Day of Pigs

The south-easterly continues with, weirdly, an influx of Pigeons ! aside from the usual bird table raiding Rock Doves there were one each of Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove and Turtle Dove. Elsewhere the 3 Goldfinch were still in the garden along with 2 Blackcaps and 2 Willow Warblers, a male Pied Flycatcher was out on the cliffs, an Arctic Skua and 3 Golden Plover on the headland and a Song Thrush, a Chiffchaff and 5 Swallows were around the loch.

Pied Flycatcher

Song Thrush

New Birds

The first hint of a south-easterly and new birds on the patch - 2 Willow Warblers, a Siskin, 6 Swallows, a Sparrowhawk, 1 Arctic and 2 Common Terns and 3 Goldfinch ( in the garden, no less ).

Goldfinch

Sparrowhawk

Willow Warbler

Photogenic Turnstones on the Loch

Shortie

A quick hour on the patch this morning after work - 2 Blackcaps, a Brambling, 7 Swallows and  a Short-eared Owl.

Gargle Blaster

Out on the patch, and things seem to be picking up a bit - 5 Common Terns in front of the house in the morning, a cracking male Garganey on the loch, a rather tame Sanderling at Scord, 2 White Wags and a Whimbrel on Moast Beach and a Willow Warbler on the cliffs.

White Wagtail

Garganey

Sanderling

Winter, Summer.... who knows ?

A few summer migrants on the patch today - 4 Whimbrel, 4 Swallows, a Sedge Warbler and a Greenshank, but, even with the wind coming from the south, the temperature was still only about 3 degrees ! On the sea it still seems like winter with 80 Long-tailed Ducks and 40 Eiders in West Voe and a first year Iceland Gull knocking about.

Eiders

Iceland Gull

At last.....

.....a true migrant ! 4 Wheatears on the patch, plus a Robin, 5 Bonxies and a Sandwich Tern.

A few confiding Eiders from West Voe

Bonxie

Sandwich Tern

Wheatear

A week of year-ticks

A week sat at home with a knackered foot was pretty productive with a few patch year-ticks - 2 Song Thrush, 4 Fieldfare, ad Iceland Gull, 1 Sanderling, 7 Dunlin, 3 Guillemot, a Siskin and 2 Woodcocks were all the first for the year on the 14th. A Collared Dove was new in on the 17th along with a Common Tern and 2 Carrion Crows on the 18th.
Along with all this were a scattering of other migrants, including 6 Robins, a Dunnock and a few Redwings, plus a few Twite visiting the garden.

Dunlin with Purple Sandpiper

Iceland Gull

Siskin

Twite

Woodcock

Fitful the Fog Magnet

A few photos of Fitful Head from today, determined to keep hold of it's own weather.

Last Week

A bit of a hint of spring last week, with a few Pied Wagtails, Robins, Dunnocks and Chaffinch on the patch, plus 5 Common Scoters still in Quendale Bay.

Silhouettes

A few silhouette photos taken against this evening's sunset.

Curlew

Fulmar

Mallards (+hybrid)

Fitful Head

Scatness Skies

A few shots of sunsets etc, taken from the sitting room window over the last week