A simply wonderful event

Bev's daughter, Debbie, her partner Adam and kids, Emily & Harry joined us to travel down to the city of Bath to attend the wedding of Darryl (Bev's son) and his fiance Alix. The less said about the travelling experience, the better, the M25 is now beyond a joke, However, it really doesn't matter as we are all now safely back home after being part of an absolutely brilliant occasion. Half past seven on a Sunday night was never going to be a time for a church or registry office gig - oh no. The ceremony took place within the building housing the Roman Baths in Bath city centre.

An absolutely stunning place for a wedding

The whole service was conducted with all the professionalism and dignity associated with such a major event, and yet the lady conducting the wedding plus those friends and family involved in contributing by doing the readings ensured that humour was never too far away. Bev, as mother of the groom, couldn't stop smiling as the proceedings unfolded. I would think that the actual service lasted little more than thirty minutes, yet we stayed on site for another three quarters of an hour enjoying a glass (or two) of "champers" and some very fancy nibbles whilst the newly weds were chatting with their families and friends. Emily and Harry were the only two children at the event and got lots of attention from the fellow guests. 

Emily and Harry dressed for the occasion

The happy couple mingling

Bev and her Auntie Christine sampling
some rather fancy nibbles

From the Roman Baths, we then headed a few minutes across the city to a venue called the "Cozy Club" where the celebrations really kicked off. It was a fantastic night with a wonderful vibe as friends and family celebrated this happy event. Bev and I got back to our hotel just before 01.00 hrs, yet the party had shown few signs of slowing down as we were leaving.

Mr & Mrs - happy daze

Obviously this is not a post which fits into the usual contents I offer, yet it was so special that, as part of the journey, has a place in my "observations" as I meander life's pathway.

Dad - "this is how you do it"

 A grotty, grey, morning wasn't particularly conducive for watching the birds visiting the feeding station and the moth trap hadn't produced anything of note. A few Chiffchaffs were flitting around the hedgerow which marks the garden boundaries of the Vine Close bungalows and it was around mid-day when the male Great Spotted Woodpecker appeared again. I grabbed the camera, just because it might have been the only opportunity of the day?

It was whilst I was listening to the Radio 5 commentary of Spurs vs West Ham when Benno rang to ask what I was doing? He was out on the flatlands and had just landed a Perch of 3 lbs 14 oz (thus a PB) and could I get across to grab some photos? It must have taken a nano-second to offer a positive response and, after checking with Bev, I was on my way within a couple of minutes. It is the biggest Perch I've ever set eyes upon and absolutely magnificent. Under no circumstances will I name the venue, or the tactics involved, as that is for Benno to tell.

It's gonna be quite a hectic couple of days ahead, as we attend the wedding of Darryl & Alix. Obviously no birds, moths or angling likely to be involved, we're looking forward to a great family gathering to celebrate this monumental occassion.

Compete waste of time and effort

I was out of bed around 04.30 hrs, after a quick coffee and turning the garden moth trap off, I headed off to the RMC for the second Pike session of the week. What an absolute folly. I was on site just before 06.00 hrs and on my way back home within ten minutes. The canal was a filthy, flowing, mess and there was absolutely no point in wasting my time casting deadbaits just to feed the Eels. With seventy-two miles on the clock and having no desire to disturb Bev again, I opted to take a stroll along the coastal footpath from Winterstoke Steps, via the harbour, to the Western Undercliff (and back) in the hope of stumbling upon a Black Redstart or something similar. Almost as uneventful as the visit to the RMC, just a single Rock Pipit prepared to pose for the camera and the odd Chiffchaff flitting around the area as I wandered about. 

Rock Pipit near Winterstoke Steps

I finally parked the van on our drive at 09.30 hrs and, after getting the kit unloaded, I made a second coffee before checking the contents of the moth trap. I will never know if turning out the light at 04.30 hrs had any impact upon the numbers of moths attracted, but I certainly hadn't repeated the result of Wednesday night. Just eleven Rusty-dot Pearls, two Gems and a Pearly Underwing being the only obvious migrants but, I did manage to record my first Merveille du Jour of the year, so not a total failure.

UK moths don't get much better looking than a Merveille du Jour

The forecast looks pretty good for tonight before three days of rain, however, that isn't such a big deal due to the fact that we're headed off to the West Country for Bev's son's wedding and a massive family get together.

Mothing - the most insane night of the year!

 Crazy is the only word that comes remotely close to describing the events which unfolded over the course of last night. I had the garden MV trap switched on at around 18.30 hrs under clear skies and a very impressive full(?) moon. So impressive, in fact, that I actually spent some time playing around attempting to get some images, although using a very cheap lens with the resultant drop in image quality.

As 20.00 hrs approached, so the skies darkened and it was obvious that a thunderstorm was approaching from the west as the lightning flashes illuminated the distant horizon. Within half an hour the rain started, intensifying very quickly to a point that I wondered why I'd bothered with the trap. In bed by 22.00 hrs, I was well aware that the rain was still falling although, around 04.00 hrs, I'd got up for a wee, the moon was on show again. And so on to what happened next. I didn't get up until around 08.00 hrs and was greeted by a very dull scene of thick grey clouds and soaking vegetation. Kettle on, out into the garden I went to switch off the trap. BLOODY HELL!! - it was absolutely heaving with moths. Quickly covered up, I went back to make the first coffee of the morning before returning to examine the visitors to the egg trays. It was migrant city, with very few species which I recognise as local residents. Blair's Shoulder-knot and Beaded Chestnut were two exceptions and both new for the year. Photos and captions from here on.

Rusty-dot Pearls - SEVENTY-FOUR counted

Olive-tree Pearl - THIRTEEN present

The Gem - FOUR

Scarce Bordered Straw - TWO including this nice dark example

Rush Veneer - TWO

On the second to last egg tray I finally set eyes upon the moth I'd been after since getting back from Corfu. A Radford's Flame Shoulder, and a really smart example was there on the underside of the tray.

Radford's Flame Shoulder - never has a moth been more welcome.

There were a couple of other bits worthy of mention. A very smart looking Ichneumon sp. and my first Brindled Plume of the year. 

Ichneumon sp. - very impressive

Brindled Plume

It is events like this which make running a garden moth trap such a wonderful adventure, you just never know what'll turn up?

Around and about

Knowing that this coming Friday is my only angling opportunity, until after the West Country wedding excursion, I decided to take a drive across to the flatlands to check out the situation with Black Dyke and some of the side drains. Gin clear water and associated luxuriant weed growth is what I encountered, thus am now convinced that these venues will remain off limits until after a serious period of frosts? So Friday seems likely to involve a return to the RMC, unless I get the heads up about another venue! Whilst I was wandering about it seemed silly not to go that extra mile and check out what was happening on Worth RSPB Res. Fairly quiet would be a fair assessment yet it really is an impressive habitat which has been created and will surely continue to attract good numbers of common wetland species plus the inevitable oddity as well.

Six, of the eleven, Egyptian Geese out on Worth RSPB Res.

I didn't encounter another soul whilst on my wanderings and spent the time pointing the camera at anything of interest that I happened upon. The recent Corfu holiday has certainly impacted upon my mind-set and I am now far more willing to look at a life form as opposed to ignoring the creature involved. 

Wall Brown - not at all common around East Kent these days.

Male Migrant Hawker - numerous around the area but still nice to see.

There were good numbers of common ducks present and I also managed to spot a Great White Egret, my second in two days! I slowly made my way back towards the van seeing a Common Buzzard, a very agitated adult female Peregrine and a smart male Stonechat along the way. 

Back at the bungalow I needed to get my arse into gear and get the grass cut. It had been over a month since I last did it and boy did it show? Mission accomplished in just under an hour, the garden looks a whole lot better for the effort involved. I was doing a bit of "dead-heading" around the garden planters when I stumbled across two Nursery Web Spiders, sunbathing on the solar panel of one of the garden lights. Straight into Corfu mode, the 18 - 55 mm lens with a 20 mm extension tube was fitted to the camera and I grabbed a few images of these very common inverts.

There was a Great Spotted Woodpecker, very briefly, at the garden feeders this afternoon. It certainly wasn't the adult male, yet I didn't get a good enough view to see if it was the original bird or yet another individual. Overnight the moth trap had attracted a few visitors with a very smart Scarce Bordered Straw being the pick of the bunch. Two each of Rusty-dot Pearl and The Delicate were the only other candidates for migrant activity so my wait for a 2024 Radford's Flame Shoulder continues!

Another day?

I have to start this offering by saying what a very pleasant time was spent in the company of my fellow Pike fishers at the first Canterbury/Thanet Region PAC meeting of this new season. As to be expected, the gang were very up-beat about the prospects for the coming winter and long may it continue? The King Ethelbert PH, at Reculver, is where it all happens and the venue lends itself, superbly, to our gatherings. So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, therefore, that this morning I took a drive down to the RMC for the first cast of the Pike season.  However, what should also be of no surprise is the fact that I blanked. Heavily coloured water and umpteen Eel indications were as good as it got, from an angling perspective. Thankfully, in my world, there's more to fishing than just catching fish. The dawn was a non-event, the sky just got less dark. It was dull and dank, with a hint of "mizzle" in the air. I did manage to see a few Redwings moving overhead, which ties in nicely with other sites around the East Coast but, it was a Great White Egret (possibly two?) which provided the highlight for the session.

The 2nd time I saw it (?) this morning.
Far better light conditions than the first sighting.

Just after 08.20 hrs, in awfully dank conditions, my first encounter of the morning.

By 10.30 hrs I'd had enough of the Eel action and was headed back towards the van. Back home well before mid-day, I got the kit unloaded from the van before downloading the GWE images onto my laptop. It was whilst I was looking at these images that something caught my attention out in the garden. Bloody hell - the Great Spotted Woodpecker is back! Picking up my binoculars it immediately became clear that this was a different bird - an adult male! Camera quickly in action, I am very pleased with the images I obtained. 

Just like busses - none, then two in quick procession!

So now I'm back at the laptop, surveying the results of the Great Spotted Woodpecker encounter when a bird hovered above the Buddlehia before dropping down on to our neighbour's fence. Grabbing my binoculars it was obviously a Black Redstart. Sadly, gone within seconds and the camera didn't stand a chance.

Garden entertainment

Still haven't managed to get out with the rods, as yet, because things didn't quite go to plan. No big deal, as I am now resigned to the fact that a Pike fishing campaign will be main focus of my efforts in the coming months. However, before this becomes a reality, Bev's son is getting married, next weekend, and the only event which is of relevance at the moment. (Bev's assessment - of course!) So, with this as the background, I have spent much of my time getting the Pike gear sorted out. Lots of new traces have been put together using, both, double and treble hooks (all barbless) specifically for my dead bait presentation. It was whilst sat at my desk (?) - where my laptop is positioned - preparing new traces when I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the peanut feeder. Now whilst this species is recorded annually,  I have never, previously, seen one using the garden feeders.

The MV trap continues to attract a few moths which are worthy of mention, although Radford's Flame Shoulder isn't one of them. Once autumn is here, then the "Sallow" gang appear and, so it has been, The Sallow and Barred Sallow have been taken, on consecutive nights, and I am sure that there won't be too many other new species on the year list before the trap is retired for another year?

The Sallow

Barred Sallow