North Sea Migration - Part II

 If it's Sunday then it must be a return to the

FLOATING SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE OIL PRODUCTION PLATFORM
that was BUCHAN ALPHA

Few like being on watch at night but for me it was a Moth to a Flame giving me time to write-up the Log, have my breakfast in-situ before relief at 06:00 and racing to the Upper-Deck! On one such morning our Opperations Coordinator Dave Penney stopped me en-route and asked why I was in such a rush to get 'up-top' every morning with my reply being, "slip on yer PPE and follow me up"! Reaching the heli-deck with the starboard flare burning brightly I ask Dave if he could identify any of the Birds on the boom with his answer being

SHY TALKS
and then asked if he could see any difference in the species and immediately pointing to a pale bird. He knew the others as Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls but was at a loss to name the less common of them all a

GLAUCOUS GULL
A 'TWITCHER WAS BORN' and within days back ashore bying all the assocciate gear including Moth Traps.

From high on the Platform

BLACK GUILLEMOT
(Diving Now)

WATER RAIL
(lovely "in the hand")

A raft of WIGEON on the sea with a single

on deck.

In the hand a juvenile
BLACK-HEADED GULL

with an adult on deck swallowing a
REDWING
if my memory serves me? whole and always dozens and dozens of other

CASUALTIES

a bit of a hazy
TURTLE DOVE

EIDER DUCK

CHIFFCHAFF

GOLDCREST

CROSSBILL
Always as a part of the unwritten code of Marine Etiquette the Master of the Standby Vessel, continuously chugging around the platform in the name of safety, calls up for a good-night chat of the days happenings and to report any other findings over the day. That evening's report was of 2 Birds having been caugh by his crew members and consigned to a Twix chocolate box to be sent up by heaving-line the following morning. Being impacient, did ask if they had any idea of species reporting that it was thought that one was a House Martin and the other a Linnet. No need to ask my possition at the turn of the watch as gently pulling the box on deck and returning to may cabin as the safest place for ID without them escaping. In both cases they were 'wrong' but very much understandabley as the first was this

STORM PETREL

with exactly the same field-markings with white rump as a House Martin and the other (oh my word) almost the twin of a Linnet but far, far more 'rare' a

LITTLE BUNTING
It is a great pity that the same cannot be aforded to every creature caught Off-Shore, but this little darling was about to be manifested for a Helicopter Ride with Bristow's! An arrangement was made with a 'bird ringer' from the village of Cove, just a couple of mailes south of the Granite City of Aberdeen, with a later report of a large crowd witnessing the event!

From Cove, Aberdeenshire the ring can be clearly seen!