Yuksom Day Four

Another day on the forest trail out of Yuksom - 2 Great Barbet, 2 Oriental Turtle Dove, 6 Spot-winged Grosbeak, 1 White-capped Water Redstart, 2 Little Pied Flycatcher, 1 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike, 2 Small Niltava, 1 Black-capped Monarch, 1 Himalayan Bulbul, 7 Verditer Flycatcher, 2 Mountain Tailorbird, 1 Pygmy Wren-babbler, 2 Black-throated Sunbird, 1 Golden Spectacled Warbler, 1 Slaty-blue Flycatcher, 2 Broad-billed Warblers, 2 Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, 4 Oriental White-eye, 6 Short-billed Minivet, 1 Asian Barred Owlet, 1 Large Niltava, 1 Blyth's Leaf Warbler, 1 Long-tailed Thrush, 1 Black Eagle and 4 Robin Accentor - not a bad day, after 13 hours in the field.

Blyth's Leaf Warbler

Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike

Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike

Little Pied Flycatcher

Blue-tailed Jester

Common Leopard

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

Icterines Still.

The two Icterine Warblers were back in the garden (only one present yesterday) and showed quite well after the rain had gone through, 1 Greenshank, 19 Dunlin, 1 Knot and 1 Sanderling around Moast Beach, 25+ 'Alba' Wagtails dotted around Scatness and 3 Swallows over the Loch. Still quite a few Painted Ladies on the wing.

Icterine Warblers.

Icterine Warbler mimicry -

Mimicking - Flowerpecker.....

.....Treecreeper.....

....and Wryneck.

Painted Lady.

Kittiwake.

Ringed Plover.

Wheatear.

Mass Fledging.

It seems like today was the day that everything fledged ! loads of young Starlings around Scatness and at least 3 broods of Wrens all moving about the dry stone walls (no doubt the Wrens will be trying to help me in their own way soon, as they empty my Moth trap before I get to it !).
18 Whimbrel (14 flying south & 4 on the beach) look like signs of autumn being just around the corner.
Several Painted Ladies seen flying around as well.

Wrens.

Rock Pipit.

Painted Lady.

Swifts and more Crossbills.

After a pretty bird-less day, sat in the garden after tea - 6 Crossbills (3 male, 3 female) came into the roses and left within minutes, 7 Swifts flying around, screaming, overhead for about 90 minutes - as Swift doesn't breed anywhere near Shetland, not sure where they came from or where they thought they were going !

Swifts.

Crossbill.

Red Admiral.

Heatwave.

Very little wind and constant sunshine all day made it feel almost like the Med ! The day started with what was to be just a quick scan from the Garden, looking north towards Quendale to see if I could finally get the Honey Buzzard on the house-list, after scanning for a few minutes, picked up a raptor flying towards me, but still miles away. After dashing inside to get the 'scope, the bird had got a bit closer, however, once in the 'scope it turned out to be the White-tailed Eagle and not the HB ! After getting as close as Exnaboe, the bird then turned around and flew back north out of sight.
Finally got to the end of the Scatness road, just as a Warbler disappeared into the 'Subalp' Roses, as I stopped to try and push it out to get some views of it, shockingly, an Otter came out instead ! Managed to get some views in the end of a Marsh Warbler, as it showed on and off, but was singing quite often. Later in the day 6 Canada Geese flew past the house towards the Loch.
A Grey Wagtail was on the house roof at 10pm.
Several Painted Ladies and Silver Ys on the wing.


Canada Geese.

Otter.

Painted Lady.

Silver Y.

Sub Alp Dip.

Managed to dip on a male Subalpine Warbler just down the road at the end of Scatness - due to the fact that Vodafone can't seem to be able to maintain a signal when the weather is sunny and calm - maybe they need some kind of digital Viagra for the mast on Mossy Hill ! After searching for the Subalp for about 5 hours in total to no avail, did, at least see some other stuff - a male Ring-necked/Tufted Hybrid on the Loch, 2 1st summer Iceland Gulls (inc 1 showing some characteristics of Kumlien's Gull), 3 Fieldfare, 2 Swallow, a Sand Martin, 2 Chiffchaff and an Arctic Skua. Also a Large White in the Rhubarb Patch.


Large White.

Fulmar.

Oystercatcher & Bonxie.

Arctic Skua.

Iceland Gull (showing some characteristics of Kumlien's Gull).

Sand Martin (honest).

Swallow.