Saturday, 28 November 2020

No Need to Go Out!

We once read of a Chinaman who lived in an apartment converted from an old warehouse on the cusp of one of the countries many rivers, and had a Blog that featured just the images that he took from his windows. Emulating him will be something of a saviour today as the Strange Rover remains in the Sick Bay having failed her MoT - ‘sensors’ at £150 (whatever they may be) which won’t break the bank!

It's an orangy sky, always it's some other guy
It's just a broken lullaby
Bye bye Love

More in hope than expectation we set both of the homebound Moth Traps against a predicted +2°C which manifested itself at +4°C so hope might win the day. The total catch included another

MOTTLED UMBER
clinging to the collar and a whole host of
DECEMBER MOTHs
with some already in the process of
Topping Up Supplies for Next Year!
From there it was half a loaf liberally scattered across the lawn before taking up station on the
Door Step.
Inevitably, first up were
WOOD PIGEONs
which with such shaggy plumage
especially around the neck
might just make them this years progeny?
both Female and
Male
BLACKBIRD
followed in quick succession with
PIED WAGTAILs
certainly not going to be
left out of the picture.
It was at this point that the
EURO CARGO AIRBUS
thundered into take off and we are going to have to chop all those trees and bushes down.
GREENFINCH
was a most welcome addition to the list despite losing its tail with
HOUSE SPARROW (male)
being something of a foregone being lucky to have many, many dozens here.
With
RED CAMPION
and
WHITE DEAD NETTLE
both still in bloom it was the return of one of the
COBHAM
in-flight refueling trainer jets returning to base that indicated the day was getting long
(you can set your watch by them).
With it came, Mob Handed, my 'birds of the day" likely having spotted what morsals were left
STARLINGs
dozens of them and
just look at that sheen and plumage
all to often discarded as vermin maybe on account of its Latin name
Sturnus vulgaris
but surely a beauty by anyones estimate and sometimes look at the
EURASIAN NUTCRACKER,
which would attract thousands of observers should one visit our shores, and ask
What's the Difference?
You don't have to look to the skies around here to check if it is Dusk yet, all you need to do is listen for the rotor clatter of the
RAF CHINOOK
which circles overhead in ever decreasing circles just about every evening
but takes far to long to 'disappear'!

Friday, 27 November 2020

Island in the Sun - Harry Belafonte

With a combination of the rain clouds gathering, a lack of subject matter and the Strange Rover having been carted off to #3 Dry Dock in Portsmouth Dockyard we once again find ourselves in the position of having to reach for the archive to slake the thirst of a

Much Valued Audience! 

The matter of the motor is not a serious one, just annual inspection and MoT, (even though it looks like it could do with a

Class A dhobie as well) so with luck it’s Out and About again manana?

On my third visit to The Galapagos Islands and quite happy to take up temporary residence in the Castro Hotel situated just off the promenade in Puerto Ayora the main town of Santa Cruz Island as on previous trips there were 2 species of birds in the forefront of my mind. Don't ask me why, just simply favourites and not even new to me, we headed in the first instance to the Lava Flow Beach where also stands the local

Fish Market

both adult and
juvenile
LAVA GULL

were very easy to find and followed in quick succession by the endemic

GALAPAGOS (Lave) HERON
but what was spotted next would have been a shock to anyone
the body of a man.
It took quite some time to get the fact over to these detectives who simply took my details should they need to speak with me again.
A second endemic and an addition to the World List
GALAPAGOS DOVE
along with a wayward and scarce visitor to the Islands
KILLDEER

an occassional visitor from the America's to Great Britain soon got things back on the rails.

   MAIN TOWN PIER

Each early morning after that there was a meeting on the quey-side with one of the Charter Boat Captains with great language difficulties but a respect that started by us saluting each other.

CAPTAIN JOSE
Inner Harbour

That first morning also entailed the finding of a

HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL
which had caught a
SALLY LIGHTFOOT CRAB
but what the hell was it going to do with it? Before my very eyes it first shook off the clump claw followed by the secondary then the 8 legs in turn. Unbelievably afterwards it simply swallowed the 6 inch diametre body whole. Knowing full well I'd get carried away, let's get back to the 'pictorial'.

    Of all the Birds on The Galapagos the Finches are the most trying, with each species looking much the same as the others.
SMALL GROUND FINCH (female)
SMALL GROUND FINCH (male)
MARINE IGUANA
MEDIUM GROUND FINCH
LAND IGUANA
LARGE GROUND FINCH (male)
LARGE GROUND FINCH (female)
MEDIUM CACTUS FINCH
VEGETARIAN FINCH
FLOREANA GIANT TORTOISE
(examples of which are found at the Charles Darwin Centre)
MEDIUM TREE FINCH
WARBLER FINCH
and likely most prized of them all and it is believed the only bird in the world
that uses a 'tool' to capture its prey the
WOODPECKER FINCH
with this my own crude offering enhanced by those of my dear friends
Frenchman Jean Francois Ozoux and Thai wife Roong
(French Guiana 2013) to whom this post is dedicated.
WOODPECKER FINCH
with 'tool'.
The final day began early on the pier as the others had in the company of
Captain Jose
who had a little trick up his sleeve, an invitation to sail with him and 2 young Finnish couples
who wished to swim with the Sealions!
What a coup as adding c2 LIFERS to the World List
GALAPAGOS PENGUIN
the most northerly of the Species in the World and the remarkable
GALAPAGOS HAWK
Breaking off only for a lunch of Fish caught at our anchorage there was also time to zoom around the headland to re-acquaint with the most eye-catching of all the Gull species in the World.
SWALLOW-TAILED GULL
juvenile
adults.