All Our Yesterday's Part One

 Something of a watered down epitstle compared to the likes of the Madagascar Triolgy but a few things that caught the eye when grappling through the archive for inspiration! The 2 week organised Birds / Wildlife trip to

VENEZUELA

in 2009 proved to be one of the best yet, although our adventures were usually solo the highlights being the finding of only the second known nest site in that regeon of the amazing

DUSKY STARFRONTLET

and given the distrbution map, Venezuela not even on there, for

FORSTERS TERN
a very rare bird for the country

in general.
A long way to go for just 2 weeks and with still 3 weeks before returning to the Buchan Alpha Oil Rig a spur of the moment decission was made to extend the tour and in the first instance flying to Quito

ECUADOR
and then on no more than yet another whim caught a bus to sea-side town of Salinas for a short stay and fell immediately into the company of

BENITO HAAS
ex-Dutch pat, Wildlife enthusiast and owner of a Whale Museum, yes a Whale Museum.
En-route to his establishment the mile after mile of

SALTPANS
after which the town is named followed by

HUMPBACKED WHALE

MELLON-HEADED WHALE

SMALL WHALE SCULLs

another
HUMPBACKED WHALE

PYGMY KILLER WHALE
to show but a few, but it was the following morning when the real 'excitement' broke as between us we spotted a large, all while Gull

which with a few 'half decent' images

we concluded was a

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL

which was accepted by the Powers that Be and the First and Only Gull
of the kind for the country!
With the weather being as it is we may have to post a Part II to this magical adventure tomorrow, but we shall see?

ISLA de la PLATA
"it ain't half hot mum"!!

 It would seem for reasons beyond our control that todays Post has defected to 3 Posts down, a little 'scrolling' we feel!

Ferry Cross the Mersey - Gerry and the Pacemakers

 As if having the Strange Rover confined to the Sick Bay we did borrrow our landlords far more upmarket Rover but even then things could have been a lot, lot better.

Additionally, the weather didn't help but cleared by mid-morning by which time we had recorded the 'croaking, of what has become something of a daily passage of this

GREYLAG GOOSE
while we also had the array of Spring blooms

CROCUS
and

SNOWDROPs
but it really come to something when we have to pad things out with a visit to the

FIREWOOD

LOGGING STATION

but unfortunately no paint for you to watch drying!

One of last years Mute Swans did hove into view

with the other also present but reluctant to show itself.
Just a single Moment of Magic as from the south end a single

SKYLARK

was a most welcome addition to the
Year List

and yet another
REED BUNTING
and rumour has it that the

SANDBANKS FERRY
which plys a route across the entrance to
POOLE HARBOUR
being so suseptable to breakdowns just remains lashed to a tug at all times?? Thanks John.

The Hot Chestnut Man - Johnney Morris

 A welcome start to the day as taking a wander along the banks of the

River Stour

and watching this little beauty fly right before my eyes before landing on the opposite bank.
A First for the Year

LITTLE EGRET
but it didn't help to un-seize the Strange Rovers steering, but we know a man who can

and followed in quick time by a Second for the Year

REED BUNTING 

With the very kind help of the Farm Manager who aforded me a ride to at least tend the Moth Traps (a priority as we don't want any of those little beauties to loose their life on our account). 

SUCCSESS

with just a single insect but a

First for Year

CHESTNUT
while at the Irrigation Pond the distinctive squeals of a

WATER RAIL
which we have already recorded in similar circumstances but at the

 Gravel Pit

but our money would go on it having moved to the more usual location in this

CULVET
bordering the south side of the Irrigation Pond.

The final prize of the day came as a result of a call from the Green Keeper Ian who told of the

BARN OWL

still quartering the wooded margins of the

Driving Range.

All Along the Backwater

through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling up tails all.  

With the overnight temperature still holding on to a decent +10°C a few Moths continue to visit the trap but with nothing to add to the Year List with totals amounting to 3 x Pale Brindled Beauty + 6 Spring Usher. During that spell what were considered to be the same Herring Gull flock as yesterday again heading north to feed but with a much welcomed sprinkling of also vocal

MEDITERRANEAN GULLs

bringing the Annual Total to 70 and images from the archive for clarity.

As for the rest of the day most attention was paid to the 2 northerly ponds where there where we found the best gathering of Waterfowl for the year thus far starting at the Gravel Pit with

c3

PAIRS
of

(female)
GADWALL

We would suggest a 'pair' of
LITTLE GREBE

as already showing signs of display

along with this (male)

maybe also candidates for a 'pair' of WIGEON, and

(female)
and with the almost mandatory

CANADA GEESE
and

MALLARD

Moth to a Flame - Metallica

 With the overnight temperature holding onto a balmy +8°C at dawn, along with the ‘chorus’, hopes were high with

BLACKBIRDs

trying to out-sing an equal number of
SONG THRUSH

No chance of dallying in the Southern Half when Insects are in prospect and at first sight another

SPRING USHER
along with a most welcome 'First for the Year'

PALE BRINDLED BEAUTY
and a back-up cast of half a dozen

ICHNEUMON WASPs
with a back-up chorus of in flight, not as the image portrays,

HERRING GULL
heading north to the feeding grounds while joining the recently reported Dafodils and Snowdrops a handsome clump of

CROCUSES

Additionally, and back to the
CHAROLAIS
also of recent days, today we noted

CALVEs 

as well and then on no more than a whim a stroll along our bank ot the
River Stour

we fell lucky enough to add

KINGFISHER
to the Year List which immediately and most obligingly flew to the Garden Pond.