Fly fishing at John O'Gaunts Kings Sombourne

Saturday 13th of October 0615hrs Tom Mixture arrived from Woodoaks farm and Paul Lewis joined
Alan Walsh,Geoff the Kiwi and John Ireland . We we were away by 1825 hrs on route .
On the M25 still dark then the M3 towards Winchester ,land of Alfred and the Danes.
Around O800 HRS we were at the Crown pub in Kings Somborne village.

After breakfast we made our way to the fisherie around 0900hrs,on arrival we took
lots and set off around the beautiful mist shrouded the autumnal lake.

Soon  we were all catching  by 1030hrs I had bagged up.Lewis had been coached or poached by
Fred the sec and had caught his four fish.

So had Tom Mixture as had Alan and Geoff the Kiwi caught his four fom the end pool.
After a barbeque courtesy of John Irelands John O'Burgers as black as an Irish bog

Paul,Tom and I walked along a tranquill stretch of the River Test flushing a Roe Deer
and a lovely Barn owl before a wonderful day came to an end.

Sorry almost forgot our other new boy with a fine  Rainbow.affectionately known
as Dolly Mixture.

Raining Again so Birding in the Past once more

It's October the first and its unofficially the first day of the Pike fishing season, and its raining
fairly hard,if it eases off tomorrow I will do some lure fishing and birding at the same time.
But for now its all our yesterdays once more.
The only carpenters I have seen this morning was the Great Spotted Woodpecker on fat balls in

my garden.Here's a shot of old Esox Luscius about too strike.
26 YEARS ago on the 16th of Oct Jerry Bart and I were on the Paddington to Penzance overnight
train.At 0730HRS  I woke up to see through the window Truro Cathedral.
We picked up the Scillonian at Penzance harbour and our crossing produced Gannets ,Skuas and Kittiwake.
On arrival at St Marys  our bags and headed for Watermill Cove, where a Great Northern Diver was in summer plumage.Tired after a long day we had an early night.
The following morning we watched a female Merlin  attack a Richard's Pipit in a field between Salakee farm and Higher Moors.

But  only  10 yards from the guest house at Porth Loo beach was a confiding Semi-palmated Sandpiper feeding with a Sanderling.

This American vagrant is named after the skin webs between its toes.This is the clincher to indentify this particular wader.On with the birding and 2 new warblers for my British List were Icterine
warbler,

and Bonelli's warbler at Newford and Watermill respectively.
On the 18th it was  overcast with rain a sea watch from Penninis head produced Fulmar and Manx Shearwater.Later in the day from Lower Moors we had 3 Water Rails and 1 Jack Snipe.
While searching Old Town Church  we located 2 Yellow browed warblers, a new species of warbler
I had not seen before with its striking eye stripe  and double wing bar.

Two more new birds were added to our tally namely a Short toed lark that was frequenting the golf
course and finally a Little Bunting showing it's chestnut cheek patch and smaller than it's commoner
cousin the Reed Bunting.

Sunday the 19th our last day the wind was gale force as we sea watched from Giants Castle.
3 Manx shearwaters flew past and somebody had 500 Shags at Pendrathen some sexual prowess
indeed.
On a more serious note a Hobby was a late bonus at Watermill cove,also a Melodious warbler
more yellow below,brown above indicating an autumn adult.My favourite bird was a Pied flycatcher
feeding on Speckled wood butterflies amongst the Pines.

To  end the trip the Little Bunting gave crippling views from Carn Friars road as it actively fed
amongst theisolated cabbages.