March

Apart from a fly-through Hen Harrier on the 31st, most of March was pretty much a waste of time. The usual fare managed to sneak in though with Song Thrush on the 11th, Chaffinch on the 12th, Goldcrest on the 18th, Pied Wagtail on the 26th,Moorhen, Shelduck and Bar-tailed Godwit on the 28th and a Siskin on the 31st. Despite there being Stonechats on areas outside the patch this month, I still managed not to find one!

Goldcrest

Chaffinch

Siskin

Purple Sandpiper

Fulmar

Sunset with Fitful Head

Hebrew Character

Looking southwest from the garden

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

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

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

Still a tad breezy

The wind has dropped a little bit, it's only gusting 45mph now! Checked everywhere around the patch today - all the gardens, fields, every stone wall, all the cliffs, all the beaches, every nettle and thistle patch, the docks and everywhere around Old Scatness. Good totals for the day - 1 Bean Goose, 1 Brent Goose, 55 Barnacle Geese, 5 Whooper Swan, 1 Pintail, 70 Wigeon, 2 Short-eared Owl, 1 Wood Pigeon, 3 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 21 Song Thrush, 110 Redwing, 80 Fieldfare, 1 Reed Bunting (on the cliffs this time), 4 Siskin, 1 Common Redpoll, 2 Brambling, 1 Swallow, 3 Goldcrest, 13 Robin, 3 Woodcock, 2 Wheatear and the Pied Wheatear (now showing stupidly well in Stinky Geo).

Bean Goose

Brent Goose

Bramblings

Common Redpoll

Goldcrest

Pied Wheatear

Redwing

Song Thrush

Wheatear

Back down to earth

Back to grafting on the patch after the excitement of the Accentor and Bunting, quite a few birds in - 4 Blackcaps, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 4 Song Thrush, 3 Goldcrest, 13 Redwing, 4 Chiffchaff (3 of which were 'tristis' types), 5 Wheatear, 1 Brambling and 1 Swallow.

Tristis Chiffchaffs

Blackcap

Goldcrest

Incoming

Quite a few migrants around the patch today, nothing exceptional, but it's a start.
1 Short-eared Owl, 4 Blackcaps, 9 Goldcrests, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Wheatear, 1 Brambling, 5 Song Thrush, 11 Redwing, 2 Fieldfare, 2 Robins, 1 Chiffchaff, 23 Barnacle Geese and a Shoveler.

Blackcap

Goldcrests

Lesser Whitethroat

Short-eared Owl

Silliness

A silly amount of Yellow-browed Warblers on the patch today with 5, all in an area less than 1 square km. 2 year-ticks today as well - 2 Collared Doves heading south over Colonial Place and a juv Hobby over Old Scatness. Elsewhere on the patch there were 2 Lesser Whitethroats, a Goldcrest, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 7 Wheatear, 1 Lapland Bunting, 2 Swallow, 1 Willow Warbler and a Grey Wagtail.

Yellow-browed Warblers

Goldcrest

Lesser Whitethroat