Shetland Misfit

Thursday, 20 October 2016

Back to the patch

A quick dash around the patch after I'd had to go to the town, not as many birds as of late - 2 Blackcap, 5 Robin, 6 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 6 Song Thrush, 9 Carrion Crow, 2 Barnacle Geese, 1 Pink-footed Goose and 7 Waxwings.

Chiffchaffs

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Four Wheatears

So I thought I'd set myself a bit of a challenge, see and photograph the four species of Wheatear that were available in South Mainland in the fastest time possible. Starting off with the Desert Wheatear at Scousburgh Sands, seen straight away and I watched it on the beach for 10 minutes as it gradually worked it's way closer, before flying to the north end of the beach at 08:20. Nearby the Isabelline Wheatear along the Noss road was showing but at a distance of 100 yards or more and never looked like getting any closer, so I moved on to the Pied Wheatear at Scatness, predictably it was still in Stinky Geo feeding on flies coming off the rotting seaweed. Three down, one to go. Yesterday there was a Northern with the Pied, but it was nowhere to be seen today, I kind of gave up on it and started walking back to the house along the coast, and on Sanblister Beach - a Northern Wheatear - all four! The time was now 09:02, so 4 species of Wheatear in 43 minutes!!! Thinking back, I remembered that I had seen 4 Wheatear species before in 1 day, Variable, Desert, Isabelline and Red-tailed, in the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in 2010.
After all this excitement, it was back to thrashing the patch, totals as follows - a late Bonxie, 1 Pink-footed Goose, 7 Barnacle Geese, 1 Pintail, 12 Carrion Crows (normally a spring bird), 2 Waxwing, 7 Blackcaps, 5 Goldcrest, 2 Song Thrush and 2 Chiffchaff.

The 4 Wheatears

Desert Wheatear

The 4 Wheatears from Gujarat

Pink-footed Goose with Barnacle Goose

Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Fall

Definitely a fall of migrants around Scatness, nothing out of the ordinary, but a bird filled day none the less.
Totals for the patch - 7 Blackcap, 10 Robins, 11 Chiffchaff, 4 Goldcrest, 1 Chaffinch, 9 Brambling, 1 Dunnock, 3 Song Thrush, 140 Redwing, 60 Fieldfare, 1 fly-over Snow Bunting, 1 Pied Wheatear, 1 Northern Wheatear, 1 Swallow, 1 Brent Goose, 1 Pintail, 5 Whooper Swan, 40 Barnacle Geese, 1 Woodcock and a Short-eared Owl.

Pied Wheatear

Dunnock

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Short-eared Owl

Sun Dog - the brightest one I've ever seen

Monday, 17 October 2016

Still a tad breezy

The wind has dropped a little bit, it's only gusting 45mph now! Checked everywhere around the patch today - all the gardens, fields, every stone wall, all the cliffs, all the beaches, every nettle and thistle patch, the docks and everywhere around Old Scatness. Good totals for the day - 1 Bean Goose, 1 Brent Goose, 55 Barnacle Geese, 5 Whooper Swan, 1 Pintail, 70 Wigeon, 2 Short-eared Owl, 1 Wood Pigeon, 3 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 21 Song Thrush, 110 Redwing, 80 Fieldfare, 1 Reed Bunting (on the cliffs this time), 4 Siskin, 1 Common Redpoll, 2 Brambling, 1 Swallow, 3 Goldcrest, 13 Robin, 3 Woodcock, 2 Wheatear and the Pied Wheatear (now showing stupidly well in Stinky Geo).

Bean Goose

Brent Goose

Bramblings

Common Redpoll

Goldcrest

Pied Wheatear

Redwing

Song Thrush

Wheatear

Pied Wheatear Gallery

Pied Wheatear present at Scatness from 14th-24th October.

Pied Wheatear Gallery

Pied Wheatear present at Scatness from 14th-21st October.

Sunday, 16 October 2016

Weather

Shocking weather today with winds gusting up to 70mph and lots of rain, even with my sense of adventure, my decision to check all the cliffs was probably a bit risky.
Plenty of birds in, day totals - 120 Redwing, 40 Fieldfare, 5 Song Thrush, 4 Blackcaps, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Chiffchaff, 7 Robin, 1 Common Redpoll, 3 Wheatear, 2 Reed Bunting (only record this year), 55 Barnacle Geese, 3 Pintail, 5 Whooper Swan and a Short-eared Owl.

Blackcap

Barnacle Geese

Fieldfare

Pintails

Reed Buntings

Wheatear

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 !!!!