C-Day

Nature’s Loan
 I'll lend you for a little while,
A beautiful hawk of mine
For you to care for and enjoy
For an unknown period of time.
The years, they may be ten or
More, or his days they may be few.
But will you, `til I want him back,
Treasure him as I do?

He brings with him my secret truths
And though his demeanor's wild,
You'll form a bond most unique
Like a parent with a child.
I can't say how long the loan will be,
Since all from Earth must return,
But with each day there's lessons taught
Through hawks that you will learn.

I've looked the wide world over now
For a falconer as good as you,
But on my list of worthy ones,
There are only but a few.
Will you give his soul the flight it needs
And keep him well maintained?
And not hate me when the contract ends
And I take him back again?

I answered in all sincerity,
All you ask, it will be done.
For all the joys this hawk may bring,
The risk of loss I'll run.
I'll train him with a gentle hand,
And fly him when I may.
As for the trust you have in me,
More thanks I can not say.
But if you come and call for him
Much sooner than I prayed,
I'll know he's in the best of hands -
With the One by whom he was made.

A trial run to Portchester and on to TH for some 'birding lite'. Three juvenile Sparrowhawks were still noisy but more active over the Meadow Hide boardwalk. Also three juvenile Kestrels hunting, but pretty unsuccessfully. In the distance, a calling, flyby Green Sandpiper, a Raven and a Hobby which powered off westwards.

Later, on south scrape, 150 Canada Geese, 25 godwits, five each of Dunlin and Snipe plus a single Wood Sandpiper. Passerines represented by just two Sand Martins, a calling Cetti's and the odd Phyllosc.

Still all three Volucella spp on the east side Hemp Agrimony with the above zonaria closest.

At the dipping pond a Water Vole was munching away but too dark and concealed for a photo.

A day in avoiding the heat and proof-reading the eulogy -  but earlier the moth trap was not without interest with Marbled Beauty (making a change from Marbled Green) and Garden Pebble, both new as was Agriphila geniculea.
Another Jersey/Garden Tiger combo and an expired Iron Prominent on the garage window sill.(31/22).

NB Finally a very tiny moth on the sliding doors was a Small Dusty Wave, another NfG.

Purple, gold and copper...

...and a big, hairy orange b****r!!

A first stop at PHP produced a none-too-special site tick in the form of an adult Common Tern; maybe twenty hirundines of three species, the heron on his rail, a single Little Grebe and a few croaking Reed Warblers.

Insect Alley was very hot although the shaded east side was very wet underfoot with dew; the mint here was attractive to a few Volucellas as per last year plus Platycheirus rosarum and loads of 'batmen'. Several of these Tachina fera plus the odd Conops quadrifasciatus, Ectemnius etc. Some of the heather looks quite good but much of it is parched; no obvious Heather Colletes in a brief look and just this Small Copper plus lots of Common Blues.

Lunch at QECP where just a number of Figwort Sawflies and Southern Hawker by the pond. Gave up and retired to somewhere cooler.

"It was this big, honest!!"

One of two nice and obvious Garden Tigers, with, also one of two, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, the latter being new for CRlist.
Not much else although there is a cute micro fridged for later ID.

At TH, the Volucellas were in the same place but not much other insect action.
This juvenile Kestrel was one of two hunting the meadow whilst the male Sparrowhawk cruised the hedges chased by noisy Swallows; the juveniles were still noisy but invisible near the dipping pond.

Amy advised me of two Wood Sandpipers on south scrape, one above, along with 3 Green Sand, 15 Dunlin, 2 Common Sand and three Snipe. Two distant Swifts were the only other notables.

Edit. The micro was Scythropia crataegella, a hawthorn specialist, NfG/T.
A female Common Blue turned up to investigate the Lavender bush at the end of the day.

The Lasioglossum gang were still roosting in the same spot, as I went through the trap where another Tree Lichen Beauty, Dark/Grey Dagger, two Brimstones, three Dusky Thorns were the best of 31/14.

With no funeral planning 'duties' today we popped up to Sustainability where the insect patch was heaving with stuff including lots of Common Blues and a Hornet; just singles of  Southern Hawker and Common Darter on the pond.

A single Raven and three noisy Buzzards were it for bird life.

Lunch at QECP with no 'wildlife excursion' today.

Celebration Day...

Celebration Day by Led Zeppelin

Actually a typo there; should read Celebrant not Celebration!!
MC came out to talk to Mum about Dad's 'eulogy' and was very helpful and understanding.

Prior to that on a brief visit to BL, a traffic-laden A31 caused the usual detour across the top of the forest, where the small bush at Deadmans Hill provided the ponies with some shade and encouraged them to block the road!! A little further on at the Fighting Cocks the donkeys were out in force also happy to cause some traffic chaos😁

On arrival Tracey kindly let me peruse the trap but little of note, although  Copper Underwing spp was the first I'd seen in a while. Just Peach Blossom and Blood Vein below. No sign of any Lesser Emperors on the Silt Pond,  just the usual four species plus damsels, although a nice Migrant Hawker was my first of the year and a Grass Snake slithered across from Ivy South Hide.

At Tern Hide J6x4 was in situ but, whilst plenty of birds, nothing of note; fifteen distant Black-tailed Godwits were the best.

At home Bombus leucorum  joined the terrestris, lapidarius and Apis on lavender.