Bird In The hand - Ice Cube

Much to do before my, as yet, not finalised departure there will be days between now and then when the archive will be the only source of Blog material. For myself it is exciting to revisit some of the astonishing places and creatures I have been privileged to see, and hope that the reader will experience as much enjoyment. Most of the day has been spent at the lap-top (thank heavens for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website) but I did manage to pull myself away foe a couple of hours to share lunch and catch up with my friend Lesley Brown - good to see you again Les!

BRAMBLING - Portland Bird Observatory

CHIFFCHAFF - PBO

COLLARED DOVE - an infrequent visitor to the Buchan Alpha Oil Rig in the North Sea

COMMON REDSTART (male) - PBO

Something of a 'heart stopper' when this male COMMON CROSSBILL was spotted on BA. With a patch of white paint, looking every bit like a 'wing bar' at first glance and a chance of being a rare 

Two-barred Crossbill (Wikipedia)

GARDEN WARBLER - PBO

'Hundreds' of birds were picked up on the decks of BA, both dead and exhausted, of the later such as this GOLDCREST were taken below, warmed up offered water and released.

Casualties, BA

MEALY REDPOLL - BA

 

A 'heaving-line transfer' from our Standby Boat of a chocolate box reported to contain a Linnet, was found to be this much scarcer LITTLE BUNTING - BA

GOLDFINCH - PBO

A bit of a handful, this juvenile GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL was reported jammed in the Gas Compression Module, not really the day to be considered the 'expert'! - BA

  This exhausted LAPLAND BUNTING was one of c3 on the BA that particular night.

 GREENFINCH an annual visitor to BA

Undoubtedly the pièce de résistance of my 20+ years on North Sea Oil Rigs was this SHORT-TOED LARK, and to catch it was another pièce de résistance - BA