Shetland Misfit: October 2016

Monday, 31 October 2016

Scary Veg Day

The day started with 3 Goldfinch in the garden, obviously new birds, so I thrashed the patch once again and there were indeed birds on the move - 10 Whooper Swans (7 flying south and 3 on the Loch), a female Chaffinch on West Voe beach of all places, 1 Merlin, 4 Robins, 1 Blackcap (on Moast Beach), 40 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush and the Slav Grebe was still in West Voe along with 2 Great Northern Divers and 45 Long-tailed Ducks.

Goldfinches

Redwing

Slavonian Grebe

Whooper Swans

Sunday, 30 October 2016

Scraps

Still a few bits moving through the patch - 4 Robin, 1 Merlin, 2 Song Thrush, 40 Redwing, 1 Woodcock, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Brambling. 3 Pink-footed Geese were in front of the house first thing but soon moved on.

Brambling

Chiffchaff

Saturday, 29 October 2016

Another year tick

I thought the patch might have another year tick in it before the autumn was through, and it did - a Slavonian Grebe in West Voe. Still a few migrants around the patch, surprising really after the westerly gales of the last few days - 2 Blackcaps, 2 Robins and a Chiffchaff still kicking about and 3 Pink-footed Geese in front of the house.

Slavonian Grebe

Robin

And a few more close ups -

Lichens

Raindrops

Rosehip seeds

More raindrops

Macro and stuff

A few of the macro pics I took this year

Crocosmia - with solar filter, plain and close up of bud

Dock seed

Red Campion

Stinging Nettle

Rosa Rugosa

Daisy

Calendula

Rush Veneer

Shells

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Nearly over

Today it really felt like the autumn was coming to an end, the winds have swung round to the south west and bird numbers had plummeted - 1 Woodcock, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Pink-footed Goose, 1 Barnacle Goose, 2 Robin, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Fieldfare, 30 Redwing and 3 Red-breasted Merganser. It looks like the Pied Wheatear has finally moved on.

Red-breasted Mergansers

The neep field where the Hawfinch was on Sunday

A day of sunshine and showers

Monday, 24 October 2016

Still there

Amazingly the Pied Wheatear is still here (11th day) and remaining faithful to Stink Geo. Still a few bits and pieces around the rest of the patch - 5 Robin, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Goldcrest, 1 Pink-footed Goose, 1 Barnacle Goose, 60 Redwing, 19 Fieldfare, 85 Twite, 2 Wheatear and a Blackcap.

Pied Wheatear

Goldcrest

Sunday, 23 October 2016

At last !!!

A last a Hawfinch on the patch! A long overdue record, I flushed the bird from the edge of the large neep field by West Voe, it the circled the field twice and promptly dropped down right in the middle, despite my trying, it just never came out again. The odd thing about Hawfinches in South Mainland is that north of the runway (Toab/Exnaboe area) they are virtually annual, south of the runway (Scatness/Sumburgh) - 3 records in 14 years, and 2 of those have been this year!
Still not much other movement on the patch - Pied Wheatear (11th day), 2 Northern Wheatear, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Robin, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Grey Wagtail, 30 Fieldfare, 50 Redwing, 80 Twite and 19 Carrion Crow (heading east towards Sumburgh).

Goldcrest

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wheatear

Saturday, 22 October 2016

Clear Out

Quite a bit of a clear out at Scatness, migrants decidedly thin on the ground (thin in the air too!). totals for the day - 1 Blackcap, 3 Robins, 2 Goldcrest (one of which was very grey headed), 2 Song Thrush, 1 Barnacle Goose, 1 Pink-footed Goose, 1 Merlin, 1 Northern Wheatear, Pied Wheatear still in Stinky Geo, 1 Chiffchaff, 50 Twite, 40 Fieldfare and 30 Redwing.

'Grey-headed' Goldcrest

Chiffchaff

Northern Wheatear

Pied Wheatear

Song Thrush

Friday, 21 October 2016

Waxwings and.... one of them things

Out on the patch again and the Pied Wheatear is still present along with 2 Northern Wheatears, Barnacle Goose, Pink-footed Goose and 17 Tufted Ducks on the Loch, 3 Song Thrush, 120 Twite and 3 Siskins out on the headland, 3 Robins and a Blackcap were in the gardens, 80 Fieldfare and 60 Redwings were scattered throughout the patch, 2 Waxwing and a Blackcap were in my garden, another Waxwing and a Water Rail was by the bus stop. And the other thing.... a mad looking Lesser Whitethroat on bunker hill, so brown looking that I initially thought it was an Acro! It also had a lot of white in the tail, noticeably short wings and no contrast between the mask and the crown.

Waxwings

Pied Wheatear

Northern Wheatear

Lesser Whitethroat

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 !!!!