And I Floundered in a Fathomless Sea, Swirling in her Eddies and Currents

Early June and I was returning to my Summer haunt of Whiteley Meadows.
An area so chopped and cut apart to accommodate the machinations of man from either sides but it still remains a little oasis of beauty despite this.
On one side a vision of hell to me - a shopping centre - on the others, a business park, electricity sub station and housing estate.
In the middle, a place of peace, calm and natural wonder.
After parking opposite the business park and a short stroll to the path entrance I encountered Orchids. Common Spotted Orchids. Common they may be but stunning they are nonetheless. 

 My normal route is straight along the main path. Today I was venturing South into Botley Wood. I had a date with a Nightingale...

 Deep in the damp woodland there are small brooks and rivulets. It's quite common to encounter Demoiselles' here. There are two species to be found in the UK. The Banded and the Beautiful. I had found the latter. A male too, displaying in the shards of sunlight.

 I wandered on, Foxgloves were in full bloom and growing in large mini forests. One of my favourite flowers.

 Ragged Robin, a rich nectar source for so many insects showed an occasional presence too. Not as profuse as in Devon mind you but probably coming to the end of their life here.

 There is life all along the rides so a keen eye is needed to observe and capture them on film.
A Wolf Spider with it's egg sack guarded them as I passed by.

 High up in the trees along the rides an occasional Dragonfly zipped past me. Eventually it settled to reveal a female Broad Bodied Chaser. A little distant, so I hoped for a closer shot later on.

 Then a female Brimstone fed lower down on bramble flowers before me.

 I had now reached the electricity sub station. I negotiated it's metal fenced perimeter, the forest bordered it from all sides with pylons stretching into the distance from it's source.
I initially had my eye on the trees but a Blue Tit flying from the station drew my eye. I could have sworn it had a fecal sack in it's beak? That would mean a nest somewhere in the humming electrical complex. But where?
I staked it out. If there was one, the bird would return. I located the bird in some Birch Trees on the edge. It flew in and disappeared into one of the stantions. 

 It was difficult to see from my position as I couldn't gain a full view of the entrance due to the fencing.

 It emerged once more with another fecal sack. I'd found the nest, and what a place to build one?!

 It was definitely safe from any intrusion by man and no woodpecker could hammer a hole through that either, or squirrel for that matter. I was just concerned at the effect any electrical emissions would have on the birds.

 I moved around for a slightly better view.

 Oh to be a fly on the wall to see inside the nest and if it would be successful.

 I left them to it and ventured to a nearby pond.

Toby's pond is clearly named after someone I could only guess at, apart from the christian name of course.

I found a vacated Dragonfly nymph carapace. Possibly a Four Spotted Chaser as they were plentiful around the pond and the size was a good indicator. 

There were several of them flying and one would occasionally stop for a photograph.

Plenty of Damselflies too. Mainly Azure.

I spotted a quick flying Butterfly across from the pond. My first Painted Lady of the year but it carried on it's flight along the tree line without stopping.

Grizzled Skippers were much more sedate and obliging when it came to a portrait however.

So too was a female Black Tailed Skimmer which I found away from the water nestled in the undergrowth around the trees.

Heading back along the ride, I was aware of it being the place associated with Nightingales.
I heard a couple calling and managed to locate one deep in the small trees. It kept flying around the canopy as I gazed in hope from below. It failed to give me a clear shot but just listening to it's incredible vocal acrobatics was enough to send me away with a huge grin on my face.

I retraced my steps and encountered the Demoiselles again.

It gave me some wonderful views in the light once more.  

If I disturbed them too much they would fly and hide above on the leaves. Occasionally peering down at me..

I let them be and continued onwards down the dappled woodland path.
Speckled Wood are common in this habitat and like to sit in the shafts of light.

I was back on the main Whiteley path, hoping desperately of an early sighting of a Purple Emperor. I did see a basking Red Admiral but that was it. So much for wishful thinking?

I sauntered back to the van. My day wasn't at an end just yet though.
Back home after a shower and some dinner, I kitted up again at dusk and headed down to my nearest nature reserve at the end of my road.... Browndown. There was another special creature on my radar today.

Some fishermen were gathering as I reached the shore. I do hope they take their litter home with them I thought as I passed by. They have a tendency to leave all sorts of detritus behind them after an evenings session. 

It was the perfect time of evening with the right conditions. Very still, which gave me a great chance of hearing my quarry.
That's the thing with Nightjars. Hearing is the key, as they are nocturnal, so a decent view is nearly impossible unless it's a silhouette.
Their song is so ethereal and unearthly that to hear it almost makes up for not being able to see it.

I reached the area I knew they would be. Sparsely vegetated apart from some low growing oaks and shrubs.
They nest on the ground on the shingle and feed by night on insects such as moths.
This area is MOD controlled but open to the public. It's not a large area by any standards, so to find nesting Nightjars on such a busy piece of land I find incredible. I'm so lucky to have them at the end of my road.
They have nested here for a number of years and once again I wasn't to be disappointed.

Sometimes you just need to stand and wait and listen. Other times they are immediately apparent through their incessant churring call.
If you were here on your own and didn't know what creature was making the noise I'm sure you would run a mile ! I can only begin to describe this electronic sound as something out of an episode of Dr Who, imagined from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

It took a while of standing in the low light to adjust my eyes. My hearing was well up to speed.
There was silence at first, then out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird flying around me with slow flaps and long glides. I had my camera  by my side but with low light on a hand held, the pictures were always going to be grainy at best, even with image stabilising, but I shot away regardless, hoping for a decent one or two.  

By the white flecks on the wings I recognised it as a male as it circled my position.

As I took a couple of steps down from the shingle ridge I was standing on, I saw another bird land a few feet away. It was the female.
I managed a half decent picture before retreating in case I was near a nest. 

To find such an enigmatic creature right on my doorstep was a true blessing. That they are such mysterious birds of the night with limited views makes them doubly so.
I walked back along the path. The soft half light lit up the shingle path, enough to negotiate my way back to the main path along the shore. The view across Southampton Water to the Fawley Oil Refinery was rather romantic if you could forget what was produced and emitted from the facility.

Regardless, I was a happy man with the efforts of my day's searching nearby and right on my doorstep.

The title of this post is a line taken from the poem 'The Song of a Night Bird' by Valsa George
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-song-of-a-night-bird/