Common People - Pulp

 With the Bird Flu having now reached serious proportions we have now surrendered our position as Chief Chucks Wrangler, but not Bird Watching from a safe distance. The day could be described as plentiful in that direction, but only of the more common type, but all are welcome in our World of the Wild.

First up and as part of our final visit to the

Chichen Shack
a couple or 3

BLACK-HEADED GULLs
closing in on the chicks breakfast while one of the new arrival

BLACKBIRDs
helped itself to the equivalent of an early morning coffee.

One of the now re-established 2

GREEN WOODPECKERs

was 'clicked' at the favoured feeding station which is the
Tennis Court

while further north we had a more than 'close encounter' with this
MOORHEN

usually the most timid of birds.
The BEST find of the day came soon after when meeting up with c3 Engineers from Northern Ireland, but more particularly citizens of Londonderry, a city that most Submarines have great affinity with, and who are constructing new pathways around the perimeters of the RES Solar Panel Compounds.

In days gone by there was a huge Landing Craft secured alongside the wall of the

RIVER FOYLE

HMS STALKER
which served as a hotel for crews returning from northern waters after a 5 or 6 weeks patrol.
Unlike these modern day Underwater Gin Palaces 'nuclears' the one commodity, on 'conventional boats' that was most precious was water with each crew member only allowed to wash face, hands and teeth each morning and evening and never take your cloths off during such a trip. Manned by ex-Royal Navy personnel it was as clean, warm, comfortable and welcoming as any ***** hotel while the 'Runs Ashore' (Night's Out) in the city were as good, or better, than any other across the UK and probably needless to say the 4 of us hit it off from the start and on leaving they presented me with this

LITTLE GIFT!
We will certainly be seeing more of each other in days to come!
but we digress........ In the main Solar Panel Compound the

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE

was showing far better than those few days ago 

while a

COMMON BUZZARD

was not being particularly shy either,

while all the other panels lay bare and the

male

TUFTED DUCK

remained on the Gravel Pit.

Common Fare - but a - Worthwhile Day.

A New Flame - Simply Red

 While they were found closer to noon than dawn it was considered better to start the Post with the Good News

as along the tree-line between the Solar panals and the Moors River,

we just love the way this particular specimen of OAK fans out,
were found the first of the confirmed Winter Thrushes c3

REDWING
As we know there is always one uncooperative one!

Soon gone, they were quickly replaced by the

aggresive 'honking'of

a couple of

EGYPTIAN GEESE

and sticking with the Wildfowl theme a

PAIR

of
TUFTER DUCKs

are now on the
Irrigation Pond

along with a small flock

of

LONG-TAILED TITs

Seven Wonders - Fleetwood Mac (finale)

 While the headline 'Seven Wonders' has been coined throughout this gig, we did in fact step into 7 countries including Mexico, with ALL having one thing in common - no shortage of Bird Guides either proffessional or chancers, mostly young males and mightily well versed in their craft! Our final full day in Panama, and for the trip, turned out to be no exception with this 14 years old schoolboy, who's dream was to become a 'pro' one day, having all the required skills and knew each of Panama's 1002 identified species off by heart. Just as well we mused as about to embark into one of the most Famous Birding Sites in the World

where, within 'seconds' we logged

PALM TANAGER

SAPPHIRE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

CINNAMON WOODPECKER
and

GOLDEN-COLLARED MANAKIN

before negociating the old Railway Track into the heart of the Jungle and adding

WHITE-NOSED COATI

PLAIN XENOPS
and

Canopy Watch Point
from the rim of the canyon.

GREY-HEADED CHACHALACA

with dozens and dozens more, far to numerous to add in full to the Post and where does TIME go on such occassions?
We had caught the local bus out to the main entrance but realised we had walked to far to get back to town if there was not a return service. Employing the old tactic from my Royal Navy days, when in uniform there was never an occassion when we failed to get from A to B, but with little traffic things already looked dodgy. One car, about the size of a Mini did stop but already overburdened with 4 rather large ladies and 2 babies there was little chance our guide could get in let alone the 2 'rotuned kids'!  But fear not stout yeoman, 30 minutes later from around a bend appeared one of those huge American 4 x 4's, surely enough space to accommodate us all. The tall, lean black driver, with dreadlocks down to his coccyx, jumped out of the vehicle and asked where we were trying to get and replying just the coolest place in Panama city where we might get a couple of beers and a snack, with a reply of get in and lets go! With load reggae music issuing from the dashboard he told Billy and the lad to sit in the back while he directed me to the front passanger seat and sped off along the well tarmaced road. En-route we asked who that was playing on the jukebox as it was very good music, with his unexpected reply being, "hey man dats me Charlie Anderson bass player with de SELECTER and the coolest place you'll find in town for a beer and a bite is our house and dat's Judith my wife with sons who's names have paled with the passage of time.

Turning into a crescent of well appointed and colonial looking houses,
which were formally accommodation for US Army Offices, we were made very welcome into the one

Charlie and Family had recently purchased, made roundly welcome with a

Far More Relaxed Introduction

the promised Beer, a couple more new birds

ROSY THRUSH-TANAGER

a longish dalliance with his favoured
Jamaican Rum

BLUE-CROWNED MANAKIN
and chance to undertake some real recording in his well appointed

STUDIO
"you simply couldn't make it up"
but it was by no means over. Locking onto our interest in Birds and other Wildlife he introduced us to one of his neighbours who had in his back garden a

HARPY EAGLE

Recovery Sanctuary
just look at the size of that magnificent beast, half the height of a full grown man!!

With the destiny of the recovered Birds being reintroduced, in turn, to all the countries of
CENTRAL AMERICA

The Selecter
Charlie and Pauline left.
"On My Radio - On My Radio"