Little Oik !

No sign of yesterday's Yellowhammer at Old Scatness - just a single Redwing there, 2 Whooper Swans on the Loch, plus another 8 flying North, the Mallard x Pintail hybrid was on the marsh along with 3 Grey Herons. Moast Beach was pretty productive with a female type Common Scoter offshore along with a Little Auk, which eventually came very close in, showing down to 3 feet in Stinky Geo ! The Waxwing flock in the garden had increased to 16 birds by late afternoon and another Fair Isle colour ringed Starling was at Colonial Place.

It's pretty good when Little Auks show this well.

Cormorants

Colour ringed Starling

Common Scoter

Redwing

Little Oiks

A quick seawatch from the living room window into Quendale Bay revealed 1 Little Auk in among the Eiders, after doing the patch, did the same again and 10 Little Auks in the bay - inc a flock of 5 and one of 3. Pretty quiet on the patch with a 2w Iceland Gull and 2 Scaup.

Little Auks - It's amazing what you can film from the living room with an old mobile and a 'scope

Thar be Little Oiks out there - the view from the living room

Iceland Gull

The Right Choice

So the choice was to either go to the town and have look at a load of Iceland Gulls or to do the patch, seeing as the weather was quite calm and sunny, the patch won out. And what a good move it was - 2 Velvet Scoters, 6 Common Scoters, 2 Scaup and a Little Auk in West Voe (+ about 200 Long-tailed Ducks, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers and 40 Goldeneye), 2 Skylarks, 2 Snow Bunting and a Redwing flushed from the stubble field and 2 Iceland Gulls (2w, 3w) on the Loch. Miles better than the 'big smoke'.

Common Scoters

Velvet Scoters

Little Auk with Long-tailed Ducks

Scaup and Common Scoter