Magic Moments - Perry Como

 The very first Moth out of the very first Trap was a very first for the Year

MAGPIE
which started the day in the right direction before once again the rain set in, while the also rans included

YELLOW SHELL
and

KENT BLACK ARCHES
while also in the melee one of the local juvenile

ROBIN's

contented itselfe with a breakfast of
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Moth)

Additionally and to equal amounts of surprise and delight we spotted this

JAY

at one of the garden feeding stations, a scarce sight indeed as at this location it is more common just to hear the familiar and rauchous calls coming from one or other of the Oak woods.
Time for a little Botany as finding both

WATER MINT
and

HEMP AGRIMONY
blooming at the pond-side and c3

SLOW WORMs
still residing under one of the traps on the Heath.
Otherwise, it was left to the Hirundines to make up the numbers as all c3 of the
Common Species were hawking Insects above the

Gravel Pit

SAND MARTIN

most numerous being

SWALLOW

and bringing up the trio

HOUSE MARTIN
which may indicate that they all bred somewhere close to our patch?
Not a Hope in Hades of an inflight shot!
and finally,

SAMUEL,
part of our temporary next-door-neighbours, has buzzed off back to Derbyshire but not before landing his first PIKE ever - a Magic Moment that will last forever!

Big in Japan - Alphaville Part II

 In all honesty the passage of time has dulled the memory, so we know not quite where all of this took place, but hope it adds an interesting 'pictorial' to your Sunday. The guess would be across the conurbations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

TEMPLE

but never got to finding out what these rotating drums were all about, but popular with people rotating them constantly?

BLACK-FACED BUNTING
but did 'twitch' one in Manchester in 1994 which was a long way from home for us both!

Some interesting and very well crafted Artworks.

We could get all Templed Out at this rate so to the adjoining

CEMETARY
with a couple of attendant birds

DUSKY THRUSH
2016 - was that Whipsnade Zoo?

BROWN-EARED BULBUL
not on the G.B. List and not likely to be.

Not more steps

to another temple

but would you be likely to ever see such things again?
In my case NO!

WHISTLING SWAN
seemed a little out of place, but they all count as did the

TERRAPINS

along with

RUSTIC BUNTING
an occassional visitor to our shores and seen for the first time on home turf in 1987. and

YELLOW-THROATED BUNTING
which, as far as we know, still hasn't reached our shores?
and maybe best to end with another

TEMPLE
(they do say you can get 'templed out')
Neon on my naked skin passing silhouettes

of strange illuminated mannequins
Shall I stay here at the zoo or shall I go and change my point of view
for other ugly scenes
You did what you did to me now it's history I see……..

Mellow Yellow - Donavan

 It only took the kiss of the sunny stuff to awaken one or two of the more tardy, such at the Reptiles and Insects, of previous posts as the trend continues. Why it should have been a surprise is not known as the

BRIMSTONE MOTH

can be seen on the wing anytime from April to October and beyond in southen
Great Britain
but a joy just to have that couple of minutes again and to continue the balance the trickle of the eqaully attractive

SMALL GRASS and LARGE EMERALDs

and
BORDERED BEAUTY
were equally welcome.

Before leaving the Heath, where things are becoming more difficult to find at this time of year,
our national Bird in the form of a juvenile

ROBIN
saved the day but feel it is to early to field yet another juvenile Stonchat so soon?

The new temporary barrier is now in place

"And so with gods and men, the sheep remain inside their pen,
though many times they've seen the way to leave"

Firth of Fifth - Genesis

However, it was the Gravel Pit that stole the show with this pair of

GADWALL
(female)

(male)
with not a feather out of place even so close to the moulting season, followed by a

REED WARBLER

with what may be considered as one of this years new arrivals,
and finally the Good Stuff, yes the

LITTLE GREBE FAMILY

with our arrival coinciding with that of one parent bird arriving with food

while it is still the

Darker Parent

providing the protection

Long May It Continue!