Where There's Muck There's Brass

 If truth be known had we not a Sewerage Works as part of out Recording Area there would have been little, or no activity to form a Post today - Saved by the Bell! But we get a little ahead of ourself with Moth Traps to visit firstly and despite our first 'minus' digit temperature even though just singular there was a second

CHESTNUT

along with a considered migrant and rather dark form of

SILVER Y

The dense hedgerows around the Works (looking west) form perfect Winter sanctuary for small Birds such as our first find of the day,

a small group of

CHIFFCHAFF
which usualy reside here throughout the season reliant on the emerging Insects produced due to the  warmer (man-made) conditions. Just a single

HERRING GULL
on the day which is not at all usual while the

COLLARED DOVE

is a year round resident as are most, if not all of the folowing.

(looking east)

WREN

DUNNOCK
or in 'old fasioned'
Hedge Sparrow although not a Sparrow at all!

STOCK DOVE

The diminutive GOLDCREST which is

our smallest Bird along with the Firecrest which have not shown themselves yet, while

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
are only occasional

while finally for the day was a rather handsom

GREY WAGTAIL

Many Happy Returns

 With a little more leeway as far as the inclement weather was concerned our intent for the day remained undampened as we kicked off with another search for yesterday's Red-legged Partridge, but without success. However, that was quickly countered by a close look at the

ORNIMENTALS
to find them, as is usual at this time of year,

laden with ripe fruits a major food-source for returning northern thrushes
Redwing and Fieldfare.

Back at the Moth Traps something of a surprise with a tardy

BLOOD-VEIN 

making something of an unexpected 'return' as usually finished by the end of September.

Additionally, our 5th
RADFORD'S FLAME SHOULDER

of the year, which as a 'suspected migrant' keeps its own council as to when it might show up?

Additionally, what we keep saying might be our last
HORNET
With the best chance of finding other returning Birds we headed for the

Sewerage Works
where once again the were little more than

BLACK-HEADED GULLs 

but further on a sight that we certainly not anticipating or wanted

yet another escape of 2 of the

Rare Breed Cattle
namely

BELTED GALLOWAYs

Another recent absentee has been the humble

LINNET
with these likely the harbingers of the Winter population?
With no more than a smattering of recent sightings across Dorset and surrounding Counties, and returns reported at Eyeworth Pond, Hampshire there was always a chance of a hopeful

MANDARIN

on our patch, where they once bred some 6 years ago on the

MOORS RIVER
where we located the 'bird of the day'!
While finally, the presumed breeding pair of

KESTRELs
(female)

(male)
have returned to the nest site in the stables now hopefully doubling as a Winter roost?

Seven Wonders - Fleetwood Mac - Part II

 Continuing our Central American Odyssey, without forgetting the 2-Tone connection, we clambered aboard the rickety local bus at Chetamul, on the Mexican / Belize border, which was heading south. Lucky to get a seat of any description, overborn with locals transporting there wares to market, it was only when asking to be dropped at Crooked Tree that we got an ovation of laughter which would have outshone Morecome and Wise. Why this should have been was not known as we had reseached the place, considering it suitable for our needs, but there was a 5 miles long

recently built bund, connecting what had previously been an island to the mainland, to transit on foot before reaching our next temporary home. The searingly high temperature didn't help either while our attempts to 'thumb a lift' brought no joy until the local School Bus hove into view. Driven by ex-pat Englishman George Guest carrying his cargo of tiny black faces sharply contrasting with iridescent white uniform shirts. During that short drive we also discovered that he had served in the Grenadier Guards with one of our shipmates back on the rig, Kenny Taylor, half way around the World to find such a coincidence, which made a great start to our new temporary home.

An intriguing sign and something of a learning curve as a lover of nuts, had always wondered why Cashew's were twice the price of Peanuts? Transpired that mankind has never been able to invent a machine to shuck these beauties, hence having to be done by hand at twice the cost!

 

 Home cum Hospitality Centre

and hub of the area we met owners Rudy and Grace Crawford who afforded us a right royal welcome and introduced us to just some of the 14 children (not to mention 'numerous' Grandchildren) while checking us in before leading us down the

PATHWAY
to what was to be

our home for the next 5 days,

our first Bird species of the stay with

Billy Settling in Quite Nicely.

LIMPKIN
Little need to walk far to see a host of Birds, other Animals and Wonderous sights along with a most welcome

BOAT TRIP

where among many others we were introduced to the most amazing

LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE

along with

JABIRU
the tallest flying bird of the Southern Americas and

AMERICAN CROCODILE
(which may have been Morelet's - ?)

Lagoon View

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER

Looked a little Off the Level to me - HIC!

ROSY THRUSH-TANAGER

BOATHOUSE

WHITE-NOSED COATI

POLICE STATION

TRICOLORED HERON
If there was but a single thing that was amiss across the whole of this all to short visit, it was not having taken or having lost some of our images especially of our final day! A Sunday, which coincided with the Annual Fish Festival and where the 3 of us were not only invited but also asked to be Guest's of Honour along with

Mr John Briceo the Deputy Prime Minister of Belize  (left)

who on meeting immediately invited us to take a drink with him.

JIM 

RUFOUS-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD

FESTIVE

PAINTED BUNTING

Everything was totally informal as well as colourful and noisy, with little doubt we were very warmly welcome. I don’t remember ever having been anywhere quite so pro-British, it was of course once known a British Honduras, as locals thrust glasses of their home made wine at us, each vying for position to gain our opinion on their vintage.

THE SKINNY KID

AZTEC PARAKEET

Along with Mr Briceo, as Guests of Honour, we were also afforded the speciality dish of ‘pregnant’ Green Iguana, complete with eggs still in place, known locally as Bamboo Chicken.

BILLY

SPOT-BREASTED WREN
These are sustainably hunted from the wild by the young boys of the community, with catapults, and are unlike the description probably suggests - DELICIOUS!

George Guest and wife Barbra between the 2 Skinny Kids.

BOAT-BILLED HERON

At the End of the Day - Michael Rutherford, get a listen to that without shedding a tear!!

AND PLEASE DON'T LET YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS MISS THIS!