Island in the Sun - Harry Belafonte Haiti - Part III

 It wasn't that the Bon-Accord across the whole of my 2 weeks visit to Haiti, one of the most volitile countries in the world, had been lacking but the farewell, on that final Sunday, was to be one never, ever forgotten! Jumping into Ernso's shooting-break we were whisked off to the

about 10 miles from the Eucalyptus Guesthouse.

Having never seen anything quite like it the whole place was constructed from re-cycled materials through and through from the Bar

to the

CHANDELIERS

PATIO

WALKWAYs

and a number of

ACCOMMODATION BLOCKS
and even the occassional birds such as

RED-LEGGED THRUSH

with a host of
BLOOMS
and coincidentally a 'yank'

ROBINSON HELICOPTER

but with no association with Rowdy's (left) project.

AMERICAN KESTREL

even down to the Drinking Glasses as can be seen to have been fashioned from the necks of empty wine bottles, corks left attached.

Something of a novelty far below us along with plenty of interesting

Bugs in the Bushes
while mid-afternoon, along with more Birds

PRAIRIE WARBLER

the BAND also turned up

("shake them maraca's man")

VILLAGE WEAVER
(introduced from Africa)
The only analogy that can be made, particularly of that final day, was that decreed at the
First Isle of Wight Festival
If You Remembered 'it' You Weren't There!!!!

Common People - Pulp

 Something of a decent start to the day as for the second time since our arrival here 10 years ago along with the usual early morning influx of

MALLARD
from thier roost south of the river also came only our second pair of

female

male
TEAL
on the Main Pond which, for whatever reason, seem to shun this watercourse in favour of all the others?

Also at pond-side and far more frequent a brace of

very smart

HERRING GULLs
a favoured family group,

and otherwise it was another Zero° morning as we headed north to find a lone

MAGPIE

enjoying this years surfeit of

ACORNS
where as last year nobody reported a single one!

It seems to have become a fact that the

CATTLE
from the Heath to the north now escape with

importunity so, as stated before, we now decline to inform them!
while in that particular area it was worth a look for both

TREECREEPER

first noted by that gentle low pitched 'wheeze'

but not sight nor sound of the usual bed-fellow the
NUTHATCH.
Back at Home Base as has become usual the

STARLINGs

were making the most of what a

Mild Thaw
might bring.

Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul and Mary

 Given the freeze only a cursory look within the Solar Panel Compounds to locate no more than the

North Face of the Eiger

solitary

MEADOW PIPIT 

and on the track outward

a most unexpected, given the freeze, and newly emerged

PUFFBALL
Locking the gate, no surprise to find this years juvenile

COMMON BUZZARD
still clinging to the favoured perch while the surface of the

GRAVEL PIT
is now also totally frozen over so gone, until sometime next year, are both

COOT
and

LITTLE GREBE
There followed a moment of good fortune as arriving back at the
Main Pond (still not frozen on the port side)

and again alone this

LAPWING

strange as such a busy lane traffic-wise

which was all for the day.

The Hungry Must Be Fed!

 In the early gloom of another new day the

JACKDAWs
were mustering atop of the Ash Tree close to the horse stable prior to invading the garden bird feeders.

with a couple of

GREAT TIT
right outside the door hoping to get their beaks in with the follow up being this

SONG THRUSH
finding something nourishing in the margins.
Due to icey roads and frozen ponds more northern climes were abandoned for today at least with the focus turning more to the west and the Horse Paddocks where the dung-heap was sure to be an attractant to something or other, starting with the odd hungry

STARLING

singular

and ditto

PIED WAGTAIL

sharing the same spoils,

and while there is no firm evidence to show that this is the same

FIELDFARE

of a fair few days ago now

this Beauty was in the same Crab Apple tree.

and finally, the conundrum of the quickly disappearing Aircraft of yesterday was solved for us by our friend John in Weymouth. An Airbus ACJ of the Omani Royal Airforce and bringing back personal memories of a Diving Contract there, on Masirah Island, back in the 80's!