Chicken, Duck and Quail Coup

It started with ducks,
Muscovy, One male "Bert" and his 3 women  "Bonnie, Poll and Fantomåne".

Striving for to get "all ducks in a row", next up was... 

Call ducks! Male Ceasar and his girlfriend Cinnamon.
4 newcomers, unfortunately turned up to be only one female and three boys...
The three boys on occasion running around, thinking they are running the show, fearing nothing.

Purpose was to get rid of the sleazy snails "grass crawlers" summer time.
A few hen was also in the planning for egg support...(also said to attack snails and mice).
But buying chickens, you do not always know what you get so unfortunately there are now too many roosters and the egg production is thus limping...

But never mind, they are adorable creatures, and just watching the dynamics in the coup is rewarding enough. I love spending the afternoon with a cigar and my feathered friends..relaxing.

 Hedemora Hen on the left and a Frizzle Bantam Cochin Rooster on the right(Magnum).

 

 Bert with "Entourage" inspecting the grounds..

 Bert in his splendor 

 Training Gino in "cross breed social skills"

 A female Goosander(StorskrakeSWE), prepared and nested, in the old oak in our garden for a good few weeks. But sadly after my return from work, I found egg shells below the three, so I think some "predator" got too her eggs before they hatched. On two occasions there were also one more female bird in company(maybe mother nature adopting to the human same sex living). Hopefully they will be back for the next season, and give it another try..?

 The pond of Hellekis, noticed this years litter on our walk the other day..

 Fantomåne, has got into the habit of breaking out every morning the last week. We have now found the means of escape...... she flies up onto the roof of the quail house, then flies thru the roof net, where we found one thread broken, giving her the "wing span" to escape. She's lucky, so far that the Fox has not starting his "local" rounds yet.

 Busted...eh..

Bantam Wyandotte "Marion"

Dutch Bantam

 Polish Crested "Rooster named Kaxiga Karin"

 "Ove" Fifty five flowery, (being all white??)The "Top-bird" A proper Rooster, practicing "Management by fear".

"Kicking"(jumping) even the hand that feeds him. He is very much like a Soviet WW2 soldier, marching forward shouting Hurraaa! straight into the rain of bullets...

Ove only have Attack programmed in his software, never ever fleeing or even dodge anything coming his way. This is a bit reassuring as the fox hole is only 400 meters away.  

Yellow Polish Crested "Anita"

 Brahma "Rickards" impressive legs.

 "Rickard! being the "Swarzeneger" or "Belgian Blue" of the coup, whose pure size intimidate even Bert and his girls, but he is very gentle, kind and curious. Rickard behaves more like the UN-mediator, whenever "Ove" is throwing a fit, Rickard goes in between, and put a damper on things.

Call duck gang...

At the top of the picture is our first one, "Ceasar"(purple side), below right is his girlfriend "Cinnamon"(all black). To the left, peach colored "Bachelorette". Finally, centered right, the three "juvenile delinquents" running around irritating most of the coups individuals, trying to impress the "Bachelorette", who are the noisiest of the bunch, personifying their breed name "Call duck"      

 Hotel "Quail a' Lumpur" One Male and three hen residing.

 Lettuce bonanza..very popular.

British Tailed Lavender Araucana.

 Frizzle bantam cochin "Magnum".

"Kaxiga Karin", and "Ove" are the most cocky rosters in the coup. But their calling is the average, 

every day "Cockatoo" you  can imagine. Same one  note, slowly fading away in the end. Young "Magnum" however, is the Pavarotti of the bunch..rarely showing his talent(saving his vocal cords), but calling in three distinct notes,"D-H-G" and rock solid pitch, as a Sailor at the helm in the roaring forties. 

And you were saying...

Brazil Lula

After some lengthy anchoring in Guanabara bay, we finally came out to the prospect, Lula field Brazil. It proved a quite relaxed survey, not too many obstacles.

So many big production units out here, so much money in equipment. 

It will be interesting to see if now when the "Oil glut" created such a drop in oil price, the costly deep water drilling might no longer be viable. To maintain the profit margin oil companies are now focusing of cheaper means of getting the oil, closer to shore, and sadly also on shore, with newer technology achieving oil with more negative impact on the environment. Unfortunately to which extent, not yet known.

On prospect,FPSO(Floating Production Storage Offloading unit)

Drill riggs

...And off course fisher men

Just caught a big Durado

Our chase vessel chasing the fishermen away..we do not want they damaging our equipment, or coming too close as they disturb the operation.

Some pics from inside our bridge(here our bridge wing)

Central aft. DPO at the desk monitoring the operation.

Star board bridge wing.

Central aft(DP-desks).

Drill rig having abandon ship drill. All crew gathering under the heli deck, mustering by their allocated life boats(free fall).

Bad weather pictures..

Night time..

Supplies, equipment and or provisions

Crew change chopper..

Sunset

Tanker connected to the FPSO(time for off loading)

Fishing boat disturbing..

Another tanker connecting the Hose...

And connected..

Trading vessels passing by(very close..)

Multitasks performed, Drilling, resupply and a fishing boat..

Ch.Off preparing the heaving line for the emergency towing drill (Using our FRC)

Just fired the gun, sending the heaving line, connecting the messenger line for the final towing line..

FRC just tension the messenger line for practical purpose..

Strange cloud ridge..

Tanker connected to FPSO up close..

Visitors for the drill rig...

More choppers..

Morning and nice sun rise..

Crew change chopper..(to the FPSO)

FPSO conducting diving inspections of their facility..

Diver being brought up in his cage..

Vessel bridge central aft.

Shorter port call again..Rio Anchorage

Fortification canon, Rio entrance..

BBQ, Chief cook minding the gear..

No Alcohol ...

First Officer demonstrating the Emergency Escape Breathing apparatus.

Nice morning and fluffy clouds.

And so we finished Brazil and steered our bow towards another very distant part of the world, of which I will write a short piece and show some pics in a not to distant future.