Continuing the Sea Going series onboard the
Oil Production Platform
BUCHAN ALPHA
and more evidence of a 'fall' of migrants on the
Heli-Deck
Amid all of this a
BLACK-HEADED GULL
was seen to pick off an exhausted
BRAMBLING
shake out what life was left in it before swallowing it whole.
Not an every day sort of avian sighting, but there was also a short video clip
to accompany which seems to have been lost over the passage of time.
Also annual were a fair numbers of
JACK SNIPE
with an extrodinary number of thes crashing into the few windows we had.
Far more uncommon was the occassional
LAPLAND BUNTING
and what a thrill to have such a creature in one's hand!
Back with the more common land birds and this
CHIFFCHAFF
was found with a 9 inch length of 'cotton' down its throat which was
gently teased out before sending it on its way.
This image is all that was ever seen of the only
BLACK REDSTART
ever seen across my 18 years in the industry unlike
SISKIN
and
SKYLARK
and
which were easily caught.
While both Humpbacked and Killer Whale were recorded on a couple of occassions,
both distantly and briefly the starnge happenings of Cetacean sighting on the
Stena Hunter
was a joy to behold as c2
MINKE WHALES
took up station mostly under the rig for 3 days and at night
appeared to be sleeping/resting 'bellies up'.
and
were no strangers out there but when you sight a male
then you are allowed to let your heart skip a beat!
female
Unfortuneately the above was not a
White-winged Crossbill
as the 'bar' was found to be just paint!
seen here amid
KITTIWAKE's
are not as numerous out there as the name suggests but on the other hand
are.
inthe hand for good measure, followed by a number of species that
never did do very well........
