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