Moast Beach

A load of Waders on Moast Beach, nothing unusual, the best being a Common Sandpiper.

Dunlin

Ringed Plover

Common Sandpiper

Shetland Bumblebee

Days off

A couple of days off work and there has been a little bit of change on the patch, new birds were 3 summer plumaged Knot and a rather bedraggled Short-eared Owl, the back of the loch is drying out nicely and is being used by a small flock of Dunlin, the drake Garganey is still present and was joined by a female on 18/5.

Dunlin

Garganey

Knot

Short-eared Owl

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

A week of year-ticks

A week sat at home with a knackered foot was pretty productive with a few patch year-ticks - 2 Song Thrush, 4 Fieldfare, ad Iceland Gull, 1 Sanderling, 7 Dunlin, 3 Guillemot, a Siskin and 2 Woodcocks were all the first for the year on the 14th. A Collared Dove was new in on the 17th along with a Common Tern and 2 Carrion Crows on the 18th.
Along with all this were a scattering of other migrants, including 6 Robins, a Dunnock and a few Redwings, plus a few Twite visiting the garden.

Dunlin with Purple Sandpiper

Iceland Gull

Siskin

Twite

Woodcock

Wader year ticks

Being as waders seem to be pouring through all over, went around the patch looking for Ruff, managed to find 2 on the rocks near Moast Beach and also 5 Greenshank. Other waders of note were 11 Sanderling and 7 Knot.

Greenshank

Ruff, Knot, Turnstone and Dunlin

Phal

At last, a day on the patch where it's not pissing down, it was even sunny enough not to need a coat ! Besides the lingering birds from the last few days - Great Tit, Little Gull, Short-eared Owl and 5 Whooper Swans - there were new birds in 1 Wheatear, 6 Grey Heron, 12 Robins, a Peregrine, 2 Goldeneye, 4 Dunlin, 1 Jack Snipe and a Mistle Thrush (year tick). The day ended with a tame Grey Phalarope in West Voe - at this point it was nearly dark !

Grey Palarope with the day getting darker and darker.

Dunlin

Last Week

A few days about the patch last week, and it looks like Autumn is just around the corner, with a few Sanderlings, Dunlin and Turnstones moving through.

Sanderling

Turnstone and Dunlin

Shelduck

Swallows - attempted to breed this year, but failed