Away Day - Part II

Well, it's patently obvious that someone has been 'spilling the beans' as this morning's 'hit count' rocketed to 2,769!! No need to hide whoever you are, we will not be meeting out any punishment, in fact there is a pint of fine ale, or a Pimms Number One standing on the bar within the Red Lion, Bristol to be enjoyed at you convenience with Our Hearty Thanks and all other valued readers please feel at liberty to follow suit!

The second part of the adventure covered a mish-mash of locations, names mostly forgotten, but did start at an almost devoid

SILVER LAKEs

where the wind had taken its toll on the new bird-hide, now on its side, and very little Wildlife was seen, and while we are not usually given to publishing those that we missed the absent

GOOSANDER
images are surely worthy of an airing?

lake part 2

female

male
On our way to Wareham Forest this presumed

Vintage Car
caught our eye not knowing the identity but looking more modern than first considered?

Within the wooded area

there were signs of fire damage soon overlooked

by movement within this
HOLLY BUSH

which proved to be my fist proven
REDWING

for this end of the year

stimulating hopes that we will record one, or more, on our 'own patch' soon.

Leaving the Forest we encountered one of the most beautiful, vivaceous and exciting ladies it has ever been our pleasure to meet who we did chat to for a full 20 minutes - WOW! but in Genesis jargon,
It's one o'clock and time for lunch (hum de dum de dum)
When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench, you can always hear them talk.
Cus me, I'm just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk!

I Know What I Like in Your Wardrobe - Genesis

and roundly agreed that the

FRAMPTON ARMS - MORTON
would fit the bill bringing back memories of a fairly recent visit with an ex-ladyfriend, and frequent visits back in the '60 when Weymouth friends had an old clapped ou Buick 6. In those days 'Dusty' Miller was the landlord who always had a freezer full of 'road-kill' for the more discerning!
Even more Nice people, Best Quality Food along with Professional Service!

All to short we ended our jaunt at the
Bere Regis Watercress Beds
where the wind had become even more fierce but seeing both

GREY WAGTAIL
and

LITTLE EGRET
before the parting of the ways - GREAT to see you my Friend.

Yo Ho Ho it's Portland Bill

 

Saturday and another day, another drive to Weymouth and another jab, this time flu and making me feel rather like Eric Bristow’s practice dart board. The discission to make an early start, despite the dark, proved to be prudent as the first delay was just 10 miles ahead with a fallen tree at Corfe Mullen and the de-toure involving 2 further alterations of course for the same reasons! A little more to it than that as with formalities over it was a meet up with Dave Foot in the Ferrybridge car park. There, despite the 40 knot wind along with sporadic showers were found a number of Wading birds in total

 

just c3

DUNLIN

a small group of

RINGED PLOVER

along with a couple of

BAR-TAILED GODWIT

before seeking the lee of

 PORTLAND CASTLE

with this image and

video telling part of the story and finally a

female

and male
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER

PORTLAND BILL
where we headed for elevation at the
HIGHER LIGHT
the oldest of the Islands 3 Lighthouse's to try for an

overall picture which, if nothing else was a bit of a waste of time, save for the usual best view of the active and junior of the 3 navigational aids.

At the Bill Quarry we came close to stepping on this

ROCK PIPIT
with it having other ideas and before seeking another lee behind the

TRINITY HOUSE OBALISK

From there

SHAG

SHIP's that PASS in the DAY
while walking east in flight

KITTIWAKE

one of the 3 Crab / Lobster boat hoists,

the middle era lighthouse which is the
PORTLAND BIRD OBSERVATORY
and an equally flighty

MEDITERRANEAN GULL
High, if not Top of the also rans, were the new benches fashioned from

Roach Stone
which if we remember rightly is the final layer before reaching the most valued Cap Stone, and full of minute fossels, famous throughout the world for the contruction of numerous and impressive buildings.
It was during my time living on Portland that 'roach' started to be used for such decoration as hotel reception desktops etc, but there is also a large building somewhere in the capital (memory fails me) that if fully cladded with it. We thought, finally, that just the briefest of encounters with a

PURPLE SANDPIPER
might be the end of it, but no as we jammed into one of the 2 semi-resident

MERLIN
on wandering back to the car, and hopfully we will have Part II for you tomorrow.

Seven Wonders - Fleetwood Mac (Continued)

 We had to re-enter and clip the south-western corner of Honduras to reach Nicaragua, while in so doing we added

VIOLET SABREWING
to the World and ever extending Trip List, and with the Rotund One still in Maitre D' Hotel mode we were once again ensconced in

clean, comfortable and inexpensive accommodation.

We were begining to wonder if there were any 'below standard' such B&B's across the length of
Central America?

BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER
was yet another addition the next morning hammering away at what we could only describe as a Palm and setting out for the now almost mandatory

Market Place

along with the associate sights, smell, colours and all else,

and while patroling the tide-line found numerous scavenging

NICARAGUAN GRACKLE

plus Porcine and good old
Suchitoto Thelma having thought we had left El Salvador behind?

While at elevation, and looking down on the Watershed we found the secretive

HIGHLAND TINAMOU
along with a stunning

KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN
leading us to think it might be time for a pint of
GUINNESS
although their mascot is a

TOCO TOUCAN
only found in South America and already firmly on the
World List!
Although being almost 'Templed Out' it would have been sacrilege to have overlooked the

UNESCO Heritage Site of LEON VIEJO

and attendant Birds such as

BAY WREN

RUDDY-CAPPED NIGHTINGALE THRUSH

and

RED-LORED AMAZON PARROT

while on the banks of

Lake Managua

our final encounter became

RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMA