Glauc.

2nd year Glauc past the House this afternoon.

Water Rail & Spiggie Alien.

2 female Common Scoter on the sea in front of the House, 2 Shelduck, 4 Red-throated Diver and a Slavonian Grebe on Spiggie (with 'Alien' nearby), and a Water Rail at Boddam (+ loads of Turnstone and Purple Sands).

Turnstones at Boddam.

The Spiggie 'Alien'.

Dark Peregrine.

Very dark juv Peregrine over the House this afternoon.


Peregrine.

Glauc.

2nd year Glaucous Gull around the House again today.

Nearly Spring ?

A calm sunny day, hardly any wind - birds singing, insects on the wing - Spring must be just around the corner ! (only about 9 more weeks of winter left !!!)
3 Tufted Duck, male Goldeneye, 3 Whooper Swans, 6 Ringed Plover and a Merlin at Scatness.


Fulmar (back on the cliffs).

Merlin.

Merlin.

Shag.

'twisted' Shag.

Whooper Swans.

19-22 Feb.

2nd yr Glauc around the House most days, 7 Pink-footed Geese flew North over the House on the 19th.

Hybrid Duck.

Spent a couple of hours at Scatness, seeing very little - 3 Goldeneye, 2 Whooper Swans, 4 Tufted Duck, Mallard x Pintail Hybrid and 92 Purple Sands, 12 Great Northern Divers in Quendale Bay.

Missed the M.O.D.'s controlled explosion of the flare found on Sunday.


Mallard x Pintail Hybrid (uppermost bird).

Common Gull.

Curlew.

Shag.

Common Scoters.

2 female Common Scoters off Little Holm, seen from living room window.

Glauc & Explosives !!!

A quick walk around Scatness early afternoon - 2nd year Glaucous Gull and Peregrine still around, and 38 Purple Sandpiper on Moast Beach. However, the day soon livened up when i found some explosive material on Sanblister Beach, about 100 yds from the house, police and coastguard involved, beach taped off for a few hours etc, after which it was decided it was safe and best to bury it in a 'secret' location until Monday - when the bomb squad will arrive !!!


Glaucous Gull.

Purple Sandpipers.

Rock Pipit.

Rock Pipit.

Explosives on Sanblister Beach.

Close up of instructions.

The Police about to hide the explosives in a 'secret' place

- in full view of anyone looking !

Snow Buntings.

2 Barnacle Geese still in front of the House, 3 Pintail at Boddam, a Jack Snipe at Sandwick (in a ditch next to the road) and 37 Snow Buntings at Hillwell (after the sun had gone behind Fitful Head !).


Snow Buntings.

Redwing at Sandwick.

Sunshine & Snow.

2 Barnacle Geese, 1 Pink-footed Goose still in front of the House with 250+ Greylags, 40 Wigeon & 5 Teal on the sea, Peregrine & Whooper Swan past the window. 2nd winter Glaucous Gull still about + Skylark.


Whooper Swan.

Common Gull.

Common Gull.

Herring Gull.

Geese.

2 Barnacle Geese, 1 Pink-footed Goose in with the 270+ Greylags in front of the House. 2nd winter Glaucous Gull flew south past the Living Room window, Redwing and Robin in the Garden.

Greylag Geese.

Pink-footed Goose.

Barnacle Geese.

Snow.

More snow today - 70+ Greylags in front of the House.


Fieldfare in the Garden yesterday.

Snowy view of Fitful Head from the living room window.

The same view in 1942 ! (from 'Birds & Mammals of Shetland' - Venables &Venables).

Waders.

Lots of Waders in front of the House, presumably due to snow further up the island - 120+ Golden Plover, 40 Curlew, 12 Lapwing and 3 Dunlin. Also 42 Greylag Geese.

Golden Plover.

Curlew.