Ruff

Barred Warbler, Redstart, Greenshank, 2 Chiffchaffs,Whinchat, Garden Warbler, Green Sandpiper and 5 Ruff around the patch today.

Green Sandpiper

Garden Warbler

Chiffchaff

Ruff

Redstart

Sir Lancy

Over three hours thrashing the patch today  - nowt! Three hours for 3 Ruff and 2 Blackcaps!
Just off the patch at the Sumburgh Hotel there was a Lanceolated Warbler, so I nipped across the bay to have a squint at that.
Initially it was showing like this -

 

And then a bit better -

 

Then even better - 

 

And finally in the hand -

And today's birds from Scatness -

Blackcap

Ruff

Still Arriving

More migrants on the patch today - 1 Pied Flycatcher (still in the garden), 3 Common Redpoll, 1 Kestrel, 6 Ruff, 1 Grey Heron, 23 Knot, 1 Little Stint, 30 Sanderling, 20 Dunlin, 1 Garden Warbler and 2 Willow Warblers.

Kestrel

Knot

Little Stint

Ruff

Autumn begins

Definitely the start of the autumn today with a Curlew Sandpiper on Moast Beach and 2 Ruff, a Green Sandpiper and a Little Stint on Loch of Gards.

Curlew Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Ruff

More Bits

More bits from the last 10 days -
22/5 - 2 Carrion Crows in front of the house and a female Crossbill flushed from the garden
24/5 - 2 Spotted Flycatchers in the garden
29/5 - Bee-eater at work in Lerwick, seen for about 30 seconds around the compound
30/5 - male Ruff on the patch

Carrion Crows

Ruff

Spotted Flycatcher

Huge Knot Flock

Well huge for Scatness anyway, a total of 128 Knot on Sanblister Beach ! along with the Knot were 2 Common Sandpipers and 3 Ruff. Passerine wise it was just 4 Willow Warblers and a Garden Warbler.
Interestingly there was a white Polecat/ferret hunting rabbits around Stinky Geo.

Polecat/ferret

Knot

Ruff

Waders

The only migrant passerines on the patch were 6 Willow Warblers and a Garden Warbler, so it was off to check all the beaches for passage waders, not too bad really with 18 Sanderling, 36 Knot, 4 Ruff, 2 Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper, not to mention over 100 Ringed Plovers.

Ruff

Willow Warbler

Wader year ticks

Being as waders seem to be pouring through all over, went around the patch looking for Ruff, managed to find 2 on the rocks near Moast Beach and also 5 Greenshank. Other waders of note were 11 Sanderling and 7 Knot.

Greenshank

Ruff, Knot, Turnstone and Dunlin

Ruff.

With 'Birdguides' carrying the news of 10,000 Two-barred Crossbills passing through southern Scandinavia, and 24 hours of south-easterlies, the plan was to check all the areas of Thrift on the patch (and any other bit of veg that might be good for 2BCs). Needless to say, there weren't any, but 3 Ruff on the southernmost pool were year-ticks, so the plan wasn't altogether wasted.

Ruffs

Arctic Skua - quite a few on the patch now

Marsh.

The wind swinging around to the south west seems to have stirred things up a bit. with Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk on the patch today, also, 3 Lapland Buntings, 4 Garden Warblers, a Barred Warbler, 3 Ruff, 2 Knot, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Redstart and 2 Willow Warblers. The American Golden Plover from Virkie flew towards the patch, but after checking all of the possible suitable habitats, no luck !

Marsh Harrier.

Lapland Bunting.

Garden Warbler.

Ruff.

Sparrowhawk.

Waggy.

Yellow Wagtail added to the patch year list with a bird on one of the beaches in front of the house, elsewhere around the patch - 3 Blackcaps, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 4 Redstarts, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Whinchat and a Song Thrush. Wader wise, there was 6 Knot, 5 Ruff, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper. Still a bit hard going with a strong south easterly still blowing and lashing down with rain for most of the day.

Pied Flycatcher.

Yellow Wagtail.

Whitethroat.

Bar-tailed Godwit.

Common Sandpiper (not some weird long billed, wing barred small Shearwater !).

Ruff.

Spotted Flycatcher.