Shetland Misfit: Arctic Tern

Showing posts with label Arctic Tern. Show all posts

Friday, 5 May 2017

Wood Sand

The first Arctic Terns of the year appeared on the patch today with 12 in West Voe and 18 off Moast Beach. Elsewhere there was a Kestrel over the house, 3 Reed Buntings by the Loch, 5 Swallow and 4 willow Warbler by Moast Beach and 5 Whimbrel and 4 Black-tailed Godwit headed North in the evening, and a Wood Sandpiper was on the marsh at the back of the Loch.

Arctic Terns

Reed Bunting

Wood Sandpiper

Wednesday, 22 June 2016

Terns and a first

Sandwich Tern on the patch today, and a first for Shetland in the form of a Flame Carpet in the garden - it did jump from the trap, but I did manage to get a photo of it before it flew from the garden.

Arctic Terns

Flame Carpet

Sandwich Tern

Thursday, 31 July 2014

Off

A week off and around the patch the good news is that there's young Arctic Terns everywhere, about time too. Also quite a few waders about as well - 120+ Sanderling, 80+ Dunlin and 11 Knot.

Arctic Skua

Arctic Terns

Dunlin

Sanderling

Sanderling and Dunlin

Painted Lady

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Terns

So far this summer, Shetland has done pretty well with rare Terns - Little, Caspian, Bridled and Roseate (2 on Fair Isle today). So this evening went out to check the Scatness Arctic Tern colony, needless to say there were no rare Terns, but the first summer bird was still knocking about.

First summer bird

Adults

Sunday, 8 June 2014

DVT

Some 'Dale's Voe Trash' from this evening -

Arctic Tern

Guillemot

Sunday, 1 June 2014

Portlandica

'Portlandica' Arctic Tern on the patch this morning, adults have a hard enough time breeding nowadays, so quite why 1st summer birds bother to make the journey is a bit of a mystery.

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Bits

A few birds from around the patch from the last few days -

Arctic Terns

Spotted Flycatcher

Whinchat

Saturday, 8 June 2013

Black & White

Arctic Terns in black and white, taken on the patch this morning.

Friday, 17 May 2013

Last Week

Sporadic visits to the patch over the last week, highlights include a Wood Sandpiper on the Loch on the 11th along with around 250 Arctic Terns and 40 Purple Sandpipers, a Lesser Whitethroat in the garden all week, 6 Willow Warbler on the 11th, 4 Carrion Crows and 13 Great Northern Divers on the 12th, Tree Pipit in the garden on the 14th and 2 Garden Warblers and another Tree Pipit on the 17th.

Arctic Terns

Great Northern Diver

Purple Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Monday, 20 June 2011

'Portlandica' ?

As promised at some time, I can't remember when, some more shots of the 'portlandica' Arctic Tern at Scatness last Friday. If indeed they are still known as 'portlandicas' or whether or not this is one. Whatever the case it still looks a little out of place in amongst the Arctic Tern colony.

The 'portlandica'

Typical Arctic Tern

Vomit Birds

Puffins - only included because they are patch year-ticks !

Shags

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 !!!!