Sailing - Sutherland Brothers & Quiver

 Sailing (Original Version)

 A revisit to yesterday's post and the fine looking Gaff Yawl passing the Bill close to mid-day. With such a learned and inquisitive readership, it was felt almost inevitable that someone would come up with the answer as to identity of this craft. It was no surprise that the person concerned is Janet Read who has solved many a conundrum during the lifetime of the Blog - Thank You so much Janet!

 TSK645 Moosk Link_

While next comes a real surprise in that the 170th country/Region to join the Blog Readership is none other than the Caribbean country of the Republic of Haiti. It was as far back as the 22nd April this year that we had a new addition, Laos and that probably only as a result of my visit there. While plans at this stage are only tentative, there is a chance I could be visiting Haiti's neighbour Dominican Republic before years end so what more reason would I want to go the 'full 9 yards'.

Onward to today, and again the sun was shining but accompanied early morning with something of a chill. However. the walk along the Rodwell Trail,

 

with only this WREN and c3 singing Blackcap to report, soon got the circulation going with jacket and neckerchief removed before Ferry Bridge.

Lovely summer-like views back across Portland Harbour to the north

 

and along the Chesil Bank and the Fleet to the north west.

 

The best news from here was that c9 LITTLE TERN chicks have now hatched, despite the terrible weather, and several more eggs have been noted in other nests. Some parent birds were noted flying between 1 and 2 miles to catch food for the chicks 

There was much less of interest on the foreshore as the 'only' bird present there was this BLACK-HEADED GULL in summer plumage, but to be fair little sand is exposed on a High Water Spring Tide. The Gull itself did have some significance, as most of its mates will still be on the breeding grounds in Poole Harbour so this may well be the harbinger of more to come?

 All else there and strangely were c4 White Doves which, as they flew in, rather recalled

the rather unpopular SNOWY SHEATHBILL of the colder reaches of the South Atlantic.

I say unpopular, as this bird has a penchant for Seal feces as a staple to its diet which when passed as 'droppings' plays havoc with the mariners shiny varnish and paintwork.

At Castletown, the site of the 2012 Olympic (Sailing) Village, there are now dozens of daily deliveries of concrete blocks will form security walls and barriers during the games,

while at The Bill things were far more tranquil. A search among the crags and rocks produced no birds at all and away to sea all that showed today were Gannet, Razorbill, Guillemot, Fulmar plus a few Gulls.

At the Observatory Quarry the Little Owl was seen 'in flight' (quite novel) while these 'Poppys' were far less mobile. The nearest I can get via Gerrard and Streeter is OPIUM POPPY but may just be 'escapes' from someones garden. I'll let you know as soon as I come down from flying around the lampshade!!

A little company at the Obelisk today as this ROCK PIPIT took up perch on the apex, and later

these 2 PYRAMIDAL ORCHIDS

were pointed out to me by my friends Dave and Anne Rashley.

The Observatory Garden Pond is slowly coming to life with a variety of insects and Tadpoles, with this female EMPEROR DRAGONFLY not getting a lot of help from an AZURE DAMSELFLY riding piggy-back

as she attempted to lay her eggs (Ovipositing).

In the meantime The Warden had gently teased this adult WHITETHROAT from one of the garden 'mist nets' which due to its ragged look I thought was a juvenile. No, just the rigours of nest-building, incubating and carrying an endless supply of food for their young day after day certainly takes a toll!

and finally another yacht rounding The Bill for the Maritime Identification Society to take a look at.

	2	0.00%	Cameroon
	2	0.00%	Faroe Islands
	2	0.00%	Gabon
	2	0.00%	Iran, Islamic Republic Of
	2	0.00%	Fiji
	2	0.00%	Sudan
	2	0.00%	Macao
	2	0.00%	Uganda
	2	0.00%	Ghana
	2	0.00%	Andorra
	2	0.00%	Grenada
	1	0.00%	Turks And Caicos Islands
	1	0.00%	Cayman Islands
	1	0.00%	Kazakhstan
	1	0.00%	Martinique
	1	0.00%	Afghanistan
	1	0.00%	Malawi
	1	0.00%	Seychelles
	1	0.00%	Haiti
	1	0.00%	French Polynesia
	1	0.00%	Uzbekistan
	1	0.00%	Suriname
	1	0.00%	Botswana
	1	0.00%	Cote D'ivoire
	1	0.00%	Saint Lucia
	1	0.00%	Guam
	1	0.00%	Bolivia