Spooners in the UK

No, really there are Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the UK - http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/15692417
Hmmm, now if one of these were to escape and end up on the Pool of Virkie....

The Weekend

Friday - A quick dash around the patch in the afternoon, and a year-tick - Pochard on the Loch ! Elsewhere around Scatness 4 Short-eared Owls, 4 Robin, a Grey Plover, a Woodcock, a Greenfinch and the ever present Great Tit.

Greenfinch

Pochard

Saturday - The Great Tit and Greenfinch remain in the garden, plus flyover Peregrine and Merlin

Today - Being as there seems to be Bean Geese everywhere, out on the patch on a goose chase, the only flock at Scatness was a party of 20 Greylags plus 4 White-fronts, a single Pink-footed in front of the house and another 4 flying north, but no Beans ! There was another year-tick on the go though, a Scaup has joined the Pochard on the Loch, a few migrants were notable - 3 Wood Pigeons, 5 Robins and 5 Snow Buntings. Still plenty of Blackbirds and Fieldfare knocking about.

Pink-footed Goose

Scaup (last 2 with Pochard)

Greylags plus 4 White-fronts

Thank God For That.......!

Well I Never Knew That !

It's amazing what new things there are to be learnt -

Pom de Terror

Just as everything in the bay was getting used to not being harassed by Bonxies, a fine juv Pomarine Skua turns up, initially about 10 yards out to sea at the back of the Loch, and then kicking hell out of the Kittiwakes later on. Other than that the patch was pretty quiet with the Great Tit still in the garden along with a female Blackcap and 2 Robins, plus 4 Whooper Swans and the Little Grebe still on the Loch.

Pom Skua

Resident Great Tit

Phal

At last, a day on the patch where it's not pissing down, it was even sunny enough not to need a coat ! Besides the lingering birds from the last few days - Great Tit, Little Gull, Short-eared Owl and 5 Whooper Swans - there were new birds in 1 Wheatear, 6 Grey Heron, 12 Robins, a Peregrine, 2 Goldeneye, 4 Dunlin, 1 Jack Snipe and a Mistle Thrush (year tick). The day ended with a tame Grey Phalarope in West Voe - at this point it was nearly dark !

Grey Palarope with the day getting darker and darker.

Dunlin

Violently Happy

Mad !

Another Gull

But this time nothing unusual about it - a Little Gull around Moast Beach, and as it's one of my favourite birds, no apolologies for the amount of photos - a smart bird indeed. Also around the patch, the Great Tit is still in the garden (for it's eighth day), 2 Short-eared Owls, a Woodcock, a Little Grebe, 6 Whooper Swan, 2 Robin and 560 Fieldfare.

Little Gull

Woodcock