Shetland Misfit

Tuesday, 27 December 2016

Post Conor

At the height of Storm Conor yesterday there were Gulls everywhere, so it was safe to assume there would be loads today - there wasn't! Around the patch there was 4 Whooper Swans heading south, 10 Red-breasted Mergansers in West Voe, a storm blown Guillemot hanging about some dry-stone walls (later captured and released back to the sea) and 2 Meadow Pipits and a Redwing in the neep crop.

Storm Conor at full chat yesterday

Guillemot

Common Gull

Whooper Swans

A victim of Storm Conor - or potential Ivory Gull food

Friday, 16 December 2016

White (ish) Wingers

Masses of Gulls on the patch today including a 1w Glauc and an Adult Kumlien's.

Glaucous Gull

Kumlien's Gull

Shag

Friday, 2 December 2016

Killdeer

Finally got the enthusiasm to go to Sandwick for the Killdeer.

Killdeer

Huge 'Cloudbow' seen from Scatness

Friday, 18 November 2016

Goldfinch and Whacky Gull

On the patch today - 1 Goldfinch, 10 Redwing, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Robins, 2 1w Glaucous Gulls and a crazy looking Iceland type that looked like neither an Iceland or a Kumlien's!

Goldfinch

Gull sp

Chiffchaff

Robin

Thursday, 10 November 2016

More Waxies

2 Waxwing in the garden on and off for most of the day.

Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Waxwings

Not much improvement on the patch with 23 Tufted Duck, 3 Goldeneye, a Fieldfare and 2 Redwing. Though the highlight of the day was undoubtedly 5 Waxwings - 3 in a garden just up the road and 2 very tame ones in my garden.

Waxwings

Waxwings in the garden

Monday, 7 November 2016

Non-Birding

No birding done today, but I did manage to see 3 Waxwing at Scatness whilst waiting for the bus, 2 Waxwing at Sandwick seen from the bus and 6 Waxwing in Lerwick feeding on a small cotoneaster outside the Lerwick Hotel.

Waxwings in Lerwick - taken on my phone

Sunday, 6 November 2016

Glauc

Not a lot doing on the patch today - 1 fly by Glaucous Gull, 1 Goldeneye and a Robin.

Glaucous Gull

Saturday, 5 November 2016

Winter's here

Definitely a wintry feel in the air now, most things have cleared out of the patch, the only migrants today were 2 Redwing, a Blackcap and a Robin. More in the vein of winter was a Little Auk in West Voe along with 80 Long-tailed Ducks and 10 Red-breasted Mergansers. 4 Tufted Duck, 45 Wigeon and a Goldeneye were on the Loch.

Blackbird - in the garden most mornings

Long-tailed Duck

Redwing

Friday, 4 November 2016

Another Goldfinch

Another Goldfinch on the patch today, that's a total of 6 birds this autumn. Around the rest of the patch - 2 Blackcaps, Merlin (in front of the house), 60 Long-tailed Duck, 5 Red-breasted Merganser (West Voe), 12 Redwing, 3 Fieldfare and a Robin.

Goldfinch

Fieldfares

Long-tailed Ducks

Merlin

Blackcap

Wednesday, 2 November 2016

Merlin

Amazingly there are still 1 or 2 new birds coming into the patch, Dunnock and Wood Pigeon were both new arrivals, still 25+ Rewing and a Song Thrush in the neep field, 2 Goldeneye and 4 Whooper Swans on the Loch, Jack Snipe flushed from the docks, Robin in the garden and a showy Merlin along the road.

A fine view from the end of the road

Merlin

Redwing

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 !!!!