If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher

In July away I fly, in August away I must!

As says the Cuckoo but it is also in this month that we see a noticeable

fall in most of our bird species and other Wildlife alike.

It is along the coastal fringes, with their promontories, such as

Portland Bill or Hengistbury Head (both Dorset) that we now start to see

small gatherings of early returning migrants and of course the odd

RARITY!

Unfortunately, and while only 5 miles from the coast, there are no (or few)

such luxuries here which is all leading to breaking to you gently the

fact that we might not have enough ammunition for the usual and local

Wildlife Posts!

However, what we do have are volumes of stories and at least double

that amount of images / vids in the archive so hopefully our

Valued Readership

will not go without - if you pass the link on to your friends and families that is! THANKS!

For the first of these we wander back to the early Spring of 1982 when much sabre-rattling quickly
esculated into a conflict which was known as the Falkland War, but never designated to that status! It also involved the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia, which we may well cover in another post, but for now we might reflect on how many people on both sides have to die before such a qualification as WAR is decided??

At that time my post was as the Second Mate on the 

Ocean Salvage Tug Typhoon

stationed at Portland Naval Base, Dorset and with not a clue as to what was to come,

2 weeks leave was applied for, granted as we wandered down to Cornwall for a break. 

On my return it was directly to the jetty where the Ol' Girl usually laid, only to find her GONE,

as the 'very first' vessel to be deployed from Great Britain to the Southern Oceans!

Beyond disaster for me, it was one, if not the, greatest miss of my maritime careers in either the

Royal or Merchant Navies!

It was as late as 2007 before the ballance was redressed when alnog with my then ladyfriend

Susan Hallam

we embarked on a mutually agreed

ADVENTURE of a LIFETIME!

Again it had been Sue who found the carrier in the first place and made all the arrangement

which started with a flight to LA and a ***** hotel including caviar on the breakfast buffet, then onto Buenous Aires (ditto) with 2 days Bird Watching and finally to embark the ship

 MV DISCOVERY

at the most southerly Argentinian town of

SUE

Patagonia

 Joy of Joy's the 'birding' could not have started better when more or less

 our

First Bird

was the magnificent

DOLPHIN GULL

which in those days was a 'magical' addition as still trying to record every 

Gull species in the World!

Additionally, it would be impossible to attach all the bird images but here are a few,

along with scenes, including:-

CHIMANGO CARACARA

 Never did discover whether this was an Airport or Museum?

ANTARCTIC TERN

KELP GULL 

which have sub-species right across the Continents that border the

Southern Oceans

and which one day (stranger things have happened) through DNA sampling could achive 

'Single Species Status'?

Bring it on, we are well prepared as having seen them all!

Ah Yes - One of My Old Commands
thought they might have towed her off the 'putty' by now!

 UPLAND GOOSE
(male)

 with female and Goslings
and finally before setting sail a

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER
a widespread American Wader which does pay the very occassional visit
to our own shores.
CHUGGING OUT INTO THE

BEAGLE CHANNEL

 reputed to be the most furious

Seaway in the World!
We didn't see so much as a ripple outward bound or inward,
unless of course you include our Hendrick's and Fever Tree!

To be continued........