North Sea Migration - Part IV

 With this final part of the Quartet given over to any other Migratory Species of Wildlife apart from Birds on, or close to the

BUCHAN ALPHA SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE OIL PRODUCTION PLATFORM
SOUTH HALIBUT BASIN - NORTH SEA

Starting with the Big Boys, or Girls for that matter with both

ATLANTIC GREY SEAL

(hauling out onto one of the legs for a spell of sunbathing)
recorded almost daily except in rough weather and

MINKE WHALE

far less frequent.
You would have to take our word for it that this is a

WHITE SATIN MOTH

while far more plausable a
LUMPFISH
and the only member of the genus.

HOVERFLY
(Syrphus ribesii)

COALFISH

CONVOLVULUS HAWK-MOTH

7-SPOT LADYBIRD

PIPEFISH

MAGPIE MOTH

MAGPIE MOTH'S

RED ADMIRAL

ANGLE SHADES MOTH

GARFISH

SILVER Y

and most intriguing of all a

BLACBIRD's NEST,
complete with eggs, found amoung the pipework maybe a prank by one of the Roughnecks?
Thought unlikely, as Company Security are scrupulous in searching crew-change baggage
so maybe the real thing? We will never know!!

The Deer Hunter

 Still dogged by the weather but more particularly those odd passing showers, at least we started on the right note at the

Main Pond

where the first returning

CORMORANT
for the back-end of the year was wreaking havoc with the Fish population,

while flanked by c2 quite seperate and vocal

CETTIS WARBLER
at both east and west extremities.
En-route to the traps a brief stop at the Puddle of Mud where once again the

GREY WAGTAIL

was gorging followed by a little more colour from the Moth Traps in the guise of a considered 'late'?

MERVEILLE du JOUR
and a likely 'long-distance flying'

VESTAL

On exiting the Compound the

RED ADMIRAL
was still enjoying the area and joined by a

SMALL TORTOISESHELL
bronging a little colour to the day along with just the finest trace of a

RAINBOW
Otherwise down South

it was left to a

small herd of

ROE DEER

to

make up

the numbers.

Play Misty for Me - Clint Eastwood

 As is usual the main thrust of the

Misty Morning 

would be to check the Moth Traps which porduced the same numbers as the previous couple of days and distributed likewise, that is to say a single Insect in each of the 3 traps:-

CHESTNUT

RED-GREEN CARPET
along with

RED-LINE QUAKER
but then there were other fish to fry. Having been keeping an eye on

BADGER GRUBBINGS
next was to find an active

SETT
which this year appeared to be cloase to the traps in the
Solar Panel Compound
and again in the

EARLY BRONZE-AGE TUMULI
a re-visit at dusk was on the cards, while from the other side of the perimeter fence a couple of

JAYs
could be heard squabling without coming into view, while continuing the mammal theme

GREY SQUIRREL's

looked to be enjoying themselves?

The Northern Perimeter Fence Looking Autumnal while

RABBITs

continue to abound while a single and uncooperative

PIED WAGTAIL
was all that was seen on the Puddle of Mud, as the

MUTE SWAN
family returned to the ancestral nest site while at dusk we were back on station where the

BADGERs

did not disappoint

with this one still looking to have something of the
CUB
about it?

Lily the Pink - Scaffold

 Although the gauge was showing +14C looking further afield

things didn't look at all promising but after yesterday's deluge anything would be acceptable and still the Moth Traps had to be attended to eventually!
On the cusp of Winter hopes were not high "oh ye of little faith" but we found among a catch of  

10 x 18

CYPRESS CARPET

DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG

THE STREAK

DARK CHESTNUT
along with an unexpected

STRAW DOT
By the time that was over things had brightened up somewhat

turning into something of a brighter day!
Not at all unexpected, in fact vertually guaranteed,

one of the ever present

COMMON BUZZARDs

Another post toppled, this time one of the Security Camera type, the 3rd in as many days,
looking like a major operation may be at hand, while we are also

recording our share of

WOOD PIGEON
passage like elsewhere along the coast, hundreds rather than dozens and similarly

a decent 'fall' of
PIED WAGTAIL's

a count of 40 in one paddock alone!

but even better

our 'first'

REDWING

for the back-end of the year across our

Recording Area
On leaving the Solar Panel Compoud we took note of the fine job

the Contractors have made of the
Hedge Strimming
but across the watercourses no more than the juvenile

MUTE SWAN
while back at base the builders continue their 'couple of days' titivating the

FARM HOUSE