Find Tick, Patch Tick, Year Tick

Light winds all day so there had to be something on the patch, the day started quite well with 8 Greenfinch in the garden (until the postman sent them packing), then, for some reason, I decided to do my usual walk around the patch in reverse today, starting at Sanblister beach. The beach held the usual 2 Redshank along with a fly by Red-breasted Merganser, next stop was Scord beach, after walking through the dune remnants, 3 small waders flew in and landed briefly - 2 Ringed Plovers and something a lot smaller, as soon as I raised my bins they took flight - 2 Ringed Plover and a White-rumped Sandpiper ! I managed a few record shots and the phoned POV, who relocated the Sandpiper on Virkie 30 minutes later. The rest of the patch was a bit of a disappointment after that - 3 Blackcaps, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Merlin, 2 Whooper Swans, a single Redwing and 3 Black-tailed Godwits.

White-rumped Sandpiper

Blackcap

Black-tailed Godwits

Greenfinch

The Weekend

Friday - A quick dash around the patch in the afternoon, and a year-tick - Pochard on the Loch ! Elsewhere around Scatness 4 Short-eared Owls, 4 Robin, a Grey Plover, a Woodcock, a Greenfinch and the ever present Great Tit.

Greenfinch

Pochard

Saturday - The Great Tit and Greenfinch remain in the garden, plus flyover Peregrine and Merlin

Today - Being as there seems to be Bean Geese everywhere, out on the patch on a goose chase, the only flock at Scatness was a party of 20 Greylags plus 4 White-fronts, a single Pink-footed in front of the house and another 4 flying north, but no Beans ! There was another year-tick on the go though, a Scaup has joined the Pochard on the Loch, a few migrants were notable - 3 Wood Pigeons, 5 Robins and 5 Snow Buntings. Still plenty of Blackbirds and Fieldfare knocking about.

Pink-footed Goose

Scaup (last 2 with Pochard)

Greylags plus 4 White-fronts

Belated Update

Now that the broadband seems to be moving a bit quicker, time for a quick update from the last few weeks.
A day out dipping the Alpine Swift at Laxo on the 29/9, was salvaged a bit with Lesser Grey Shrike nearby,
A Brambling and a Jack Snipe were patch year-ticks on the 30/9 and so was Greenfinch on 2/10, a day when there were Olive-backed Pipits all over the place, apart from Scatness that is, where I managed to find a Tree Pipit instead !!!
A quick dash up to Cunningsburgh on the 1/10 and Alpine Swift gripped back - putting me on 349 for Shetland !
The big 350 fell soon after with an adult Sabine's Gull in front of the house - county tick, patch tick and house tick !
Bits and pieces around the patch included 4 Grey Plovers and 7 Snow Buntings on 10/10, and another patch tick, Little Grebe on the 14/10 and 2 Short-eared Owls on the 16/10.
A few interesting Moths at the end of September, the best being Red Sword Grass and Dark Sword Grass.

Alpine Swift at Cunningsburgh and Lesser Grey Shrike at Laxo (Phots - Jim Nicolson)

Grey Heron

Greenfinch

Grey Plover

Redwing

Whooper Swans

Little Grebe

Short-eared Owl

Snow Bunting

Red Sword Grass

Dark Sword Grass

At Last.

Some migrants have finally found Scatness - a Robin, 2 Chaffinch and 2 Greenfinch in the garden, 6 Rooks in front of the house (4 flew on to Toab), Pied Wagtail near the Loch, a Carrion Crow and a Wheatear on Scord Beach. With northerly winds and snow forecast for the next 4 days, that could well be it for now.
Collared Dove in the garden yesterday.

Wheatear.

Greenfinch.

Rooks.

Hell 'n' Dale.

A trip into Lerwick gave me about 90 minutes to spend birding, so I went to Helendale, mainly to get out of the strong wind. It was, however quite calm amongst the trees there, with singing Common Redpoll, Willow Warbler and Greenfinch sounded very spring-like. The only other birds of note were 7 Wood Pigeons in Helendale, 2 Wood Pigeons near Sandy Loch, 2 Linnets in the Garden and 9 Arctic Terns over the House.


Greenfinch.

Greenfinch.

Common Redpoll.

Common Redpoll.

Willow Warbler.

Willow Warbler.

Wood Pigeons.

Greenfinch.

Blackcap and Chiffchaff in Virkie Willows, Greenfinch in Catnap's Garden and 2 Chaffinch and a Chiffchaff in my Garden.

Greenfinch.

Garden Year-list Boost.

Wasn't very optimistic about today at all - thick fog all around South Mainland, however after a Mistle Thrush flew over the Garden at 10:40 this morning, things started to look up. Black-tailed Godwit on Virkie and Linnet in Virkie Willows, 6 Redwing at Sumburgh Head, a Wood Pigeon, Redwing, 3 Fieldfare and 2 Wheatear at Grutness and Greenfinch, 2 Chaffinch, Collared Dove and Fieldfare in the Garden (Mistle Thrush, Chaffinch and Collared Dove - all Garden Year-ticks + Mistle Thrush being a full on Garden Tick and Scatness Tick).


Collared Dove.

Chaffinch.

Greenfinch.

Redwing (in the fog !).

Wheatear (1st of the spring).

Greenfinch.

Easterly winds all night - at last a migrant - Greenfinch in the Garden !!

*New photo added to 'miscellaneous debris' gallery.