Post Conor

At the height of Storm Conor yesterday there were Gulls everywhere, so it was safe to assume there would be loads today - there wasn't! Around the patch there was 4 Whooper Swans heading south, 10 Red-breasted Mergansers in West Voe, a storm blown Guillemot hanging about some dry-stone walls (later captured and released back to the sea) and 2 Meadow Pipits and a Redwing in the neep crop.

Storm Conor at full chat yesterday

Guillemot

Common Gull

Whooper Swans

A victim of Storm Conor - or potential Ivory Gull food

DVT

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

Arctic Tern

Guillemot

Blown

Not only has the patch been blown to pieces with the wind, my computer has now blown the hard drive - disaster, I'm currently using a 10 year old laptop ! Anyway, down to earth and back on the patch, there at least seem to be more waders knocking about now, with 8 Knot, 18 Dunlin and the resident Black-tailed Godwit, not a lot else beside a Guillemot sheltering off Moast Beach.

Black-tailed Godwit

Guillemot

Day Tripper

Out on all day trip on a chartered ferry around Yell and Fetlar, starting at Toft, then heading north-west to the Ramna Stacks, the back down the west side of Yell, through Yell Sound and out around Fetlar and the east side of Yell, before finally returning to Toft some eight hours later.
A pretty good day all in all, with views of places that you can't normally see (especially west Yell) and some damned fine views of Minke Whale.


Ramna Stacks.

Guillemot.

Black Guillemot.

Minke Whale.

Returning to Toft.

Midnight Sunset.

Midnight sunset cruise around the north end of Mainland Shetland, starting at Toft and going all the way around Northmavine and Eshaness around to St Magnus Bay. Unfortunately it had clouded over by midnight, so no sunset, but stunning views of the coastline all evening. not so much in the way of birds (past a few Auk colonies on the sea stacks), but this was more about scenery than anything else - Brilliant !
2 Storm Petrels seen after midnight around the Ramna Stacks area.
For details of the next trip of this ilk see - http://www.shetlandnaturefestival.co.uk/whats_on.html
The evening ended with a rather vocal Corncrake at a special secret location at two o'clock in the morning !


Auk Colony on the Ramna Stacks.

Dor Holm.

Eshaness Lighthouse.

Lang Ayre Beach.

Sea Stacks.

The Back of Ronas Hill.

Gannet.

Guillemot.

Large White in the Garden.

Back Home into Chaos.

Left Fair Isle at 6am on the Good Shepherd, getting into Lerwick at 10.20 - a lot smoother than yesterday's trip with close views of Seabirds on the way. Got back to Sumburgh at about 11.30, jamming straight into the White-tailed Eagle, soaring high over Fitful Head and eventually disappearing into the clouds. The 2 Black Duck were on the Loch at Scatness (patch tick) and eventually made it onto the House List in the afternoon (164), the day ended with an adult summer Franklin's Gull near Sullom Voe (found by the Assassin) loosely associating with the Black-headed Gull colony before flying off into the hills. All in all - quite a hectic 2 days !

Guillemots from the Good Shepherd.

White-tailed Eagle (honest !)

Franklin's Gull.