Water Pig

A few more year-ticks - Mute Swan, male Reed Bunting and 2 House Martins, elsewhere around the patch - 12 Swallows, 4 Sand Martin, Willow Warbler plus, a male Common Scoter in West Voe.

Mute Swan.

 Reed Bunting

 House Martin.



Common Scoter.

Bandwagon Special

So Kate Middleton is following in Diana's footsteps, inheriting her sapphire engagement ring.

I wonder what she'll do for her hen night?
One of those foreign city weekend packages, perhaps?
She could go and get smashed in Paris !


Prince Harry is gutted at not being invited to the wedding.
Apparently it's family only !

So William and Katie are to marry today.
The same day as Adolf Hitler's wedding anniversary. Nice to see The Queen honouring her home country's most famous leader.

The Dartford Tunnel was closed for four hours yesterday while staff searched for Kate Middleton's engagement ring which she had accidently thrown out of the car window.

Ms Middleton said later. "I was driving through the tunnel, when the car pulled slightly to the left, & I just panicked"

PARASITES !!

Shortie

Short-eared Owl over the house this morning being mobbed by just about everything - Gulls, Crows, Oystercatchers, Starlings and Meadow Pipits. Also a Song Thrush on the patch was a year-tick. The Lesser Whitethroat is still in the garden with a Willow Warbler.

Short-eared Owl.

Lesser Whitethroat.

Sandwich

Another day on the patch with a fine year-tick of Sandwich Tern on the Loch, arsing about with the Common Gulls and Kittwakes. Elsewhere just 8 Swallows, a Sand Martin, a Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff.

Wheatear.

 

       Swallow. 

  Sandwich Tern.

Bonxie. 

This balloon was floating about on the beach in front of the house, the nearest SCS to Scatness is in Dundee - 269 miles away - drift migration in action !

Big Birds - Deja Vu

On June 7th last year 4 Common Cranes flew over the patch and then later in the day I found a couple of 'borealis' Eider in West Voe (link here). Today I found a drake 'borealis' Eider in West Voe and later 2 Common Cranes flew over ther house - DEJA VU !!! Elsewhere on the patch there was 3 Willow Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Sand Martins, a Swallow and 2 Chiffchaffs.

 

 'borealis' Eider

.

Common Cranes.

Good, Good Friday.

Thrashing about on the patch, and it was clear that last nights south-easterly had worked a little bit, with 2 Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler in the garden, a Whitethroat in among the stone walls, a male Pintail on the loch and a Common Tern near Moast Beach.
Late afternoon was big bonus time, with a text from Mr Fray saying that there was a 1st summer Med Gull behind his house, unfortunatly it was asleep. Got the 'scope set up on the flock from the top of the garden and after about 20 minutes the bird woke up (thank you Mr Bonxie !) and started preening - house tick 181 in the bag !

Chiffchaff.

Common Tern.

Pintail.

White Wingers

The day started with adult Glaucous Gull and 1st year Iceland Gull both in front of the house, after this went right out to the tip of Scatness with the sole intent of year-ticking Guillemot (long overdue), sea-watched for about 10 minutes until a flock of 12 flew past (that's enough sea-watching for this year !) and the added a bonus bird in the shape of 3 Sand Martins around the cliffs. Elsewhere around the patch there was 5 Swallows, a White Wagtail and a Chiffchaff.

Fulmars.

Glaucous Gull.

Iceland Gull.

More From Last Week

The first Chiffchaff of the year in the garden.

Followed closely by the first Blackcap of the year.

Shelduck.

Non-hovering Skylark.

Rook - another year tick.

Twite

Some Twite in the garden from last week -

Some Stuff from Friday

Redshank in the low evening sun. Red-breasted Megansers (and local pub) Purple Sandpiper - still over 100 on the patch.

Grelag Geese - 10 or so present all winter, now 30+ on the patch.

Dunnock - a most welcome year-tick, it's not foggy by the way, my kitchen window was covered in sea salt !

Uptown Top Rankin'

Class, Class, Class !!! Anyone who doesn't like this tune is lamer than a three legged dog walking through Acacia scrub !

The Bullies are Back

The highlight of the day was the return of the Bonxies, with at least 2 kicking about in the bay, also on the patch - the ad Glaucous Gull was on the Loch (until the coastguard helicopter scattered everything !), the Robin is still in the garden (it's been present since last November), and a single Fieldfare around the stone walls. Great Skua. Oystercatcher. Robin. Fieldfare.

Huge Improvement Alf !

Well not that huge, but two year tick will do fine - Gadwall and Lesser Black-backed Gull, also kicking around was a fine adult Glauc and a Warbler sp flitting around the garden at dusk.

Glaucous Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Gadwall.