Stone Free - Jimi Hendrix

For the second day running an addition was made to the Year/Dorset Lists without even having to leave the comforts of the bunk. Again at around 04:00'ish and for the first time in over a month, the loud and distinct 'calls' of a

TAWNY OWL

could be heard emanating from the distant trees, but now
jolted from my slumbers, I got to thinking of what the day might bring.

Initially, a run down to Portland to see the Secret Lemonade Drinker (yes the laptops gone wonky again) was in prospect but just as quickly shelved as the rain started in earnest. Bed for many of us is a fine medium to drum up all sorts of thoughts with most of my adventures finding embryonic inspiration there. This morning, for what ever reason, it was a Genesis track from the album Abacab (by no means their finest hour) Dodo/Lurker that captured my imagination. Part I of the song about conservation and what mankind (that includes us all) has done to the Planet,

Too big to fly, dodo ugly so dodo must die,
Doggo with fear on its side, can't change, can't change the tide.
Dog baiter, agitator, asking questions, says he wants to know why.
Ain't no reason that money can't buy.
Mink he pretty so Mink he must die, must die, must die.

 "

 Fish he got a hook in his throat,
Fish he got problems
Where does he go, what does he do?
Does he hope he's too small, to poor a haul,
Who'll end up being thrown back in the sea.
I'm back in the sea.

while Part II (Lurker) is a conundrum

Meanwhile lurking by a stone in the mud
Two eyes looked to see what I was and
then something spoke and this is what
it said to me.......
"Clothes of brass and hair of brown
Seldom need to breathe
Don't need no wings to fly
And a heart of stone, a fear of fire and water
Who am I"? 

Anyway, thought I'd share that with you before getting back onto the beaten path and reaching for the afore mentioned laptop sussing out yesterday's movements in the Birding World. A daily 'must' is a site produced by the Portland Bird Observatory where on that day's particular Post the only words I saw were 'Barred Warbler', not even checking the context it was presumed that the bird that disappeared on Boxing Day had returned. With the rain having stopped that was enough to send me scurrying to the West, also in pursuit of other things. The returning rain coincided with my arrival at Radipole where the car park, not unusually, was strewn with a selection of Gulls. First in sight was certainly the predominant species 

 BLACK-HEADED GULL (background)
but after a very short search a

 MEDITERRANEAN GULL

first of the year was spotted.

 COOT

COMMON GULL

and

 TUFTED DUCK
were instantly added to the Dorset version followed by the totally unexpected

 HOODED MERGANSER

Not a peep heard of this fine looking Duck for over a year what short thoughts I had of it was, it must be deceased? This will likely cause conjecture when I say, this too was added to the Year List as it is considered an 'escapee' by the Birding Authorities. Call me 'Firebrand' but I make my own mind up on such matters, and considering ALL the circumstances surrounding the finding, condition, weather etc, etc, when it was first encountered it remains on my list!

 LITTLE GREBE
 was also seen for the first time this year in the County before sticking
my 'shilling' in the parking meter before heading for the Reed Beds and
a circuit of the Loop.
It was no hissing down so the likelihood of scoring

 BEARDED TIT
was slim, but there they were 'pinging' away as if it were a sunny day.
Water Rail were also vocal, but how obliging when one proceeded me up the eastern path.
A little damp but none the worse for wear, heading back to the start point a

 COMMON SANDPIPER
flew overhead 'calling' before dropping into the margins - we'd done well!
I do not care for the new road system Weymouth inherited as part of the
so called improvements for the 2012 Olympic Games but they had to be
negotiated if indeed I was to get to Sandsfoot and then onward to Portland.
From the northern edge of the vast harbour a dozen
Black-necked Grebe (Dorset) were seen while the c4

 SLAVONIAN GREBE
along with

 SHAG

 were both additions for the Year.

 Arriving at the National Sailing Academy the
COASTGUARD RESCUE HELICOPTER,
seemingly loaded with people, was coming into land and failing miserably
to record Eider or any of the 3 more common Divers, it was quickly on to
Portland Castle

where the same Machine was taking off again.

 Albeit usually distant, there was no difficulty picking out the once again returning

 BLACK GUILLEMOT
but not what had become another attendant Eider before my arrival.

 As if we hadn't had enough whirling rotors for one day this,
what is believed to be one of the 'new generation',
Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 'WILDCAT' Helicopters
whizzed overhead.

 Next stop
PORTLAND BIRD OBSERVATORY
which, apart from the Warden, was completely devoid of people.
Martin must have thought I has suffered a 'brain hemorage' as my first question was
"is the Barred Warbler still showing"?
"it was on Boxing Day" he replied, end of muddled conversation.
Bonus was one of the overwintering

 BLACKCAP
a female feasting on the apples provided, while out to seaward
the cauldron was full of birds. Even from that distance

 GANNET
(year)

 and others were clearly seen but for me a case of having to get closer

 so along the coast to

 PORTLAND BILL
Alive with

 ROCK PIPIT

 but there was neither Purple Sandpiper or Black Redstart on display that day.

 Along with the Pipit
COMMON GUILLEMOT

 RAZORBILL
and

 KITTIWAKE
joined the Year List before I caught sight of an interesting inanimate object
between the Obelisk and the Lighthouse.
My views on Man-Made-Objects being strewn across Wild Places are
notorious around these part, and even more so for the Numpties who
feel the need to put them there (RSPB et al) but the

 Portland 'STACK'
is quite something else.
At first glance no more than a heap of stone adorned with a plaque,
but closer inspection reveals all.

 When I first came to live on Portland back in 1967 there was extreme delight
for my 2 daughters and I to learn together as much about the Island as we possibly could.

 This would include visits to Perryfield Stone Works, Bumpers Lane,
Wide Street etc where both Quarrymen and Masons alike would take
time to share their knowledge and show us their skills.

 We learnt of the various differing 'stratified layers'

 which along with other

 Features of Interest
 
 is what this

 STACK

 is all about.
Congratulations to the Innovators of this fine work.

 FULMAR

had been seen at great distance within the feeding flock, from the Obs

but from Bill Point they were far better value.

The Conundrum? well the general consensus points to a Nuclear Submarine

"Clothes of brass and hair of brown
Much of the inner working of such a vessel are brass,
 while 'hair of brown' refers to the seaweed around the hull,
which for any 'sleek black messenger of death would be a definite No, No!  
Seldom need to breathe
Only human weakness need bring it to the surface 
Don't need no wings to fly
Hydroplanes 
And a heart of stone, a fear of fire and water
A Nuclear Reactor - but vulnerable to the elements mentioned Who am I"?
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