Terns and Stuff.

Scatness - lots of activity on the bathing pool, with 100+ Arctic Terns (constantly harassed by Arctic Skuas), 18 Knot and 3 Dunlin. Loads of Gannets feeding off Lady's Holm and 8 Swallows over Loch of Gards.

Arctic Skuas - top - Ganging up on Arctic Tern. middle two - pale phase with orange ring on left leg. bottom - dark phase.

Arctic Terns - adults and young.

Gannets.

Knots.

Kittiwake.

Ringed Plover.

Whimbrels and other Moorland Birds.

A most pleasant afternoon spent on the moorland in Northmavine, doing the BTO surveys. Golden Plovers, Whimbrel, Red-throated Divers, Dunlins and Great & Arctic Skuas all showing fantastically well in the afternoon sun.


Golden Plover.

Red-throated Diver (note ring on left leg).

Whimbrels.

More Moths.

A couple of fairly decent Moths in the trap last night - a Common Rustic and a rather smart looking Gold Spot.


Common Rustic.

Gold Spot.

Bird-cherry Ermine.

This Bird-cherry Ermine was in the trap last night, the second successive year that I've trapped this species at Scatness - this Moth is less than annual on Shetland, though there were 6 in 1994 and 20 in the 'big moth year' of 1996, there have only been singles recorded since.

Mass Fledging.

It seems like today was the day that everything fledged ! loads of young Starlings around Scatness and at least 3 broods of Wrens all moving about the dry stone walls (no doubt the Wrens will be trying to help me in their own way soon, as they empty my Moth trap before I get to it !).
18 Whimbrel (14 flying south & 4 on the beach) look like signs of autumn being just around the corner.
Several Painted Ladies seen flying around as well.

Wrens.

Rock Pipit.

Painted Lady.

Peregrine.

Peregrine down from the garden this morning, eventually being chased off by Arctic Terns. Seems like July is the month for turning up odd birds around the house - Waxwings last year and Little Gull and Cuckoo in the past.
A very worn Yellow Shell in the trap last night was a new Moth for the garden.

Peregrine.

Yellow Shell.

Sunset.

Awesome sunset this evening -

Snipe sp.

Owing to the lack of Birds (and Moths), pulled this out of the archives -
This Snipe was photographed in Goa on 1/3/07, behind the Beira Mar Hotel in Baga. The main feature that stood out on the bird was mainly its size, the bird in question was never seen next to Common Snipe, but is shown on the photos next to Pintail Snipe (the Pintail called as it landed on the marsh). The other feature that was quite noticeable was the thin loral stripe, leading to suggestions of Swinhoe’s Snipe - but Swinhoe’s Snipe seemingly hasn’t been recorded in Goa. It could also be just a big Common Snipe ! It was seen late evening and shortly after the photos were taken, moved off into longer grass and a was never seen again (I looked for the bird most nights until 23/3/07) - any suggestions of the birds I.D. would be appreciated.
The first 3 photos are uncropped, the second 3 cropped to show a bit more detail.

A Few Moths.

A few Moths from the last couple of nights.....


Confused.

Ingrailed Clay.

True Lover's Knot.

White-line Dart.

More Crossbills.

5 Crossbills around the cliffs at Scatness early evening (there were 90+ present earlier in the day !) also, 12 Swallows over the loch and loads of newly fledged Wheatears.


Crossbills.

Young Wheatear.