CREPUSCULAR CREW

Thursday's evening stroll took Monty and I along some of the footpaths, two or three fields inland in the area of Shop Lane. The intention was to find out whether the grasshopper warbler which possibly bred last summer in a young tree plantation had returned from Africa, but there was no sign.

A female sparrowhawk appeared from the plantation and after leisurely flapping away, it suddenly decided that a passing greenfinch seemed like tasty supper. The hawk steamed after the little bird and after a brief chase over 50 metres, just as the talons were reaching out for the bird, the greenfinch performed a desperate last gasp swoop upwards, which worked a treat as the sparrowhawk gave up the chase and continued on its way.

The little wildfowling pond has the regular spring visitation by a pair of swans prospecting for nest-sites. A pair of coots were there for company as well as a plastic decoy duck!

Greater stitchwort is adding little splashes of white to some of the hedgebanks on the Island. The field edges and roadside verges have little botanical interest but this plant catches the eye in the springtime. Apparently a preparation of stitchwort and acorns was a good remedy for "stitches". It is also known as the thunder flower as picking the plant could provoke thunder and lightning. Needless to say I left the plant alone!

As the sun set over Peldon village on the horizon, some birds were still having one last sing or fly around. The evenings walk produced 2 lesser whitethroats, 3 chiffchaffs, 2 yellowhammers, 2 pairs of stock doves and 100 wood pigeons gathering for the roost. The onset of dusk also got a grey partridge calling like a creaking door opening. In a bare field without a crop the pair of partridges flew away with fast whirring wing-beats and landed nervously in the furthest corner.

The moth trapping produced about 20 moths of 10 species with spectacle, early thorn, frosted green and cabbage the most interesting.

All night long the two nightingales at the country park sang their hearts out with their wonderfully loud and varied repertoires. It took me a long time to get to sleep that night what with the bright moth lamp shining outside the bedroom window coupled with the nightingale singing well into the wee small hours.

This is the head of the spectacle moth looking like Biggles wearing his flying goggles.

Below is the striking early thorn, a moth that looks like a butterfly with the way it holds its wings above its body. As the moth flew away, it immediately landed amongst the grass and stayed motionless, pretending not to look like something tasty for a bird.