Shetland Misfit: Oystercatcher.

Showing posts with label Oystercatcher.. Show all posts

Tuesday, 22 March 2016

Trickling in

A few migrants are now trickling into the patch - a few Fieldfares are kicking about, Oystercatchers are now up to near the 100 mark, a Moorhen was on the Loch yesterday and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were there today. Otherwise the patch is pretty static with 4 Common Scoter and 1 Velvet Scoter still in West Voe being the only thing of note.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Oystercatchers

Sunday, 28 February 2016

Last of the good weather

Being as today is forecast to be the last fine day for a while with more typical Shetland weather returning tomorrow, I thought I'd get out and just take a few pics of various bits around the patch. I did manage a year tick though in the form of a Woodcock - well there may have been 2, I had flushed a bird by the end of the road and 90 minutes or so later flushed it or another from by Sanblister beach. Cracking views of 2 Merlins at Stinky Geo as they tried to get at the Starlings that had sought sanctuary in there to avoid the attack.

Merlin

Oystercatchers

Purple Sandpipers

Rock Pipit

Early evening from the house

Thursday, 4 February 2016

Another boring day

Spent all day wandering around the patch and the only thing different was there are now 5 Common Scoters with the Velvet in West Voe along with 2 Great Northern Divers and 29 Goldeneye. The rest of the patch was equally as slow - 9 Great Northerns in Quendale Bay and 6 Tufted Duck, 120 Teal and 65 Wigeon on the Loch. A few small signs of spring being on the way, there are a few more Oystercatchers and Curlew about.

Curlew

Fulmar

Oystercatcher

Teal

Monday, 11 January 2016

Velvet Scoter

The first calmish day for a while, and the Velvet Scoter in West Voe finally came into camera range. Also in West Voe were 70 Long-tailed Duck, 9 Goldeneye and 2 Tysties. On the rest of the patch there were 85 Wigeon, 2 Tufted Duck and 40 Teal on the Loch, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Purple Sandpiper and a Jack Snipe out on the headland, plus a fly over flock of 100+ Lapwing with a single Golden Plover in amongst them. The goose flock in front of the house had a reappearance of the 2 Barnacle Geese.

Velvet Scoter

Barnacle Geese

Eiders

Oystercatcher

Purple Sandpiper

Looking south from the headland

Simburgh Head from Scatness

Mammatus clouds - the first time I've seen these on Shetland

Monday, 30 June 2014

Debris

Some miscellaneous debris from around the patch

Oystercatcher

Ringed Plover

Sanderling - either a late one going up or an early one coming down

Wheatear

Fulmars

Sunday, 1 June 2014

Waders

A few waders from around the patch this morning -

Lapwing

Oystercatcher

Redshank

Ringed Plover

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

PWC 2014

Day one of the 2014 Patchwork Challenge, ended up with 31 species and 41 points - not too bad for one and a half square kilometres in Shetland in mid winter.

Hooded Crow

Oystercatchers

Purple Sandpiper

Wigeon

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 !!!!