Shetland Misfit: February 2016

Sunday, 28 February 2016

Last of the good weather

Being as today is forecast to be the last fine day for a while with more typical Shetland weather returning tomorrow, I thought I'd get out and just take a few pics of various bits around the patch. I did manage a year tick though in the form of a Woodcock - well there may have been 2, I had flushed a bird by the end of the road and 90 minutes or so later flushed it or another from by Sanblister beach. Cracking views of 2 Merlins at Stinky Geo as they tried to get at the Starlings that had sought sanctuary in there to avoid the attack.

Merlin

Oystercatchers

Purple Sandpipers

Rock Pipit

Early evening from the house

Saturday, 27 February 2016

Ducks and Stuff

Shockingly the wind speed was only 3mph on Shetland today! Even though this made for easy birding, I still couldn't find a year tick on the patch. Apart from 23 Great Northern Divers, a Skylark and a Merlin, the patch seemed to be full of Ducks - 150 Long-tailed Duck, 5 Common Scoter, 1 Velvet Scoter, 10 Red-breasted Merganser and 29 Goldeneye were in West Voe, and 2 Shelduck, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 45 Teal, 7 Tufted Ducks and 4 Goldeneye were on Loch of Gards.

Velvet Scoter

Goldeneye

Long-tailed Duck

Red-breasted Mergansers

Shelduck

Loch of Gards and Fitful Head

Sumburgh Head from Scatness

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

No change

Back out on the patch after a fortnight, and virtually no change apart from some snow! The Velvet Scoter and 5 Common Scoters are still in West Voe with the Long-tailed Ducks and the Robin is still around Colonial Place.

Long-tailed Duck

Robin

Quendale Bay and Fitful Head

Looking towards Toab

West Voe and Compass Head

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

1066 - Back to the old patch

Have been back south for the last week, and while I was there I visited the old patch a couple of times. Moore NR seems to have become even more popular with visitors than it was when I left in 2002 and even more birdless - coincidence? Anyway the highlights were a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls on Birchwood Pool, a leucistic Black-headed Gull on Pumphouse Pool, Kingfishers around the Eastern Reedbed and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker singing in Lapwing Lane Alder Woods. And the post title? This is my 1066th post - and nothing to do with any battles on the south coast.

Kingfisher

Leucistic Black-headed Gull

Canadian Water Pig

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Jay

Pheasant

Pochard

Lapwing Lane alder woods

Birchwood Pool

Eastern Reedbed

Feeding Station

Lapwing Lane

Lapwing Lane Pool

Pumphouse Pool

Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Glauc

2w Glaucous Gull on the patch today, the only other thing of note was the first Skylark of the year.

Glaucous Gull

Great Black-backed Gull - presumably a victim of storm Henry

The view from the garden

Saturday, 6 February 2016

Typical 2nd winter Common Gulls

A few shots of more typical 2w Common Gulls as a comparison to the bird seen on 30/1/16.

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 !!!!