I Heard It THrough the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye

I heard, for the first time in my life and via the Ginger String Radio, that I had got something RIGHT, at least in part, as the Increase Size Valve on at least some of the images on yesterdays post was working. All that needs doing now is to remember just which buttons I pressed and all should be well - holding ones breath at this particular time is not recommended! For this time of year and given the frosts of late, last night was almost balmy also still and cloud covered, an evening that any self respecting Moth might take his girl for a whirl around the old Mercury Vapour Lamp - instead, not a sausage. Lucky then that a couple of Glassy Ibis have been flying around 'local' areas a bird well worth investing an hour or two in. The gut feeling was they would make their way to

PRIORY MARSH, STANPIT
with CHRISTCHURCH PRIORY for one

looking far better than in the gloom of the last photo posted here!
On show today were

REDSHANK

female TEAL

CURLEW

having to perform some

acrobatics to get at the good food and

PIED WAGTAIL

looking out of place feeding in the upper branches of this tree.

This ROBIN
was 'snapped' just before all hell broke loose, with every bird
thereabouts taking to the air screeching and squawking, a sure sign
that there was a predator about.

I turned to see this CURLEW flying above me and just a few yards 

further on a Peregrine flying off with another Curlew in its talons.

A large prey you might think for a bird about 2/3rds its size, which

reminded me of this incident on the Buchan Alpha Oil Rig.

 This juvenile PEREGRINE (caged in this  and ready to be
transported ashore) visited us for two day. On the first it was see to
'take' an adult Great Black-backed Gull which it lost to the sea.

Next it took this adult Herring Gull (note the size difference), on the
wing, and 'dealt with it' on the helicopter deck netting. Next day it
took another adult GB-b Gull but was caught by our Deck Foreman
(Ricky the Hammer)and sent to the Beach on the next 'Chopper.

HORSES still crop the dense vegetation.

The old Railway Sleeper Bridge now falling into disrepair

and out of bounds to human traffic.

LITTLE EGRET

In the far distance I spotted what looked like the rusted hull of a boat, and asked a passer by if he had any information on it. He suggested it was once used to transport Ironstone from the Purbecks to a Rail-head.

However, on closer inspection the first thing noticed was the

'Hanging Off Hook' in the bow which to me meant only one thing,

this was a Ships Lifeboat.
Researching it on Wikipedia this was revealed.

The old Iron lifeboat must weigh a couple of tonnes. It once served a U.S. WWII Liberty ship. It was used locally in the early fifties until a storm in 1953 washed it across Priory Marsh to where it rests today. The boat was stripped and abandoned. After many years, rusting away, it has become one of the features of the Marsh is now enclosed with a fence. It is a sad old relic. The original Liberty Ship that it served must have gone to the breakers yard many years ago and this is the last remnant of a once proud wartime freighter, the name of which is today sadly, unknown. 

That's when this small Skein of c15 BRENT GEESE flew in

to land less than 50 yards from where I stood.

One stood out among them favouring feeding apart from the others

and turning most aggressive at any approach by the others.

It was, along with the others. just a
DARK-BELLIED BRENT

 

Finally, the Intrepid Yachtsman 'rounding the buoy'.
Anyway, that's me I'm off to cook dinner - Wood Pigeon!

Entry	Pageviews
United Kingdom	980
United States	635
Russia	88
Estonia	57
Germany	55
France	25
Canada	18
Spain	17
Poland	14
Australia	12