KenM
Well-known member
A mostly non-birding family trip (3) to St.Helier, Jersey, a c3 hour door to door transfer via London City Airport to include a 30min.delay at City, (do planes ever get away on time?) Jersey has always been on the bucket list and, as such, true to form I had not researched the island before going, thus any surprises would be just that, and they were, but principally they would be for the wrong reasons!
We flew with Flybe in an ATR 72-500 turbo prop, cruising at 18,000', flight time on the outward 1 hour, beats driving/boating every time, and the hotel even kept the kitchen open for our famished arrival at 9.05pm, now that's what I call service, with the food (half board) being excellent throughout.
Couldn't fault the hospitality or service of the hotel however there's always a downside, particularly with the bus station (our mode of transport around the island) being a good 20 minute walk away, along narrow pavements with relatively narrow semi main artery ''canyon-ed'' roads, pollution at times was often palpable!
The following morning, Saturday 25th May, we did a reconnaissance of the c9 x 4 mile island on the ''blue coach'' with a half day trip, consisting of 3 stops en-route, West to Corbiere Point (looked really promising) a stunning headland bedecked with mesembryanthemums, gorse and fern adorning the mustard lichen covered granite, then on to Greve de Lecq on the North coast, passing a long beautiful stretch of sandy beach backed with golf course and bird reserve. Finally the East coast to Gorey Castle before heading back to the coach stop at St.Helier. Duration was c4hhrs.and 45 mins. total cost 2 adults and a child £45.00, certainly whetted my appetite for a sneaky ''couple of hours'' trip in the coming week ahead.
Sunday dawned somewhat cloudy with a fresh wind from the West interspersed with a light drizzle, at this point my wife suggested, that it might be a good idea to visit Gerald Durrell's famous zoo! This took me totally by surprise as ''the zoo'' had not been on my radar, this was soon put to the test and I was summarily out-voted two to one. :eek!:
It was only as we closed the room door that I thought there might be the odd exhibit worth pointing the camera at, thus I duly retraced my steps and with camera shouldered, we all toddled off to the bus station for the no.3 (the Zoo bus) with a flat fare of adults £2 and children (under 16) £1.
Upon entering the zoo we were presented with an Andean Bear in a huge enclosure, a ''lifer'', who showed complete contempt for all and sunder, by nonchalantly lazing astride a huge log, showing just his rear (don't blame him), I'd probably have done the same with all those gawpers!
Moving swiftly on, we came upon the tropical bird house and this is where things changed dramatically, especially as it began to precipitate on the outside, and we entered an almost magical world of tropical rain forest. Initially, parting the vertical plastic strip curtains and entering the ante-chamber before parting the next set of curtains, simultaneously the half light turning darker, with humidity rising and the almost staccato calls of avian gems on the under-storey and canopy above, prompting one to bend down pushing aside the palm leaves, to focus on the reflected light from the forest stream and it was here that I laid eyes on Chestnut-backed Thrush...my first tropical ''lifer'', for a few moments...I was in the tropics and by Christ it was superb! Although a contrived situation and some might argue that these birds should be ''elsewhere'' I couldn't agree more, and yet, I wouldn't have missed the experience for anything, consoling myself with an hour's flying time, as opposed to double digit carbon foot-printing going to Sumatra, swatting all those carnivorous mozzies, not to mention the cost, or the crocodiles!....my conscience was clear.
Passing through the undergrowth, I finally laid eyes on the main event up in the canopy, an almost sparrow-like but louder ''Choo-eep-Choo-eep'' with interwoven whistles....a superb Asian fairy-Bluebird morphed into view! a second stunner, in as many minutes! Then almost colliding with a nest building Pekin Robin as it zoomed past my head, before laying eyes on a White-rumped Shama! The whole experience was quite unreal...and yet not, certainly gave me a taste of the tropics and already justified the day's expense and with even more sobering exhibits to come.......
We flew with Flybe in an ATR 72-500 turbo prop, cruising at 18,000', flight time on the outward 1 hour, beats driving/boating every time, and the hotel even kept the kitchen open for our famished arrival at 9.05pm, now that's what I call service, with the food (half board) being excellent throughout.
Couldn't fault the hospitality or service of the hotel however there's always a downside, particularly with the bus station (our mode of transport around the island) being a good 20 minute walk away, along narrow pavements with relatively narrow semi main artery ''canyon-ed'' roads, pollution at times was often palpable!
The following morning, Saturday 25th May, we did a reconnaissance of the c9 x 4 mile island on the ''blue coach'' with a half day trip, consisting of 3 stops en-route, West to Corbiere Point (looked really promising) a stunning headland bedecked with mesembryanthemums, gorse and fern adorning the mustard lichen covered granite, then on to Greve de Lecq on the North coast, passing a long beautiful stretch of sandy beach backed with golf course and bird reserve. Finally the East coast to Gorey Castle before heading back to the coach stop at St.Helier. Duration was c4hhrs.and 45 mins. total cost 2 adults and a child £45.00, certainly whetted my appetite for a sneaky ''couple of hours'' trip in the coming week ahead.
Sunday dawned somewhat cloudy with a fresh wind from the West interspersed with a light drizzle, at this point my wife suggested, that it might be a good idea to visit Gerald Durrell's famous zoo! This took me totally by surprise as ''the zoo'' had not been on my radar, this was soon put to the test and I was summarily out-voted two to one. :eek!:
It was only as we closed the room door that I thought there might be the odd exhibit worth pointing the camera at, thus I duly retraced my steps and with camera shouldered, we all toddled off to the bus station for the no.3 (the Zoo bus) with a flat fare of adults £2 and children (under 16) £1.
Upon entering the zoo we were presented with an Andean Bear in a huge enclosure, a ''lifer'', who showed complete contempt for all and sunder, by nonchalantly lazing astride a huge log, showing just his rear (don't blame him), I'd probably have done the same with all those gawpers!
Moving swiftly on, we came upon the tropical bird house and this is where things changed dramatically, especially as it began to precipitate on the outside, and we entered an almost magical world of tropical rain forest. Initially, parting the vertical plastic strip curtains and entering the ante-chamber before parting the next set of curtains, simultaneously the half light turning darker, with humidity rising and the almost staccato calls of avian gems on the under-storey and canopy above, prompting one to bend down pushing aside the palm leaves, to focus on the reflected light from the forest stream and it was here that I laid eyes on Chestnut-backed Thrush...my first tropical ''lifer'', for a few moments...I was in the tropics and by Christ it was superb! Although a contrived situation and some might argue that these birds should be ''elsewhere'' I couldn't agree more, and yet, I wouldn't have missed the experience for anything, consoling myself with an hour's flying time, as opposed to double digit carbon foot-printing going to Sumatra, swatting all those carnivorous mozzies, not to mention the cost, or the crocodiles!....my conscience was clear.
Passing through the undergrowth, I finally laid eyes on the main event up in the canopy, an almost sparrow-like but louder ''Choo-eep-Choo-eep'' with interwoven whistles....a superb Asian fairy-Bluebird morphed into view! a second stunner, in as many minutes! Then almost colliding with a nest building Pekin Robin as it zoomed past my head, before laying eyes on a White-rumped Shama! The whole experience was quite unreal...and yet not, certainly gave me a taste of the tropics and already justified the day's expense and with even more sobering exhibits to come.......
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