End of an era but the start of another one

The Safari has reluctantly come over all eco-friendly and sold the Land Rover replacing it with a mostly very dull and totally boring very un-hot hatchback - we won't say cool as that has other colloquial connotations - capable of about a gazzillion miles to the gallon but would probably be out-accelerated to 60mph by the green slug that was the Discovery. No more Green Lanes, no more mud, no more fun, time to become a responsible motorist.

But a new era of the Safari's blog starts today as this is our 2000th post - that's an awful lot of rubbish wot we've rit over the years. We were hoping to save this milestone for Alicia's account of our recent excellent day together at Leighton Moss but with starting school again she's had far too much real work to be able to send anything over for you, so you'll have to put up with the following missive.

This morning we emptied the moth trap very quickly, there were only three moths and a Crane Fly in there. A predictable selection of a Light Brown Apple Moth, a Large Yellow Underwing and a Garden Carpet.

That took all of two minutes so we had a celebratory brew and started vis migging get an early result with three Siskins (Garden #35)going low over the roof tops. There wasn't much else though. Dribs n drabs of mostly single Meadow Pipits only totaled 17 by the time passage had dried up at about 08.45

Singles of Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch which landed in the large Poplars nearby so could have been a local bird, and a Starling heading due south they've been very scarce here recently so we assume this was a solitary migrant and not a local bird.

Our next door neighbours have a medium sized Rowan tree which has had all its berries stripped long since but their much smaller one still has almost its full compliment. That was until a Carrion Crow landed at the top seemingly eyeing them up. It shiftily peered this way

 

and that

before ignoring the berries and choosing some stale garlic bread we'd thrown on the garage roof instead.

While we waited for the prospective purchaser of the Land Rover to arrive we heard a Goldcrest calling from the bushes at the end of the street, watched two flocks - or one flock split into two - of 51 Pink footed Geese (Garden #36) go directly overhead - - never look up with your mouth open!!! and another single Siskin, going north???

Also fluttering around was a Red Admiral and later a Migrant Hawker tazzed through the back garden.

The rest of the day was spent doing new car stuff and chores.

Where to next? A ridiculously early dart in the morning and a 100+ mile drive to meet Alicia in the wilds of the Yorkshire moors at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to ring some Meadow Pipits. Good job we've now got an economical car then isn't it!

In the meantime let us know who's eyeing up the carrion in your outback.