Patch Highlights October

October was hard work on the patch with not that many easterlies, but there were a few highlights.

Bramblings

Barnacle Geese

Mistle Thrush

Redwings

Ring Ouzels

Siskin

Slav Grebe

Spotted Flycatcher

Song Thrushes

Scary Veg Day

The day started with 3 Goldfinch in the garden, obviously new birds, so I thrashed the patch once again and there were indeed birds on the move - 10 Whooper Swans (7 flying south and 3 on the Loch), a female Chaffinch on West Voe beach of all places, 1 Merlin, 4 Robins, 1 Blackcap (on Moast Beach), 40 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush and the Slav Grebe was still in West Voe along with 2 Great Northern Divers and 45 Long-tailed Ducks.

Goldfinches

Redwing

Slavonian Grebe

Whooper Swans

Another year tick

I thought the patch might have another year tick in it before the autumn was through, and it did - a Slavonian Grebe in West Voe. Still a few migrants around the patch, surprising really after the westerly gales of the last few days - 2 Blackcaps, 2 Robins and a Chiffchaff still kicking about and 3 Pink-footed Geese in front of the house.

Slavonian Grebe

Robin

And a few more close ups -

Lichens

Raindrops

Rosehip seeds

More raindrops

Gimme Shelter.

West Voe seemed to be 'the' place today, with a good few sea ducks that presumably took shelter there after yesterday's storm. Among the Eiders and Long-tailed ducks were, 1 Velvet Scoter, 1 Common Scoter, a Slav Grebe, several Red-throated Divers and a couple of Great Northern Divers, as well as 2 Otters and a pod of Harbour Porpoise. Around the rest of the patch - 2 Waxwing and a Siskin in the garden, 13 Whooper Swans, 4 Scaup and 3 Tufted Ducks on the Loch and 2 Snow Buntings on Sanblister Beach.

Whooper Swans.

Snow Buntings.

Common Scoter.

Eiders ?

Red-throated Diver.

Slavonian Grebe.

Velvet Scoter.

There hasn't been one for a while, so here goes -

2G,2B - Too Good - Proof of the lack of common sense in today's 'yoof' world - ouch, how did that happen ? Er...

Too Bad - Shetland in the 'top 10 places to visit in the world' - one place above the Great Barrier Reef ! - Oh No, not more tourists ! It could be good for the local economy I suppose, now if only there was a wildlife tour company up here, that could charge them the earth for a week's worth of bollocks ......hmmm, if only !

Slav.

The wind eventually went easterly this morning, so had another crack at looking for some migrants on the patch. It started off fairly well with Wood Pigeon year-ticked in one of the sheep fields, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers in West Voe were also year-ticks, but the best was a summer plumaged Slavonian Grebe, in amongst the Long-tailed Ducks in West Voe. Elsewhere around Scatness there were singles of Swallow and House Martin, the Canada Goose is still around and seems to be paired with a Greylag on Little Holm, 5 Dunlin on Moast Beach are maybe the start of some kind of wader passage. Checking the beaches late afternoon, it seems the easterly is now having some effect as there were 18 White Wagtails on Moast Beach and about 60 Wheatears spread about all over Scatness.

Slavonian Grebe & Long-tailed Ducks.