Sunshine

I've not been minded to pick up a fishing rod since Monday, when I finished the 2021/22 Pike campaign. It feels good not planning my days, the silly o'clock alarm calls and constantly ensuring I've got the kit in good order plus a supply of bait which offers the maximum flexibility once at the water's edge. A nice break which allows me to re-charge the enthusiasm battery and do some odd jobs around the bungalow, without begrudging the time spent. Being a part of a very tight knit neighbourhood has resulted in several, off piste, excursions as I've also painted a fence and manufactured planters for other members of the gang. Nothing is a problem when the sun is shining, brightly, in a clear blue sky? I have my binoculars close to hand, whatever it is I'm doing, and the local Herring Gulls provide advanced warning of any passing birds of prey. I counted fourteen Common Buzzards, yesterday, but just three today, although the spiralling hoards suggested I missed quite a few this afternoon. No Red Kites, as yet, but an adult female Peregrine and several migrant Sparrowhawks have added to the drama. 

In and around the garden I've seen Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Small Tortoiseshell & Red Admiral butterflies, whilst noting a constant trickle of Chaffinches. Redwings are heard at night, as I sit in the study, door wide open, playing around with the camera kit pointed at the Hedgehog feeding station or the Foxes. The moth trap continues to produce interest with a Muslin Moth (male) recorded last night, which is ridiculously early? The photos, which accompany this post, were taken yesterday morning just after I'd emptied the moth trap and then refilled the bird feeders.