Picture This - Blondie

There are few I'd rather share major events with in my life than Bowie & Sheila Edwards so it was the perfect place to end my 65th birthday. Armed with a bottle of Jacquart Champagne and a drop off the rough stuff, we ended up staying at their house with an Indian takeaway rather than going out which had been Plan A.

With some stimulating conversation, plenty of joking and some reminiscing

a good time was had by all.

I should also mention the presence of Roy Orbison, David Bowie and Pink Floyd, and these should be the final set of photos from the North American trip.

Northern Fur Seal



Northern Fur Seals with Pups (foreground).

Those who are familiar with the TV programme 'The Worlds Deadliest Catch' (or words to that effect, I am not a viewer) will recognise these Snow & King Crab pots. Each, a weighty cumbersome piece of kit,

that as you can see even I'm struggling with one, the show centres on St Paul as the dropping off point for the catch and this is where it is filmed. Interesting enough, but there was an ulterior motive for today's visit as this is the very spot where the only Siberian Rubythroat to land on the Pribilof's was found. Working on the theory that lightning CAN strike twice it was always worth a look, but maybe needless to say IT DIDN'T!

These are 'bait pots' that accompany the above, now I'm told all but redundant.

Some of the diverse moss and lichen hereabouts.

(juvenile) Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch

Pacific Wren (a World Lifer)

as it has now been 'split' from Winter Wren.

(male) Lapland Longspur (or Bunting to you and me) on one of the mass of Wild Lupin.

(female) Lapland Bunting

This morning Forrest took me for a walk in the Pribilof Forest (the only 'true' trees on the Island) and this is it! Arctic Willow, he tells me, does reach the lofty height of 18 inches in places, but here it only ever achieves a paltry 4 inches.

Saxifrage

Unknown

We found this delightful Red Phalarope (makes you wonder why we call it Grey Phalarope when you see one in this plumage) on the south west seashore, where it was quite content to pose.

As we were about to leave another 2 flew in, both in advanced stage of moult, but none the less attractive.

Grey Phalarope in moult.

A nice little group of Rock Sandpiper worthy of a photograph,

as was this Whirly Lousewort

Nome or Home - That Was The Question

Happy Birthday to Me!

You must have been a beautiful baby, you must have been a beautiful child.

So what happened?

Today is the day I become a State Pensioner and by definition yet another sap on the economy, having never paid a penny-piece in but taking all I can out! Not much of a day weather wise, so a chance to catch up on mail and the mundane outstanding during my absence.

Having completed the visit to St Paul, one of the 2 Pribilof Islands, that easily qualifies as one of the Top Ten places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting, there were just 3 options. One was to spend the final 7 days in Anchorage (no offence meant but not really a consideration), head up to Nome or head for Home. Having pin point directions to the location of Bristle-thighed Curlew, remaining in Alaska was a great temptation but logistically it would have proved difficult, so here I am back home.

Kicking Around on a Piece of Ground in Your Hometown,

Looking for something or someone to show you the way.
Pink Floyd

6 weeks absence isn't such a lengthy period in the great plan of things, but amazing just how things change in such a short time. Taking the National Express from Heathrow to Weymouth, the fields are now speckled with bales of hay while Common Swifts are congregating in largish flocks issuing pre-departure screams.

In town the first, and most impressive, sight has to be the refurbished Jubilee Clock

which is now shining like a shilling on a sweep-stake, but a pity it's not showing the correct time.

Groups of holiday makers are gathering around old Fred Darrington's grandson's sand sculpture, this year depicting the Mad Hatter's Tea Party,

and while on the subject of grandsons, my own grandfather 'Scan' Edwards spent his final working days plying the cross harbour route in a similar rowing boat, which is great to see still in operation.

Even though 'shopping' is my least favourite subject it was also pleasing to see

the completion and vast improvement of the extension at my local Asda store, which stands on the site of the old Sidney Hall.

However, I note a potential snag. There was no one on site who could tell me the reason for having stainless steel wire cables running vertically through eyelets up each of the new walls, but my prediction is they will be used for simulated 'cliff climbing' by local drunks. I have put my name forward to be first to the top, of what must be runners for advertising banners? We'll see!

Shortly after this, and while admiring even more improvements on the sea front (fully refurbished Georgian shelters, new bus shelters with real time, digital 'service information' and the 'state of the art' laser lights) I bumped into my friends Alan & Val Watts who were more than surprised to see me back already. With the sun now directly over the yardarm, they suggested a drink to welcome me home and celebrate my 'coming of age', so we decanted to The Swan

where we met another dear friend Leslie Brown among several others. A good time was had by all (especially the 'sing song' with new found friends) in addition to which there yet another party in the pipe-line for September, but lots of 'irons in the fire' before we get there. So will keep you posted and hope to see many of you real soon.

There are still a few photos from the North America trip which I will publish tomorrow.

Final Day on St Paul, Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea

The weather in St Paul has been unseasonable, to say the least, with the last 2 weeks having been more or less 'wall to wall' sunshine, good thing that it stayed that way for my visit. There was a single exception, my last night here when it 'chucked it down' none stop leaving a trail of overly moist air and a good deal of mist. These conditions were not exactly conducive with 'birding' so by mid-morning and with what proved to be the final species of the stay we headed off to do some sight seeing.

I have been mad keen to view anything to do with the Fishing Industry and today turned out to be an ideal opportunity as Michelle's husband was returning from a few days 'long-lining' for Halibut in the Bering Sea.

Michelle was there waiting as the

Voyager secured alongside the fish quay, and there on deck was

Michelle's husband Terenty, but still family life had to remain on hold as there was much work to be done.

The shore-side crews were also waiting to unload the 6,000lb of prime Halibut, so off Terenty scurried down the fish-hold to begin the process.

Some sizable halibut among that lot.

Inside the Processing Factory

Filleting takes about 15 seconds on each fish,

before they are loaded onto the 'skinning machine'

but it is not known what happens to all that skin.

Packers then send the fillets off all around the world.

There was also time to look around the 'City', starting at the Russian Orthodox Church

and the views from the hillside before

taking a look at the museum.

Seal fur coat.

The small thimble size 'grass woven' objects on the top shelf take a minimum of 100 hours to produce.

Seal Skin Stretchers

and finally a visit to the

where I met the delightful

Aquezina Lestenkof a pillar of the community.

On the way back to the hotel we spotted these 5 Steller's Eiders

you may have to take my word for that!