Three of the Best - Our Finest Hours + One

 While we don't so much as even utter the 'C' word let alone celibrate it the vast majority certainly do so no quarms about wishing our Valued Readership the Best of the Season and Enjoyment all round! Maybe you would consider a perfect Stocking Filler for all of your Families and Friends to be the Link to our Modest Daily Doings as again we wander back in time! While still residing in Weymouth it wasn't unusual to dine (hic) with friends who lived on the same road and vice versa. On the occassion of 18:05:2002 the subject turned to a Great Reed Warbler which for some time been resident at

FRENSHAM POND in SURREY
Informing my hosts that I had never seen such a thing in Great Britain he announced that he would drive me there the very next day. Rare birds can be notorious for keeping a low profile but not this little beauty which could be heard singing from the car park, easily located and keeping up the vocals for our entire stay. TICK!! Back to my usual rounds the following day arriving at Radipole Lake a 'double take' had to be made as surely that could not have been another singing - but it was!!

GREAT REED WARBLER

© Martin Cade as the only known image taken of that bird? Don't tell me lightning doesn't strike twice!! Some years later, 15:05:2000 to be precise, and having been dubbed by some as the Bus Pass Birder, having come of age, and already done the business at Ferrybridge and then continuing to Portland Bill  where at the Pulpit Inn there was a strage twittering above my head which, with a little thought was considered to be a

FAN-TAILED WARBLER

being familiar with from foreign visits, so immediately phoned Martin Cade, then Assistant Warden of the Portland Bird Observatory, who despatched his right-hand man Richard Bull? to join me at the Pulpit. By this time Martin had heard it for himself and put out the news nationally, attracting a huge crowd, as only the 3rd ever recorded for Great Britain!

The last of the trio should have been my Finest Hour but in part found to have the Gilt Taken from the Gingerbread on the 27:08:2010 and again at Ferrybridge an unfamiliar small Wading Bird hove into view among the kelp flummoxing me from the start. Not wishing to put foot in mouth before giving it some grilling and with NO experience of such a creature it was decided to report the news by 'text' to 15 fellow Birders as a 'PUTATIVE'

RED-NECKED STINT
only the 7th for Great Britain which was roundly accepted

on production of these

self-taken images DUNLIN in background for comparison.

                        Changing the subject completely and to bring a little drama to the Post

January 1986 has gone down in the weather archives as a particularly angry month, with gale force wind and heavy rain recorded on many days, not least Tuesday 28th. I hadn't long finished my evening meal when there came a knock on the door from one of the Naval Base drivers with a request from the Queen's Harbour Master for me to return to duty, which I did with the driver. On the way he briefed me that a Libyan freighter, broken down mid-channel (English Channel), had sent a Mayday message with little more information than that. The harbour tug Sheepdog was deployed to effect a rescue, in conditions that were not ideal, but on arrival found we had a major problem with language barrier.

Usually in situations such as these it would be agreed with the Salvers (us) and the Master of the stricken vessel that he would, when circumstance allowed, sign a 'Lloyd's Open Salvage Agreement', transferring the responsibility of his ship to us the rescue vessel on the understanding that 'no cure would result in no pay'. As this type of arrangement is conducted 'over the air', anyone tuned to that frequency would hear the agreement so there is never a doubt over detail. What we did know was that the vessel was named the

Ebn Magid, registered in Tripoli, Libya but what was in doubt was what cargo she was carrying, most important as there were already signs of a fire onboard from heat sensors. Fortunately, a towing hawser was connected and the return to Portland Harbour was undertaken without incident and on arrival every necessary service awaited the ship, her crew and ourselves.

By 09-00 light wisps of white smoke were already seeping from her number 4 hold and while the Fire Brigade (appliances from 3 counties) searched for 'hot spot', using tug support, it became clear that she had animal feed stowed in her lower holds, this was over-stowed with boxed cans of engine oil which in turn were supporting a number of brand new Honda motorcars. Any upper-deck space was filled by 'containers' each full of canned Cow & Gate babies milk while on top of each there was again a brand new Honda car. At this point it was decided to 'ground' her in the shallows of the western margins of the harbour with the images being self explanatory!

Rounding the Outer coaling Pier

Tug Rollicker (left) and Sheepdog

Cow and Gate Milk Tins spewing from the hold and containers

and not so much as a broken fingernail between us!!