Seven Wonders - Fleetwood Mac - Part I

 

It was yet another item on the BBC early evening news announcing the reformation of arguably GB’s most famous and successful 2-Tone Band, that not only rang a number of bells, but also brought back extremely exciting memories of a jaunt back in 2004.

 It was late March of that year when Jim the Medic and Rather Rotund William, a.k.a. Big Fat Billy, stormed into the Marine Control Room on the Buchan Alpha Semi-Submersible Oil Rig demanding to know if I was off on my travels again? Don’t you just love a quiz, when you know the answer, and confirmed that plans were already being drawn up and a flight to Mexico City in the process of being booked, before being asked could they both join me on the adventure to cover the 7 countries that make up Central America. Reluctant, as my own mantra and age old rule of travel was, “no mates, no arguments”, but having travelled with both in the past thought it less of a risk and welcomed them onboard. My next ‘field break’ was to be of 6 weeks duration allowing for at least 5 days in each state but what a loss if the visit didn’t include probably the most important pre-Columbian Mayan complex in the world that of Chichén Itzá on the Yucatàn peninsular in the country of arrival.

Having already researched the situation, it was found that venturing to the site after 11:00 on any given day would meet with 'hundreds' of Americans (no insult intended) transported in dozens of coaches from the Cruise Ships berthed at the north east corner of the peninsular. So critical was this situation that a by-law was in place dictating that each Coach Driver should carry a bamboo cane of equal length so that not one single inch of car / coach park were wasted.  With that foremost in our minds we opted for this ***** Guest House within walking distance of the site and complete with Boat-tailed Grackles on the roof and top of the ladder, while

YUCATAN JAY
and

NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO
kicked off our wild-lifeing on this relatively short walk,

our arrival coincded perfectly with the opening of the gates, but would take another lifetime to show, on our humble post, all that was found within.

CHESNUT-SIDED WARBLER

While impossible to capture the whole complex in a single frame we will atempt to show some of the key features, while at the same time trying to remember what the hell they are, such as the TEMPLE of WARRIORS

MASKED TITYRA

CENTRAL PYRAMID
(which the public, including ourselves, were permited to climb)

CRESTED OROPENDOLA

Just a 'shadow' of my former self atop the mighty pyramid.

GOLDEN-HOODED TANAGER

Now Billy is a big lad, so this gives some idea of scale.

RED-LEGGED HONEYEATER

Some idea of the encrouching Jungle

COLLARED ARICARI

MULTIPLE TEMPLES

SNAIL KITE
(with prey and bill to access it)

SECONDARY PYRAMIDs

WHITE-FRONTED NUNBIRD
and to slake their passion for the Heavens even an

OBSERVATORY

RED-VENTED or YUCATAN WOODPECKER
As for a rendezvous with Jim after that first leg of the journey all he would agree to was "on the morning of the agreed date at Chetamul" the border town with Belize

There he was waiting for us as if leaning on the rails of Skegness beach with the mandatory G & T on the table behind!
P.S. - don't forget the BBC news item and we will endeavour to continue next Sunday........ and for Heaven's sake do not allow your Friends and Families to miss this, they will never forgive you!!!

HOPE THIS CHEERS A RATHER WINDY AND WET DAY!

Down at the Old Bull and Bush

 With weather conditions remaining mild with mostly full overnight cloud cover and little by the way of wind, the Moth Traps remain relatively busy with both

BULRUSH WAINSCOT and LARGE WAINSCOT

coming as a job lot and the also rans represented by a single

COMMON MARBLED CARPET

and at long, long last we have managed to capture a

TUI
even though they have been running at least 2 flights a day from Bournemouth International for about 4 months now, and not to be outdone

EASYJET
also took to the wing about 20 minutes later but still relatively quiet in the Wild World.

Although something of a repeat we simply could not resist the sight of the female

TUFTED DUCK

gaping then followed by THE surprise of the Autumn thus far at the Gravel Pit was

firstly one,

then two

and finally a prial of juvenile

LITTLE GREBEs
while the maximum across the breeding season has been no more than a single!
All else there was the now comfortably resident

COOT
while in the Solar Panal Compound there was no more than

this rather smart

CHAFFINCH
while at the

Sewerage Works

BULLFINCH

appear to have moved back into their Winter Quarters mob-handed.

Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

Little point in springing out of the hammock like a Thompson's Gazzelle this morning so awarded myself a 'Guard and Steerage' a Royal Navy expression for a Lie-In!

While the overnight temperatures remain in what might be considered the balmy division, 

Bournemouth International Airport

was predicting a high of +6°C while on the ground it was a higher +9°C

leading to more Moths.

However, before getting anywhere near to the traps there was the surprise of the year waiting just outside the door as this young

BADGER
was grubbing on the bund less than a stone's throw away!

We have never recorded such a thing across the southern half of the farm, let alone so clse to home but always consider it best to Expect the Unexpected!
No Great Shakes from the traps but the buzz comes from catching anything at all as

BLACK RUSTIC

CANARY-SHOULDERED THORN

SILVER Y
along with another

NOVEMBER MOTH (agg)
forming part of the day list.
Still struggling a little to find anything else in the wildworld let alone anything new we did relocate the wandering

COOT

on the

Gravel Pit
before being disturbed by c3 passing

CHINOOK HELICOPTERs
of which we only captured 2 and for the briefest of moments and before encountering a

soggy looking

SONG THRUSH
and an even soggier looking

BLACK SLUG
and while as common as the proverbial it takes some strain to resist a full blown male

MALLARD
in bright sunlight and with a back-up cast of the female

in company with the still lingering female
TUFTED DUCK
Back to Base and a surprise awaiting on the doorstep turn out to be a gift from fellow caravaners, and friends the Tilley's from Derbyshire with Ian having crafted this

HAT

and
BOWL

from Palm Fronds gathered during thier visits to the

CARIBBEAN

 and having sat outside Tescos for 5 hours netting just 14 pence, decided to call it a day but marveling at the symmetry of such fine work - Thanks to the Tilley's one and all!