FROM 1-20. Belmore and Pete swims

Sep 14, 2005 - 1600hrs UTC │Cattle Egret II

1600hrs 14 Sep 2005 UTC 07’24”N 022’01”W Ref 363

moving again, surrounded by squally rainclouds – #3 and a reef, best we can do is 4kt on 250 – heading for the hump of S. America for as long as it lasts. Woohoo. Not long as it turned out – back on 120, big sewll, short lumpy sea all over the place on top of it – can’t make any real progress in any direction but heading for the back (I hope!) of a huge storm cloud – thick, black, scuddy low cloud in front, extends from dead ahead back to our starboard quarter. Looks quite nasty.

The bird flew away with a bit of persuasion – sad to see it go, but really its best chance of survival. Seemed quite comfortable sitting on the water, so it may get home.

[from Hilary Yerbury, Alex’s far better other half]
Subject: That bird
Is a cattle egret. I won’t make comments about what it is doing with you two. So, you are right that it needs a diet of insects and worms. What is it doing where there are no cattle of the four-legged kind? Either running away to Brazil or on its way back home after a holiday somewhere. Cattle egrets do cross the Atlantic from Africa to South America on rare occasions, although normally they are happier among the lowing herds.

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