Sri Lanka - Part III

The most harrowing part of our visit to

TEAR-DROP of INDIA
had to be the Train Ride around the Southern Coast of the Country
where the reality of the then 2 year old Tsunami hit us well below the belt!
Had all the donations, private and nationally, sent from every point of the compass not made any progress to the well being of these hapless people, to the untrained eye it seemed not!

Boats still left where they smashed against the rocks

ORANGE-BREASTED GREEN PIGEON

Punctuating the devestation with Wildlife to lighten the load.

JACKAL

Flimsy Shacks

SPOT-BILLED PELICAN

FISHERMEN
having to cast

and recover industrial size fishing gear by hand
"bet they were glad of my help??"

JERDON'S BUSHLARK

We will draw a line under the devistation there, continuing with more

WILDLIFE
INDIAN STRIPED PALM SQUIRREL

LAND MONITOR

LARGE-BILLED CROW
and finally

WILD BOAR
(but enough about me!)

Sweet Painted Lady - Elton John

 First up on yet another chill and wet morning were a 'pair' of rather large

GARDEN SNAILs
directly under the doorstep and seemingly doing "the what comes naturally"?

 However, the chill and the damp didn't seem to have detered the Moths with

a docile

FOX MOTH

LIGHT EMERALD

and

COMMON WAINSCOT
being added to the Year List.
Down south, for all our efforts, there were but 2 newly placed

Cranes (well one Crane and one drilling rig) on the horizon

but whatever, enough to stimulate our memories of the only c2 we have ever recorded here COMMON CRANE
back in 2017

and remenicent of our occassional visits to the

Somerset Levels

A quick visit into Bournemouth International Airport had the desired effect as finding at least 3 dozen

HOUSE MARTIN

already gathering nesting material from a

nearby pond followed by our 'third' overflying

COMMON GULL
of the year which is a 'rarity' here!
Back on home turf the stratigically placed

CABLE DRUM

had produced the desired effect

as having been placed there purposefully to attract nesting

PIED WAGTAIL
c2 already fledged and a third still being fed within.

This relatively bare-boughed OAK contrasted sharply with the one at the gateway to the Heath

which is hopefully just waiting to host this years batch of
Purple Hairstreak Butterflies

while in the next breath

along came our first

PAINTED LADY

of the year with our wander ending with

MEADOW PIPIT
feeding young and

young

STARLINGs

feeding themselves!

Little Gem - The Verve

 Despite the continuing overnight chill we still seem to be catching the odd 'first for the year ' Moth last night in the shape of an immigrant

GEM

GREY PINE CARPET

along with a

SCORCHED WING
In the wider world there appeared to be a contretemps

going on between an invading

CARRION CROW

and the resident
KESTREL's
now with fleging chicks which would make a fine breakfast for some!

Meanwhile at the Gravel Pit the return of one of the prodigal

HUMBUGs

without a sign of the 'third'!

maybe a victim of the equally local

GREY HERON
(open wide)
It is also at this time of year when our attention turns to the success of the

HEDGEROWs
planted by our friend Chris Sugden on behalf of Brighter Green the parent
Solar Panel People
and said to have been a massive 20,000 plants in all! while within still a few feeding

STARLINGs

a scruffy

but no less welcome juvenile

ROBIN

along with this

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
and the

APPLE TREE
just inside the Heath now in full bloom.
Far quieter than Sunday but that's the Wild World for you,
Roundabouts and Swings!!