Shetland Misfit: September 2014

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Myrtle the Turtle

After spending most of yesterday unsuccessfully searching for the Yellow-rumped Warbler that disappeared from Virkie just after first light, it was a bit of a bonus when it was relocated this morning at the Grutness garden. So that was me heading off for a Shetland tick then, but not before coffee and bacon !

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Post 1000

Still stuck in work for 12 hours a night, but as it's the 1000th blog post, here are a few cripplers that have appeared on here in the last few years -

Brown Flycatcher - Fair Isle

Brown-headed Cowbird - Fair Isle

Cretzschmar's Bunting - Fair Isle

Caspian Stonechat - Fair Isle

Chestnut-eared Bunting - Virkie

Citril Finch - Fair Isle

Calandra Lark - Baltasound

Pine Crosbeak - Collafirth

Sandhill Crane - Orkney

Scop's Owl - Swinning

Siberian Rubythroat - Gulberwick

Siberian Rubythroat - Fair Isle

Siberian Thrush - Foula

Siberian Thrush - Fair Isle

Veery - Foula

Taiga Flycatcher - Fetlar

Wood Duck - Loch of Brow

White-throated Sparrow - Sumburgh Farm

Thursday, 11 September 2014

Barred

Just as I'm about to go back to work for another 14 nights, the Barred Warbler that has been in the garden for the last few days, finally decided to put on a show - just a pity it was in the fog and only viewable from the kitchen window. I've just noticed that this is my 999th post on this blog ! - I'll maybe do something a bit special for my next post.

Tuesday, 9 September 2014

Little Stints Galore

A most pleasant day with very light westerly winds and sunshine, so I reckoned it would be a good call to check all the gardens around Scatness and find some drift migrants, 90 minutes later and a grand total of 1 Whinchat ! Over the last few weeks there has been a small flock of waders out on the headland, so I then went to check these out and today the small flock was a very small flock - a flock just 3 birds ! But that was OK as it consisted of 1 Dunlin and 2 Little Stints, with this in mind I the checked all the beaches and found a further 5 Little Stints - 3 on Moast Beach, 1 on Sanblister Beach and 1 on Scord Beach (along with 32 Sanderling) - so not too bad of a day especially without any south-easterly winds.

Sanderlings

Little Stints

Whinchat

Sunday, 7 September 2014

After the Rain

Finally got out around the patch after the rain had cleared (constant rain for about 20 hours !), a Willow Warbler and an elusive Barred Warbler in the garden gave me a little bit of hope for the rest of the patch. Whilst walking along the road between gardens, a most unexpected surprise was a Grasshopper Warbler, flushed from the roadside ditch - I think that this is just the second record of Grasshopper Warbler at Scatness - so is now as common as Lanceolated Warbler !!! And finally, just before dark, a Common Rosefinch in one of the gardens of Colonial Place (too flighty and too dark to get a photo, so I'm using an old one).

Common Rosefinch

Wheatear

Willow Warbler

About Me

Sometimes I try to do things but it just doesn't work out the way I want it to, and I get real frustrated and then like I try hard to do it, and I like, take my time but it just doesn't work out the way I want it to. It's like, I concentrate on it real hard, but it just doesn't work out. And everything I do and everything I try, it never turns out. It's like, I need time to figure these things out, but there's always someone there going “hey Steve, you know we've been noticing you've been having a lot of problems lately, you know? You need to maybe get away. And like, maybe you should talk about it, you'll feel a lot better.” And I'm all like “oh, nah, it's ok, you know. I'll figure it out. Just leave me alone, I'll figure it out, you know? I'm just working on it by myself.” And they go “well, you know, if you wanna talk about it, I'll be here, you know? And you'll probably feel a lot better if you talk about it. So why don't you talk about it?” I go “no, I don't want to! I'm ok. I'll figure it out myself!” But they just keep bugging me, they just keep bugging me, and it builds up inside.I was in my house and I was just like staring at the walls thinking about everything, but then again I was thinking about nothing. And then my wife came in, and I didn't even know she was there. She called my name and I didn't hear her and then she started screaming “Steve, Steve !” And I go “what ? What's the matter ?” She goes “what's the matter with you?” I go “there's nothing wrong” She’s all “don't tell me that ! You're on drugs !” I go “FFS, I'm not on drugs. I'm ok, I'm just thinking, you know? Why don't you get me a Pepsi?” She goes “No! You're on drugs!” I go “I'm ok. I'm just thinking.” She goes “No! You're not thinking, you're on drugs! Normal people don't be acting that way!” I go “just get me a Pepsi ! Please, all I want is a Pepsi !” And she wouldn't give it to me! All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me! Just a Pepsi !I'm sitting in my house, when a couple of my mates came in. they pulled up a chair and they sat down. They go “Steve, we need to talk to you.” And I go “ok, what's the matter?” They go “we've noticed that lately you've been having a lot of problems, and you've been going off on one for no reason, and we're afraid you're going to hurt somebody, and we're afraid you're going to hurt yourself. So we decided that it would be in your best interest if we put you somewhere where you could get the help that you need.” And I go “wait, what are you talking about, WE decided ? MY best interests ? How do you know what MY best interest is ? How can you say what MY best interest is ? What are you trying to say? I'm crazy ? They say they're gonna fix my brain. Alleviate my suffering and my pain. But by the time they fix my head, Mentally I'll be dead. They stuck me in an institution, said it was the only solution, to give me the needed professional help, to protect me from the enemy, myself !
Doesn't matter, I'll probably get hit by a car anyways !!!!