Not much happening

It is that time of year when patch watching (birding!) is in the "doldrums", the Spring migration is over, the breeding season, for most of the resident species, is at an end and it is left to the other inhabitants to provide the bulk of my interest/sightings. This said, I was completely taken by surprise when I flushed a Lapwing (post - breeding adult) from the parched, newly harrowed, potato field as I walked to work on Friday morning. June Lapwing records are very infrequent at Newland's Farm, to have one decked is unusual indeed.



A male Greenfinch on our sunflower feeder

The garden feeding station continues to attract a steady stream of customers, Greenfinches and House Sparrows dominate, but a few Blue and Great Tit family parties are still visiting the sunflower feeder as are a single pair of Goldfinches. The spilled seed, on the ground under the feeders, is food for Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons, Feral Rock Doves plus Dunnocks (two family parties around the garden) and Blackbirds. I nicked an idea from Jackie & Gus (over at Palm Bay) - putting apples in a fat-ball cage feeder. They are having great results with this approach - the local Rose-ringed Parakeets hammering their feeders. I'm fairly confident that I will be able to replicate their success, once the parakeets discover our offerings.

This morning it was the gulls that alerted me to an over-flying Grey Heron; again, not a particularly common June sighting in the skies above Dumpton. So, if my highlights are Lapwing and Grey Heron, birding must be pretty dire at present? Butterflies are neither numerous or varied - Small Torts, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Holly Blue providing 90% of my records, of late. Bees, Ichneumons, Hoverflies and other, assorted, inverts are doing their bit to keep me looking. However, it is the contents of my moth trap which are providing the bulk of my enjoyment at present. Because I have decided to look at, and attempt to id, the micro's which I attract, there is a whole new dimension opening up before me. My camera technique and technology might not be all it could be - it hasn't stopped my enjoyment of discovering new creatures. I am finding it very contagious - almost like I'd started from scratch. The moths in my garden are a source of massive pleasure; I am incredibly fortunate to be able to have this alternative interest which dove-tails so neatly into my other outdoor pursuits.

A beautiful example of Green Pug - if only all pug sp. were this straight forward.

Looks likely that Sunday evening will provide an opportunity to get back down to The Stour - Benno and Luke are also hopeful of making an appearance. I have a few bits to sort out, Emily is in our custody and it's Father's Day tomorrow - that'll probably mean a meal out somewhere? I have bait, and my "munger" is already prepared and stashed in my garden freezer. I've couple of new ideas I'd like to try out - hopefully there will be time to make these adjustments before I arrive at the river?
Steve Gale (North downs & Beyond) has made mention of book writing and the incredibly high bench mark that has been set by our forebears? As an individual I take great comfort from the words of an old Carpenter's song; the lyric being something like "Don't matter if it's not good enough for anyone else to hear, sing, sing a song!" My limited abilities summed up in a (para-phrased) nut-shell! My own attempts at such an exercise are dawdling along, in the background. It is a very enlightening experience to attempt to put into words the adventures of a complete lame-brain. The project is on-going yet nowhere close to completion. Who's it aimed at? To my way of thinking it's my way of explaining to future generations of Wrathalls' exactly who I was and what I stood for - in my own language, warts and all! A literary master class it won't be - just one blokes slant on his journey through life - don't matter if it's not good enough for anyone else to read?