Shetland Misfit

Tuesday, 20 September 2016

Collared

More hard work on the patch, I only managed 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 1 Grey Plover, 14 Golden Plover and a neck-collared Greylag Goose.

Golden Plovers

Neck-collared Greylag

The movements and history of today's collared Greylag Goose -

Loch of Clumlie, south Mainland, Shetland	HU4017	16/07/2011
Setter Marsh, Spiggie	HU3715	20/08/2011
Setter Marsh, Spiggie	HU3715	17/10/2011
Boddam, Mainland	HU3915	17/11/2011
Ringasta, Mainland	HU3714	11/12/2011
Boddam, Mainland	HU3915	29/01/2012
Boddam, Mainland	HU3915	15/02/2012
Boddam, Mainland	HU3915	11/03/2012
Culsetter	HU3715	02/04/2012
Spiggie, Shetland	HU3715	28/08/2012
Spiggie, Shetland	HU3715	30/08/2012
Ringasta, Shetland	HU3714	17/09/2012
Ringasta, Shetland	HU3814	03/10/2012
Spiggie, Shetland	HU3715	07/10/2012
Ringasta, Shetland	HU3814	14/10/2012
Loch of Hillwell	HU3713	19/10/2012
Ringasta, Shetland	HU3814	24/12/2012
Ringasta, Mainland	HU3714	06/01/2013
Boddam, Mainland	HU3915	12/01/2013
Spiggie, Shetland	HU3715	16/03/2013
Setter Marsh, Spiggie	HU3716	30/08/2013
Setter Marsh, Spiggie	HU3716	31/08/2013
Quendale	HU3712	07/10/2013
Spiggie, Shetland	HU3715	01/12/2013
Boddam, Mainland	HU3915	26/01/2014
Loch of Clumlie, south Mainland, Shetland	HU4017	27/09/2015
Loch of Clumlie, south Mainland, Shetland	HU4017	20/12/2015
Loch of Clumlie, south Mainland, Shetland	HU4017	12/03/2016
Loch of Clumlie, south Mainland, Shetland	HU4017	26/03/2016
Loch of Clumlie, south Mainland, Shetland	HU4017	27/08/2016
Old Scatness, Mainland, Shetland	HU3910	20/09/2016

Sunday, 18 September 2016

Grape Lovers

3 Grey Plovers on the patch today and not much else - 1 Blackcap and 2 Ruff.

Grey Plovers

Saturday, 17 September 2016

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

Friday, 16 September 2016

Barred

On the patch today - 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Whinchat, 1 Shoveler, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Golden Plover, 2 Pink-footed Geese, 1 Lapland Bunting, 1 Little Stint and a Barred Warbler.

Barred Warbler

Bar-tailed Godwit with Curlews

Grey Heron

Little Stint

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Lap Bunt

Migrants still very thin on the ground around the patch - Lapland Bunting and a very healthy population of House Sparrows in the stubble field at Old Scatness, Blackcap in the garden, Kestrel and Tree Pipit around Scatness and a Shoveler on the Loch.

The House Sparrow flock

Wednesday, 7 September 2016

Passage

A bit of passage going on at Scatness this afternoon - 1 Knot, 13 Golden Plover, 3 Arctic Terns and 5 Grey Herons all heading south, the Herons were getting to the end of Scatness before spiralling up and gaining height before heading out to sea.

Grey Herons

Sunday, 4 September 2016

New Birds

South-easterlies overnight, but it was late afternoon before any birds turned up, and then it was just a small fall. Thrashed the patch between 4pm and 8pm - 3 Willow Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 12 Black-tailed Godwit and a Ruff.

Black-tailed Godwits

Pied Flycatcher

Willow Warbler

Saturday, 3 September 2016

Sunshine

A stunning day on Shetland, nothing ne bird wise though, but it was a good excuse to be out with the camera after filling my lens up with water whilst seawatching a couple of days ago.

Kittiwakes

Sanderlings

Turnstones

Friday, 2 September 2016

Monster

All quiet on the patch, but wader numbers are building up again with 80+ Sanderlings, 200+ Dunlin and 3 Knot. But the highlight of the day was a Convolvulus Hawkmoth in the trap this morning - what a monster.

Thursday, 1 September 2016

Sooty

Seawatching off the end of the Scatness peninsular from 09:30 until 13:30, loads of Gannets and Fulmars and eventually a Sooty Shearwater, as is the usual off Scatness the bird was moving east-west rather than north-south. Elsewhere on the patch a Grey Heron was on the Loch and a Willow Warbler remains in the garden.

The Shearwater was too far off for a photo, so here's a different Sooty.

Gannets

Willow Warbler

The seawatching point with Horse Island.

Monday, 29 August 2016

Clear out

It looks like everything has cleared out from the patch, all I could manage today was 2 Willow Warbler, a Merlin, a Kestrel and 28 Black-tailed Godwits.

Merlin

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 !!!!