Trog

'Shetland' Wren and other bits and bobs from the patch -

Golden Plovers

Shetland Wren

Hybrid Duck

So Far, So Good, So What.....

What with working all night and sleeping all day, visits to the patch have been very few and far between - it always seems to be pissing down on my days off ! The best bird of the year so far is a Grey Plover in front of the house on 23/1, other than that, it's just the usual stuff.
Some random photos from January -

Long-tailed Ducks in West Voe of Sumburgh

Moon over Fitful Head

Snow cloud over Fitful Head

Moon and Fitful Head one morning

A large 'Anvil' forming out at sea

The first 'proper' sunset of the year

The City at Night

A few shots of Lerwick taken at night.

Brei Wick

Clickimin Broch

Soul Sold

Being as I've now sold my soul and am working nights in Lerwick, days out birding are few and far between. Managed to get a shot of a Scaup on Loch of Clickimin at the end of November.

A Room With a View

This was the view through the living room window from my settee this morning.

The digestive system of Waxwings must be pretty fast working, as fast as this one was eating bits of apple, it was coming out the other end. It must be pretty poor too, I noticed that the Starlings were eating the Waxwing Shit !

A late Blackcap in the garden on Sunday.

Traitors

So, as it's Shetland Waxwing Count this weekend, last night I put two big bags of apples out in the garden, to try and boost the numbers a bit. This morning and no Waxwings, I even played calls to try and bring them in - nothing, after waiting around for a couple of hours I gave up and made a start on the patch. The first birds I saw - Waxwings - 13 of them, they'd jumped ship and were in a garden further down the road - bloody traitors, photos a bit better today though in the lovely sunshine.

Resistance is Futile

I couldn't resist a few more Waxwing shots, being as there are 14 in the garden and it's too wet to do the patch.

Little Oik !

No sign of yesterday's Yellowhammer at Old Scatness - just a single Redwing there, 2 Whooper Swans on the Loch, plus another 8 flying North, the Mallard x Pintail hybrid was on the marsh along with 3 Grey Herons. Moast Beach was pretty productive with a female type Common Scoter offshore along with a Little Auk, which eventually came very close in, showing down to 3 feet in Stinky Geo ! The Waxwing flock in the garden had increased to 16 birds by late afternoon and another Fair Isle colour ringed Starling was at Colonial Place.

It's pretty good when Little Auks show this well.

Cormorants

Colour ringed Starling

Common Scoter

Redwing

Record Equaled

Equaled the patch year-list record of 150 (set in 2010 - see here), with a Yellowhammer at Old Scatness. Elsewhere on the patch there were 6 Waxwings in the garden this morning with 2 remaining until dusk and a couple of Robins and a female Blackcap still kicking around, plus 2 Snow Buntings near West Voe carpark.

Waxwing

Pretty quiet around the patch now with just 2 Robins, a female Blackcap and a Peregrine seen today, but at lunchtime, got a call concerning a Waxwing at Ness Engineering (cheers Russ) so had a quick walk down to see it, got it nailed and then it followed me and ended up in the garden !