Brickflickers and CR PS.

A relatively early start on the patch as I'd picked up 2 'white wingers' from the living room window, both birds were feeding in the surf around Little Holm, better (though still distant) views were had from Moast Beach - a 1st year Glauc and a 1st year Iceland Gull. Moast Beach itself was covered in Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers - including a colour-ringed bird.


Turnstones.


Purple Sandpipers.

Oystercatchers.

Cormorant.

Bored

Another few boring days around the patch, with sod all new - so here's a picture of a 'tamish' Great Northern Diver in West Voe.

Just For Fun

Sometimes, when searching through the Sky TV menu, if the programme has too long a name the Sky will shorten it to fit into the time box - this can throw up the occasional hilarity, such as this one on Channel Five at 8pm -

The First Migrant

The first migrant indeed, ok so it's only a Shelduck, but a migrant none the less ! Also around the patch was a first year Glaucous Gull and about 40 Goldeneye. Other than that nothing, apart from 2 old Christmas trees, which are now residing in my shed until spring, when they'll be added to the artificial plantation.

Glaucous Gull.

Shelduck.

Goldeneye.

Where's Me Jumper ?

This week's 'top tune - 'Where's Me Jumper ?' - The Sultans of Ping FC - Ireland's Finest !



My, brother, knows, Karl Marx,
He met him eating mushrooms in the peoples park,
He said 'What do you think about my manifesto?
''I like a manifesto, put it to the test-o.'
Took it straight down to meet the anarchist's party.
I met a groovy guy, he was arty farty,
He said 'I know a little latin man a cus man a kai'
I said 'I don't know what it means' he said 'neither do I'
Eat natural foods, bathe twice daily,
Fill your nostrils up with gravy.
Don't drink tea and don't drink coffee.
Cover your chin in yorkshire toffee.
Dancing in the disco, bumper to bumber,
Wait a minute, where's me jumper, ( x4 )
Dancing at the disco, bumper to bumber,
Wait a minute, where's me jumper ? ( x5 )
Oh no.
Dancing at the disco, go, go, go.
Dancing at the disco, oh no, oh no, oh no.
Dancing at the disco, go, go, go.
Dancing at the disco, oh no, oh no.
It's alright to say things can only get better,
You haven't lost your brand new sweater.
I know I had it on when I had my tea,
And I'm sure I had it on in the lavatory.Oh no.
Dancing in the disco, go, go, go.
Dancing in the disco, oh no, oh no.
Dancing in the disco, bumper to bumper,
Wait a minute, where's me jumper ? ( x5 )
It's alright to say things can only get better,
You haven't lost your brand new sweater.
Pure new wool, and perfect stitches,
Not the type of jumper that makes you itches Oh no.
Dancing in the disco, go, go, go.
Dancing in the disco, oh no, oh no.
And my mother, will be so, so angry.
And my brother, will be so, so angry.
And my girlfriend, will be so, so angry.
And my dog, will be so, so angry.
Cos I was dancing at the disco, bumper to bumper.
Wait a minute, where's me jumper ( x5 )Oh no !

The Big Smoke

Most of the day was spent in the big smoke that is Lerwick (ok maybe not so much big smoke, more like dying embers !), in between various bits and pieces, this 3rd year Iceland Gull was on the fish market roof.

Iceland Gull

And The Winner Is...

The results of the 2010 Patch Year-list are now in and the top three places are as follows -

1. Gary Bell (Sumburgh, south of the runway and east of 'Bristows') - 156

2. Paul Harvey (Quendale, Hillwell and Garth's Ness + some other bits) - 153

3. Rob Fray (Toab and Virkie area, north of the runway and south of 'Harvey Ridge') - 151

The Prizes -

First prize is the ingenious valley/hill detector - to detect a valley, simply hold the picture up to suspected feature, and if the lines on the detector match the shape of the geographic feature, then it is indeed a valley.....

.......if, however a hill is suspected, then simply turn the detector upside down and repeat the same process (note - does not work in fog).

Second Prize is a candlelit dinner for two with the county recorder, in a well ventilated restaurant, somewhere on Shetland (maybe an open air one).

Third Prize is a book token only valid for 'Trisha's Book Club', suggested reading below -

Something I can Never Have

This week's top tune - Nine Inch Nails - Something I can never have.

A very sweet song until you listen to the lyrics, and maybe bit disturbing, if you've seen the the last scenes of the film 'Natural Born Killers'

Half Ton.

Finally managed to get out and walk along the road to the loch (though progress was slower than an American learning international geography !) and added a few more year-ticks, namely, Whooper Swan, Moorhen, Wren and Red-breasted Merganser. A Grey Plover in front of the house was also a year-tick. Over the last few days there have been 2 Merlins in front of the house on most days, 2 Snow Buntings on Sanblister Beach and a Common Scoter off Scord on the 7th taking the patch year-list up to 50.


Moorhen.

Red-breasted Merganser.

Whooper Swans.

Merlin.

The Meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything....

...or 42 - that's what the patch year-list has now crept up to. With Toab, Quendale, Garth's Ness and Fitful all getting snow today, Scatness remained pretty much snow free until after dark. This worked out quite well for the year-list, with the field in front of the house being pretty busy all day, with 27 Fieldfare, 4 Golden Plover, 20 Lapwing, a Dunlin, 10 Teal, a Merlin and a Black-tailed Godwit (with one and a half legs!)


Redshank.

Fitful Head and Garth's Ness - snowed in....

....Scatness - clear.

The First Few Days

So far the 2011 patch year-list has consisted mainly of scanning out of the house windows, though I did manage to hobble to West Voe on the 2nd and got the 2 King Eiders (+ a load of other stuff - Twite, Goldeneye, Fieldfare etc). From the living room window there has been Hen Harrier, Merlin, Common Scoter and a fly by Tufted Duck (+ the odd Gannet)getting me up to the dizzying heights of 38 !


Curlew.

Purple Sandpiper.

Rock Pipit (with pink legs !).

Merlin.

The Patch Map.

2011 Scatness Year-list

1/1/11
1. Hooded Crow
2. Red-throated Diver
3. Common Gull
4. Herring Gull
5. Great Black-backed Gull
6. Starling
7. House Sparrow
8. Robin
9. Shag
2/1/11
10. Rock Dove
11. Turnstone
12. Eider
13. Great Northern Diver
14. Greylag Goose
15. Curlew
16. Redshank
17. Hen Harrier
18. Blackbird
19. Skylark
20. Fieldfare
21. Long-tailed Duck
22. Oystercatcher
23. Lapwing
24. Twite
25. King Eider
26. Goldeneye
27. Black Guillemot
28. Mallard
29. Wigeon
30. Raven
3/1/11
31. Gannet
32. Fulmar
33. Merlin
4/1/11
34. Purple Sandpiper
35. Rock Pipit
36. Tufted Duck
5/1/11
37. Common Scoter
38. Black-headed Gull
6/1/11
39. Teal
40. Dunlin
41. Golden Plover
42. Black-tailed Godwit
7/1/11
43. Snow Bunting
44. Redwing
9/1/11
45. Cormorant
10/1/11
46. Grey Plover
47. Moorhen
48. Wren
49. Red-breasted Merganser
50. Whooper Swan
17/1/11
51. Peregrine
23/1/11
52. Glaucous Gull
53. Shelduck
1/1/11
54. Iceland Gull
5/2/11
55. Kestrel
15/2/11
56. Ringed Plover
57. Kittiwake
17/2/11
58. Short-eared Owl
27/2/11
59. Grey Heron
28/2/11
60. Razorbill
12/3/11
61. Snipe
16/3/11
62. Chaffinch
23/3/11
63. Pied Wagtail
26/3/11
64 Meadow Pipit
1/4/11
65 Lesser Black-backed Gull
66. Gadwall
4/4/11
67. Great Skua
7/4/11
68. Dunnock
10/4/11
69. Wheatear
70. Woodcock
71. Blackcap
14/4/11
72. Rook
15/4/11
73. Swallow
16/4/11
74. Chiffchaff
19/4/11
75. Guillemot
76. Sand Martin
21/4/11
77. Wood Pigeon
22/4/11
78. Pintail
79. Whitethroat
80. Common Tern
81. Willow Warbler
23/4/11
82. Lesser Whitethroat
24/4/11
83. Common Crane
25/4/11
84. Carrion Crow
26/4/11
85. Sandwich Tern
27/4/11
86. Song Thrush
28/4/11
87. Whimbrel
30/4/11
88. Mute Swan
89. House Martin
90. Reed Bunting
1/5/11
91. Spotted Redshank
92. Arctic Skua
3/5/11
93. Linnet
4/4/11
94 Arctic Tern
5/5/11
95. Tree Pipit
8/5/11
96. Garganey
97. Knot
98. Reed Warbler
10/5/11
99. Collared Dove
11/5/11
100. Siskin
101. Sanderling
102. Common Redpoll
22/5/11
103. Barnacle Goose
104. Grasshopper Warbler
26/5/11
105. Sedge Warbler
106. Whinchat
6/6/11
107. Common Rosefinch
11/6/11
108. Swift
15/6/11
109. Crossbill
17/6/11
110. Puffin
8/7/11
111. Common Sandpiper
1/8/11
112. Ruff
3/8/11
113. Greenshank
114. Bar-tailed Godwit
115. Wood Sandpiper
14/8/11
116. Hobby
24/8/11
117. Pied Flycatcher
25/8/11
118. Little Stint
119. Yellow Wagtail
120. Garden Warbler
26/8/11
121. Barred Warbler
122. Redstart
29/8/11
123. Curlew Sandpiper
31/8/11
124. Little Gull
2/9/11
125. Booted Warbler
3/9/11
126. Spotted Flycatcher
13/9/11
127. Pink-footed Goose
14/9/11
128. Pallid Harrier
30/9/11
129. Brambling
130. Jack Snipe
2/10/11
131. Greenfinch
4/10/11
132. Sabine's Gull
133. Sparrowhawk
8/10/11
134. Goldcrest
12/10/11
135. Ring Ouzel
25/10/11
136. Great Tit
27/10/11
137. Long-eared Owl
138. Little  Auk
30/10/11
139. Shoveler
5/11/11
140. Mistle Thrush
6/11/11
141. Pomarine Skua
11/11/11
142. Pochard
13/11/11
143. Scaup
144. White-fronted Goose
145. Lapland Bunting
19/11/11
146. Green-winged Teal
27/11/11
147. Common Buzzard