Ticking over

The days are gradually getting longer, but the patch is still pretty static - Pink-footed Goose still with the Greylags, still a Glauc knocking about and the 4 Barnacle Geese from last week reappeared with them flying east over the house at dusk.

Great Northern Diver

Pink-footed Goose

Mid Winter Birdless Zone

Still not a great deal on the patch, just a Pink-footed Goose in among the Greylags and a Shelduck and a male Shoveler on the Loch.

Pink-footed Goose

December Highlights

The only highlights on the patch for December was a Pink-footed Goose seen a couple of times with the Greylags and the Northern Lights showed a couple of times too.

Northern Lights from the garden

Pink-footed Goose

Four Wheatears

So I thought I'd set myself a bit of a challenge, see and photograph the four species of Wheatear that were available in South Mainland in the fastest time possible. Starting off with the Desert Wheatear at Scousburgh Sands, seen straight away and I watched it on the beach for 10 minutes as it gradually worked it's way closer, before flying to the north end of the beach at 08:20. Nearby the Isabelline Wheatear along the Noss road was showing but at a distance of 100 yards or more and never looked like getting any closer, so I moved on to the Pied Wheatear at Scatness, predictably it was still in Stinky Geo feeding on flies coming off the rotting seaweed. Three down, one to go. Yesterday there was a Northern with the Pied, but it was nowhere to be seen today, I kind of gave up on it and started walking back to the house along the coast, and on Sanblister Beach - a Northern Wheatear - all four! The time was now 09:02, so 4 species of Wheatear in 43 minutes!!! Thinking back, I remembered that I had seen 4 Wheatear species before in 1 day, Variable, Desert, Isabelline and Red-tailed, in the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in 2010.
After all this excitement, it was back to thrashing the patch, totals as follows - a late Bonxie, 1 Pink-footed Goose, 7 Barnacle Geese, 1 Pintail, 12 Carrion Crows (normally a spring bird), 2 Waxwing, 7 Blackcaps, 5 Goldcrest, 2 Song Thrush and 2 Chiffchaff.

The 4 Wheatears

Desert Wheatear

The 4 Wheatears from Gujarat

Pink-footed Goose with Barnacle Goose

After the storm 2

Another storm yesterday, but the patch stayed pretty much the same - 7 Wheatear, 2 Blackcap, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Grey Heron and 52 Pink-footed Geese. A female Chaffinch was new in.

Blackcap

Grey Plover

Pink-footed Geese

A bit of an Aurora at about midnight

Pegger

Not a great deal on the patch - 3 Blackbirds and a Lesser Whitethroat in the garden, juv Peregrine hunting around the Loch and 70 Pink-footed Geese over.

Peregrine

Pink-footed Geese

Blackbird

Lesser Whitethroat

Boost

   Birds started arriving yesterday afternoon starting with a Little Bunting at the top of one of the Geos before flying off towards the cow fields in a south-easterly gale, needless to say I couldn't relocate it, Whinchat, Barred Warbler and Jack Snipe were in among the docks.
    Today was most pleasant with virtually no wind and birds started showing themselves a bit better, in the garden there was 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest, 28 Pink-footed Geese flew south over the house with a Pale-bellied Brent in amongst them. In the docks there was a Lesser Whitethroat, another Yellow-browed and 2 Blackcaps with 2 flyover Grey Plovers. Around the Loch there were 5 Grey Herons, 3 Swallows and a Lapland Bunting. A Whinchat was by West Voe car park.

Yellow-browed Warblers

Brent Goose and Pink-footed Geese

Lapland Bunting

Whinchat

The Docks

Tonight's Sunset

Patch Again

The 2 Pink-footed Geese were still on the patch this morning, plus 75 Wigeon, 2 Tufties, 40 Teal and 3 Goldeneye were on the Loch and Raven finally arrived on the year list, with 2 in front of the house.

Pink-footed Geese

Pinkies.

2 Pink-footed Geese in front of the house this morning were a welcome addition to the patch year list, other additions were a Guillemot in West Voe and 2 Fieldfares in the garden.

Pink-footed Geese

Geese

Out on the patch in the first south-easterly that has coincided with my time off work, I managed to get a good couple of hours patching before the rain came in. Although birding was difficult at times in the 50mph winds, there were still quite a few migrants about - 11 Song Thrush, 3 Goldcrest, 7 Blackcap, 4 Wheatear, 1 Brambling, 1 Swallow and a Woodcock. A bit of a surprise was 295 Pink-footed Geese and 131 Barnacle Geese all on the deck at the back of the Loch, also a bit unusual was a Black-tailed Godwit in front of the house.

Blackcap

Black-tailed Godwit

Barnacle Geese

Pink-footed Geese

Wheatear

Vids



A couple of short videos taken from the sitting room window - Pink-footed Goose and Gannets.

Something for the Weekend

Four hours on the patch - every wall, ditch, iris bed, garden, field, thistle patch and cliff checked - scant rewards though. Totals for the day - 2 Merlin, 3 Blackcap, 1 Robin, 20 Barnacle Geese, 3 Goldcrest, 3 Song Thrush, 8 Wheatear, 3 Grey Plover, 3 Sanderling, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Reed Bunting, 1 Grey Heron, 4 Pied Wagtails, 5 Redwing, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Pink-footed Geese, 1 Jack Snipe and 3 Swallows.

Barnacle Geese

Grey Plover

Pink-footed Geese

Wheatear

The Return

Just as it was getting dark last night, the Blyth's Reed appeared again in the garden - didn't see it at all on Sunday. It was still in the garden this morning for a few minutes before becoming elusive as hell again, it then showed again, reasonably well, at about 4pm. Yellow-browed Warbler, Song Thrush and Lesser Whitethroat also in the garden. Around the rest of the patch were - 44 Pink-footed Geese, 6 Wheatear and a Golden Plover.

Pink-footed Geese

Wheatear