Author: Andy Finnegan

Standing with giants.

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Fort Nelson, near Portsmouth, is home to the Royal Armouries’ national artillery and historic cannon collection. The fort was built in the 1860s to protect against a potential invasion by the French, it was one of a ring of land and sea forts around the Naval base at Portsmouth. The invitation never came and the forts became known as “Palmerston’s Follies” after Prime Minster, Lord Henry Palmerston, who commissioned the forts.

I visited Fort Nelson today to see an art display “Standing with Giants” It is a tribute honouring those who lost their lives in the Falklands Conflict. The installation is silhouetted figures of the 258 who died in Falklands War in 1982.

Kes!

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Every time I see a Kestrel in the hover it reminds me of the book by Barry Hines – A Kestrel for a Knave published in 1968. A book we had to read a school – set in a mining area in Northern England, the book follows Billy Casper, a young working-class boy troubled at home and at school, who finds and trains a Kestrel whom he names “Kes”.

V.S.V.

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What goes on the Water at nearly 60 mph and prefers to pierce waves rather than jump over them. The Very Slender Vessels concept is simple – instead of slamming across the top of waves, it is designed to slice through them. Adopted by several military and enforcement services around the world. It had a hull low to the water, making it harder to detect on radar.

Spotted in the Solent this afternoon.

There is a killer in the pond!

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Red-eared slider – kept as a pet in the UK  many have been irresponsibly released into the wild. They are ill-equipped to survive in the damp British climate.- however, will global climate increases change this. What effect do these invasive animals have on our wildlife? What effects on our native waterfowl’s eggs and insects lava does releasing these unwanted pets have?

Red-eared sliders are considered an invasive species, they are seen as a pest in many countries including here in the U.K. the U.S.A and Australia as they can outcompete and predate upon native fauna.

Spotted in a local pond.

Walking the Downs.

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Another walk on the South Downs, paths are well marked and marked where not to go!

The land is well-managed and farmed fairly intensively but there are wildlife strips and borders but not an area where you can wander off the paths.

Tank rides and driving are available for those that want to make a noise.

Dunock in the oilseed rape flowers.

Red-legged Partrages – The red-legged partridge is a gamebird a member of the pheasant family.  They were introduced to Britain in the 1600s by Charles II, and they are now relatively common and can be spotted in its favoured open scrub and farmland habitats. They often run rather than fly when disturbed.

This bird spotted something above.

A Red Kite. On the hunt.

The Red Kite feeds mainly on carrion and worms but is opportunistic and will occasionally take small mammals. Today the RSPB states there are an estimated 4,400 pairs in the UK. I recall 1st seeing these magnificent birds in South Wales in the 1980’s when there were only 25 pairs in the UK mainly in Wales.

This bird picked up something for lunch.

Good Hare country as earlier in the week.

Goldfinch.

Insects are starting to come out as the weather warms up. This Bee-fly landed on the path. At a glance, it’s easy to mistake one for a bee.