Shetland Misfit: Sunsets

Showing posts with label Sunsets. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Eastern Subalp

Lots more migrants on the patch - Lesser Whitethroat and Robin in the garden, Redstart at the end of the road, Swallow, Common Tern, Whimbrel and 6 Pintail at the Loch, 2 Collared Doves around Colonial Place. But it was the docks that attracted most birds with 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warblers and a stunning male Eastern Subalpine Warbler - a most welcome self-found year tick.

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

Redstart

Another Shetland sunset

Eastern Subalp Twitch

Friday, 31 March 2017

March

Apart from a fly-through Hen Harrier on the 31st, most of March was pretty much a waste of time. The usual fare managed to sneak in though with Song Thrush on the 11th, Chaffinch on the 12th, Goldcrest on the 18th, Pied Wagtail on the 26th,Moorhen, Shelduck and Bar-tailed Godwit on the 28th and a Siskin on the 31st. Despite there being Stonechats on areas outside the patch this month, I still managed not to find one!

Goldcrest

Chaffinch

Siskin

Purple Sandpiper

Fulmar

Sunset with Fitful Head

Hebrew Character

Looking southwest from the garden

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Nearly over

Today it really felt like the autumn was coming to an end, the winds have swung round to the south west and bird numbers had plummeted - 1 Woodcock, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Pink-footed Goose, 1 Barnacle Goose, 2 Robin, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Fieldfare, 30 Redwing and 3 Red-breasted Merganser. It looks like the Pied Wheatear has finally moved on.

Red-breasted Mergansers

The neep field where the Hawfinch was on Sunday

A day of sunshine and showers

Thursday, 22 September 2016

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

Sunday, 28 August 2016

Arctic Day 2

The Arctic Warbler in the garden was even more elusive than yesterday, it showed only twice during the day, once at about 1pm then again at 6pm. At 6pm it showed stupidly well in the willow outside the kitchen window, elsewhere on the patch I could only manage 6 Willow Warblers.

Arctic Warbler

Last night's sunset

Monday, 9 May 2016

Easterlies

A few days of easterlies promised so much but delivered very little to the patch, maximums for 7th-9th - 25 Common Tern, 2 Arctic Tern, 5 Whimbrel, 1 Arctic Skua, 2 Garganey, 2 Pintail, 2 Gadwall, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Siskin, 1 Sand Martin, 9 Swallows, 4 Willow Warblers, female Blackcap, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 2 Carrion Crows.

Garganey

Common Tern

Gadwall

Siskin

Swallow

Whimbrel

Willow Warbler

A couple of shots of Fitful Head

Saturday, 2 April 2016

Debris

Just a single Rewing on the patch today, so here's some of today's miscellaneous debris.

Fulmar

Common Gull

Looking NW towards Fitful Head

Tonight's Sunset

A very slight Aurora between the cloude

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Another Stonechat and another Green Flash

Went around the patch again today, nothing new, just 6 Fieldfare today and Skylarks, Blackbirds and Purple Sandpipers have all increased. At the very last beach on my circuit (Sanblister) found another Stonechat late afternoon, and then waited until sunset and was rewarded with another green flash.

Stonechat

Hooded Crow

Purple Sandpipers

Shag

Signs of spring - Crocus in the garden

Tonight's sunset

And another green flash

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 !!!!