Falkland Islands - Part I

 Another Sunday, another Sunday Special.

As Second Mate (only 'second' as there were no 'thirds'!!) of the mighty 

Ocean Salvage Tug

R.M.A.S. TYPHOON

It was I alone who opted to go on leave on the first day of April 1982, and I who had a Pig’s Ear of a break and the same I who returned to the Portland Naval Base to find that I had missed the sailing of the afore mentioned Tug bound for the Falkland Islands.

While coverage was transmitted on both national and local news channels of the 40^th anniversary of the conflict, once again there was no mention of the very first vessel to be despatched from a UK port, that of the same Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service Ocean Tug Typhoon from Portland Naval Base!

Determination to visit those islands lay deep for 25 years but in 2007 we finally made the voyage. Here we show our own ‘feathered’ contribution and salute to those who did serve.

On the jetty were

ANTARCTIC TERNs

FALKLAND BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
and an armada of

FALKLAND STEAMER DUCK
(female)

DUCKLINGs

FALKLAND STEAMER DUCK
(male)

hope you can make this out

TWO-BANDED PLOVER

BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS

AUSTRAL THRUSH

MEGELANIC OYSTERCATCHER

FALKLANDS GRASS WREN

BROWN-HOODED GULL
(adult)

The Kid Himself Reaching for the Stars

BROWN-HOODED GULL
(adult in flight)

PORT STANLEY
but never did get to the bottom of why this Pill Box, whatever, was in Argentinian colours??

BROWN SKUA

Distant view of the S.S. Lady Elizabeth (a.k.a. Lady Lizzy) we will attempt to do better!

RUFOUS-BELLIED DOTTERAL

ROCKHOPPER

PENGUIN

ROCK CORMORANT

FALKLAND's LONG-TAILED MEADOW LARK

ANTARCTIC PRION

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER

SOUTHERN ROYAL ALBATROS

BLACK-CHINNED SISKIN
(male)
and our own trusty steed lain at anchor the

S.S. DISCOVERY
from the company of the same name
Voyages of Discovery
(Bijou and Highly - Highly - Recommended and hope to see you again Next Sunday for Part II)

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?

A most welcome couple of new Moth species for the year to kick the day off in the shape of

POWDERED QUAKER

and

PALE PINION

plus another
DADDY LONGLEGS
and very much looking forward to the arrival of those Hawk Moths!

Also from the garden while attending the local traps one of the MANY
ROOKs
now feeding young close by, the early morning

EasyJet
plus the

Gaggle of Ornimentals

with the local

KESTRELs
still in display and also from the doorstep a hungry

WOOD PIGEON

Continuing down south still there are no signs of Wildlife on the

PLOUGH
with things getting even more deathly within the
Solar Panel Compounds

MAGPIE's

BREAKFASTING

CARRION CROW

on the first casualty

of the new influx!
It won't be the last and by the end of the day every scrap had been taken even the fleece and head, the latter likely to have fallen to a Fox? but oh for a Red Kite while ending with something a little more pleasant, an infrequent sighting of one of the

BELTED GALLOWAYS

and what a 

MOON
last night!

The Emperor's New Cloths

 Despite the high winds overnight accompanied by sporadic pulses of heavy rain we managed to secure 23 Moths of 10 species with the best hanging on until last. In the first instance there was an addition to the year list by way of a

BRINDLED PUG
an example of what we had hoped we could bring to you before long, why the Spectacle is called

SPECTACLE

a rather dark,

maybe even melonistic,

YELLOW HORNED
and there laying dogo in the top tray of the last trap (in the Solar Panel Compound) a

female

EMPEROR MOTH
which as daytime fliers are rarely attracted to light and just for contrast and magnificence a

MALE
from the archive for comparison.

Having been sussing the wealth of local
BADGER SETTs
in recent days this active and productive one from last year lies abandond but lucky to find

a diurnal

representative within the same

Solar Panel Compound
Diminishing numbers of birds, especially waterfowl, at both ponds was unexpected but the return of

c2

GREEN SANDPIPER
at the Gravel Pit

made up for some of the deficit,

while the wander ended on the doorstep with a second

STOAT
of the week having forgotten to report the one sighted in darkest Hampshire during our recent visit!

Nikki Sue, How Do You Do!

 Despite the continuing windy and / or downright chilly weather still they come with

both

DOTTED CHESTNUT

and

RED SWORD-GRASS
added to the Year List while close to the traps in the
Solar Panel Compound

GREENFINCH

were at

their

Vocal Best
As for 'eye-catching', this

spectacular and equally vocal

GREY WAGTAIL
stole the show and also within the only

'active'
Badger Sett

we have found across our patch so far this year. Even the chicken wire didn't prevent them from excavating the Early Bronze Age Tumuli. While checking the still sitting

COOT
on the Gravel Pit we caught the refrain of our first

and most welcome

WILLOW WARBLER

of the year
and ended our wander in fine fashion with yet anoth 'new' Eddie Stobart

LORRY LADY