Run Rabbit Run - Flanagan and Allan

 Gone were the rosine clouds on the day, only to be replaced by man-made

SLIP-STREAMS
Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air.
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly,
Out of the corner of my watering eye.
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night.

Despite living right next to the food plant the

HOLM OAK
we have had but c3 of the Moth species that thrive on it this year

OAK RUSTIC
usually catching double figures, but not thought likely so late into 2021?

Additionally,

RED-LINED QUAKER
performing a novity act and also what maybe the last

WASP
(we keep on saying that, so one day matbe we will be right) and a single

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD

for company.
On the way to the Ponds, something of a novelty for here an overflying

PEREGRINE
with a better representation from the archive to

highlight the point.
It looked every bit like a 'blank sheet' at the Irrigation Pond, with not even a Moorhen,
until this male

TEAL
splashed in

and splashed out again as quickly as it had arrived.
The reason for absence of the long-staying male

MUTE SWAN

was soon resolved when arriving at the
Gravel Pit

where it was found to have hooked-up with a second.
All else amounted to little more than a dying

PUFFBALL
under the Solar Panals but more worryingly the eyes on this

RABBIT
seemingly feeding well had all the signs of

MYXOMATOSIS
(red eyes - unhealthy looking coat)

There's no sensation to compare with this,
suspended animation, a state of bliss.
Can't keep my mind from the circling sky,
tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I.

Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd

 We would politely request our new viewers to pass on the Link to Friends and Family, with our THANKS!

Swan Lake - P I Tchaikovsky

 The main thrust of the days adventure was to toddle off to Longham Lakes in the hopes that the now twice reported

WHOOPER SWAN
was still in residence

but only got as far as the gateway onto the main road to find traffic backed up in both directions, as far as the eye could see, due to major roadworks so quickly adopted Plan B.

From the Moth Traps more
RED-LINE QUAKERs

along with a First for the Year
FEATHERED THORN

and a 5th
OAK RUSTIC
which firmly put the spring back in the step as augmented by a small squadron of overflying

CORMORANTs
Down at the still flooded Maize Stubble field there was already a congregation which included

at first a couple of rather reluctant

EGYPTIAN GEESE

until the inevitable squabbling broke out to reveal a total of c7.

Also in the area c2
GREY HERONs

with the other totally camera shy

and additionally c3

MUTE SWANs
while during the trudge back one of the very few

ASH TREEs
across the Patch looked worthy of a snap, while further north and more particularly at the

IRRIGATION POND
(devoid of Waterfowl)
it was discovered that the resident

WATER RAIL
had shifted location from

underfoot, on our right, to the far end of the pond while back at base and sorting these images this

PIED WAGTAIL

put on a rather bizarre exhibition

flitting back and forth from lawn to one of the caravan

Star Tunnels
(how often do you see the balls of thie feet?)

A HUGE hike of HITS was a most welcome start to the day (1645) while we have been hovering in mid-treble figures of late. Someone must be letting the cat out of the bag, but whoever, would love to meet you in the Pub -MANY, MANY THANKS whoever you are!

JAB-BERWOKY - Part II

 With time now getting a little tight and Ferry Bridge, Portland considered a 'must' the decission was simply Lodmoor or Radipole? With the latter having a car park right alongside we didn't have to put the Motion to the House and on arrival found a single

MEDITERRANEAN GULL
just waiting for us on the tarmac, in compleat contrast to our second sighting

which, with head under wing, needed a double take

to show that it was in fact a

CATTLE EGRET
we have had worse starts to such visits!
The reeds somewhat hampering the view from the Visitor's Centre we were only able to see a couple of

TEAL
while a noisy

WATER RAIL
under the bridge did put in a couple of obliging views, but heading for

FERRYBRIDGE with the ISLE of PORTLAND
in the distance, it looked in the first instance than the number of people might hamper our progress.

With only as many

BRENT GEESE
as could be counted on one hand we reflected on how things can be here

during the

Winter Months
so every reason for another visit later in the year.

All else amounted to no more than a single

OYSTERCATCHER

with a similar number of

BAR-TAILED GODWIT
With recent reports from the Portland Bird Observatory pointing to activity at Osprey Quay

we headed in that direction but the near we got the more SAILS there were but on the up-side more Gold Medals in prospect!
It was only a detour on the way home to a rather crowded northern shore of

Portand Harbour
that brought with it our final sighting of the day with a pair of

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
showing reasonably well.