Shetland Misfit

Friday, 3 February 2017

Mr Piggy Eyes

Not a reference to the fascist cockwomble Mr Trump, but to the 1w Glaucous Gull that is still around Scatness. Cheap bread from Tesco again last night, so another Gull feeding session at Moast Beach, as well as the Glauc, there was a 1w Iceland Gull coming and going, a rather dark 1w Herring Gull (presumably one of the dark things that occur on Iceland) and a 2w Lesser Black-backed - I can't recall ever seeing a second year LBBG on Shetland, I have seen the occasional 1w bird in winter before and 'not quite adult' birds in the summer, so this bird coming in was totally unexpected.

Glaucous Gull

2w Herring Gull

Near adult Herring Gull

Dark 1w Herring Gull

Iceland Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Friday, 27 January 2017

Gullistan

There has been a few thousand Gulls around Scatness over the last few days, on the 25th I picked out a 2w Kumlien's and an adult Iceland in front of the house. And with Tesco selling their near date bread off last night at 20p a loaf, today was going to be spent gulling. Most of the Gulls were on the leeward side of Lady's Holm, so I dumped 10 loaves of bread into the sea at Moast Beach, and it didn't take too long for about a thousand of them to come in feeding. Amongst them a 1w Glaucous and 2 Iceland Gulls (1w and 2w) and a rather pale 1w Herring Gull.
A bit of a surprise was a Goldfinch briefly in the garden, presumably one of the birds from last autumn still hanging about.

Glaucous Gull

Iceland Gull

Pale Herring Gull

Saturday, 14 January 2017

White-fronts

2 White-fronted Geese among the 80+ Greylags in front of the house today, I didn't see White-front on the patch at all last year so it's good to get them UTB so early.

Top photo - not snowing, bottom 2 - snowing!

Friday, 13 January 2017

Moast Beach

Another winter storm hits Shetland, a northerly this time and it doesn't have a name (the met office don't seem to bother naming them if they don't affect London in any way). I managed to get as far as Moast Beach on the patch before the snow showers started, not a great deal on Moast but the Gannets and Kittiwakes were coming in pretty close.

Gannets

Kittiwakes

Saturday, 7 January 2017

Scaup

2 Scaup in amongst the Tufties on the patch this morning, plus 40+ Great Northern, 1 Black-throated and 3 Red-throated Divers in Quendale Bay.

Scaup

Sunday, 1 January 2017

Here we go again

The 2017 Patchwork Challenge begins, a few bits and bobs around the patch - 1w Glauc and ad Iceland Gull on the Loch, 1 Skylark, 5 Meadow Pipits and 3 Redwings in the Neep field, Gannets and Kittiwakes in Quendale Bay, 2 'fly-through' Whooper Swans and 2 Sanderling, 30 Ringed Plover and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers in West Voe. 3 hours birding and 41 species.

Gannet

Glaucous Gull

Great Northern Divers

Iceland Gull

Kittiwake

Long-tailed Duck

Whooper Swans

Friday, 30 December 2016

Belated Post - Goa, Nov '07 Part 1

Whilst rummaging around in a drawer at home, I came across 2 CD's full of photos from Goa from 2007, when I spent 2 weeks there in November with the Fray and Mental Dave.

Indian Pitta

Black Eagle

Black-shouldered Kite

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Cinnamon Bittern

Collared Kingfisher

Chestnut-shouldered Petronia

Grey Nightjar

Heart-spotted Woodpecker

Jungle Owlet

Goa, Nov 2007 Part 2

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 !!!!