Shetland Misfit: Kumlien's Gull

Showing posts with label Kumlien's Gull. Show all posts

Thursday, 15 February 2018

Scooby Snacks

So last year Tesco's were selling off their old stock of dog biscuits really cheap and I had a plan, I bought as much as I could, something in the region of 60kg and, as I don't own a dog, stored them all in the shed for a day like today. This morning there was about 500 Gulls around the patch, they probably came in with the gales yesterday, so I grabbed about 20kg of dog biscuits and went down to Moast Beach and chucked the lot in the sea! Within about 30 minutes the Gull numbers had shot up to near 2000! Amazingly more than half of them were Common Gulls and only 1 Black-headed Gull, plus the usual array of big/small, light/dark Herring Gulls, of the 100 or so Greater Blacks present there was an interesting, very black and white 'checkerboard' 1w that didn't hang around too long. Best of all though were 2 Iceland Gulls (quite scarce on Shetland so far this winter) one of which had a fair bit of 'Hybrid Swarm' Gull (Kumlien's) in it.

Iceland Gull

Kumlien's hybrid swarm Gull

Friday, 16 December 2016

White (ish) Wingers

Masses of Gulls on the patch today including a 1w Glauc and an Adult Kumlien's.

Glaucous Gull

Kumlien's Gull

Shag

Monday, 1 February 2016

January Sum-up

Highlights around the patch in January were -

2 Little Gulls in West Voe on 1/1
2 Barnacle Geese in front of the house on and off 4/1 to 11/1
Jack Snipe on 11/1
Black-throated Diver in Quendale Bay 11/1 - 13/1
2 Scaup in West Voe on 14/1
Velvet Scoter in West Voe all month
Kumlien's Gull at Moast Beach on 28/1

PWC - Species: 62, Points: 90

Barnacle Geese

Velvet Scoter with Common Scoters

Kumlien's Gull

Little Gulls

January's PWC Islands League

Thursday, 28 January 2016

Kumlien's

As the weather was a bit shite, I had resigned myself to just checking fly-bys from the living room window. There were a fair few gulls heading south in a constant stream, so I mainly just scanned through these, and then I picked up a white-winger out over the sea and heading towards Moast Beach. As there were plenty of Gulls feeding there yesterday, I decided to brave the elements and head down there - and bingo! a 3w Kumlien's Gull feeding in the surf.

Tuesday, 7 February 2012

The Angels of Lerwick

Spent all day at the Shetland Catch with the Iceland Gulls, about 35 using the area with another 4 in Lerwick town centre. Most of the ones at the catch were showing some influence of coming from the hybrid swarm, albeit very subtle at times.

About Me

Sometimes I try to do things but it just doesn't work out the way I want it to, and I get real frustrated and then like I try hard to do it, and I like, take my time but it just doesn't work out the way I want it to. It's like, I concentrate on it real hard, but it just doesn't work out. And everything I do and everything I try, it never turns out. It's like, I need time to figure these things out, but there's always someone there going “hey Steve, you know we've been noticing you've been having a lot of problems lately, you know? You need to maybe get away. And like, maybe you should talk about it, you'll feel a lot better.” And I'm all like “oh, nah, it's ok, you know. I'll figure it out. Just leave me alone, I'll figure it out, you know? I'm just working on it by myself.” And they go “well, you know, if you wanna talk about it, I'll be here, you know? And you'll probably feel a lot better if you talk about it. So why don't you talk about it?” I go “no, I don't want to! I'm ok. I'll figure it out myself!” But they just keep bugging me, they just keep bugging me, and it builds up inside.I was in my house and I was just like staring at the walls thinking about everything, but then again I was thinking about nothing. And then my wife came in, and I didn't even know she was there. She called my name and I didn't hear her and then she started screaming “Steve, Steve !” And I go “what ? What's the matter ?” She goes “what's the matter with you?” I go “there's nothing wrong” She’s all “don't tell me that ! You're on drugs !” I go “FFS, I'm not on drugs. I'm ok, I'm just thinking, you know? Why don't you get me a Pepsi?” She goes “No! You're on drugs!” I go “I'm ok. I'm just thinking.” She goes “No! You're not thinking, you're on drugs! Normal people don't be acting that way!” I go “just get me a Pepsi ! Please, all I want is a Pepsi !” And she wouldn't give it to me! All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me! Just a Pepsi !I'm sitting in my house, when a couple of my mates came in. they pulled up a chair and they sat down. They go “Steve, we need to talk to you.” And I go “ok, what's the matter?” They go “we've noticed that lately you've been having a lot of problems, and you've been going off on one for no reason, and we're afraid you're going to hurt somebody, and we're afraid you're going to hurt yourself. So we decided that it would be in your best interest if we put you somewhere where you could get the help that you need.” And I go “wait, what are you talking about, WE decided ? MY best interests ? How do you know what MY best interest is ? How can you say what MY best interest is ? What are you trying to say? I'm crazy ? They say they're gonna fix my brain. Alleviate my suffering and my pain. But by the time they fix my head, Mentally I'll be dead. They stuck me in an institution, said it was the only solution, to give me the needed professional help, to protect me from the enemy, myself !
Doesn't matter, I'll probably get hit by a car anyways !!!!