Another Sunday Special - Part I

 It is doubtful that the

PRIBILOF ISLANDS,

just north of the Aleutians in the Bering Sea, spring to mind when arranging the family holiday but, without that sort of baggage and the magnetic draw of travelling the full length of the Alaska Highway for a 4th time that was only part of it! Additionally, there was the chance to visit the 3 remaining US States (Hawaii, Utah and Idaho) to complete the full 50 while also, should luck have it, record 2 of the 3 outstanding Gull species still not seen across the World! Hawii was an absolute joy having already added

FAIRY TERN
and

HAWAIIAN DUCK
to the World List just before encountering this 'crew' of

US NAVAL RATINGS
who, as one, thought they had found their long-lost

SEA DAD

shipping me off to Hooters for a slap up meal!
The very mention of a

LAYSAN ALBATROSS
at an almost inaccessible location on the coast found them unnimous in changing their plans of cliff-diving to please their Dear Ol' Dad with another 'Lifer'!
For the sake of brevity we can tell that the following days there were of the best, especially Pearl Harbour, but we leap 'fast forewar' to

BAJA MEXICO
where it took 2 days to find just a single

YELLOW-FOOTED GULL
(just 2 to go).

The least said about Idaho and Utah maybe the better, with no disrespect, and we could write a book on its own discussing the adventures and sights along the Al-Can. 750 miles from Anchorage lie the tiny islands of St George and St Paul but the delight en-route was aplenty having picked up a few more passengers in Nome when

only a few minutes airbourn the view below was clicked from the port window

BELUGA WHALES
(thousands of them and a first for me)

On landing and so intrigued, especially by the numerous

GREY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH
it wasn't noticed that

all the other passengers had dispursed

and there was no-one to meet me, but no worries as the Giant of a Man that was my guide

Forrest Rowland introduced me to Logistics Manageress Michelle Carlton

with a warm welcome

and introduction to my home for the next 5 days and with no considerations of lack of daylight

straight into the field with

CAPITATE VELERIAN
and

ARCTIC FOX
aplenty!

The HOTEL from distance,

while the tripod was erected in an effort to salvage this stricken

OIL TANKER
(nice to be back in familiar territory)

HARLEQUIN DUCKS
aplenty along with a look back at the town of

SAINT PAUL'S
and

as the sign suggested

the most numerous

MAMMAL
in all shapes and sizes

NORTHERN FUR SEAL

Among the Seabirds (some 'ringed')

PELAGIC CORMORANT

PARAKEET AUKLET
(with more to come) with

WHIRLEY LOUSEWORT

and what the Yanks quite rightly call this Wader
RED PHALOROPE

and we refer to as
GREY PHALAROPE
as only usually a winter visitor to our shore at which time they are Grey.
To bring this one to a close, with hopes of more to come, the

LAPLAND BUNTING
(male)

(female)
is also an annual visitor, in small numbers, to our shores.

Strange Phenomena - Kate Bush

 Always a joy to just sit there and watch the day break with that first mug of Douwe Egberts Indulgence Coffee, but totally blown away when before your very eyes appear a couple of juvenile

GREEN WOODPECKERs

but not considered to be those of previous days

as somewhat less mature?
It would be sacrilege to describe any day as 'DULL' as there is always 'something' in each and every one for us all however it took some finding.
Nothing of note or Blog-worthy in the home Moth Trap and not an Insect to be found from the 3 on the Heath as the generator had decided to wrap its hand in and have a night off!
Across a 4 hours vigil no more than c2 transiting

MUTE SWANs
a lone

MISTLE THUSH
on the Solar Panels and what at first sight looked like a

STOCK DOVE

with a broken wing until we tried to catch it taking to the band
The 5th Dimension and was Up, Up and Away.

The 'chirrupings' that disturbed my afternoon snoo er Studies were certainly thos of  Hirundines and on investigation found to be both Swallow and House Martin in numbers but as Kate might put it a Strange Phenomena!

Soon it will be the phase of the moon when people tune in.
Every girl knows about the punctual blues,
but who's to know the power behind our moves?

Having never seen anything quite like it in my life these Hirundines

HOUSE MARTIN
and

SWALLOW
were hunting not only the outer branches of the tree above

A day of coincidence with the radio and a word that won't go away. 

We know what they're all gonna say

"G arrives, funny, had a feeling he was on his way"!

but also delving into the heart of the tree

pecking away at both

leaf and branch
We raise our hats to the 'Strange Phenomena',

soul-birds of a feather flock together!
We raise our hats to the hand a-moulding us
sure 'nuff, he has the answer,

seemingly catching small Insects?

Only ever seen 'hawking' across open sky

and we did consult a few

FRIENDS

who readily agreed they had never see or heard of anything quite like it!!
He has the answer, He has the answer

Om mani padme, Om mani padme, Om mani padme hum

There are such creatures as

TREE SWALLOWs

across the America's but even then we have never seen them acting in such a way??

"Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ" is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY-Z8Lte8WU

If you are not familiar with the album 'The Kick Inside' by the delightfully tallented Kate Bush, it is strongly recomended as likely the most sensual and 'true to life' romantic you are likely ever to hear!