seen to stalk, catch, kill and swallow whole an exhausted migrant
BRAMBLING!