Shetland Misfit

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Fulmars

A cracking nice day on Shetland today, but all I could wring out of the patch were 6 Fieldfares, so I went down to the cliffs and took some photos of Fulmars over the swell.

Thursday, 10 March 2016

Spaced Out and another Green Flash

Last night the weather was unbelievably clear and calm, the evening started off with a cracking sunset with a green flash over the Atlantic followed by a night full of stars (and satellites!).

Green Flash

Satellite overhead

Random patch of sky

Orion with a passing satellite

Another random patch

Monday, 7 March 2016

A little bit of change on the patch, namely Oystercatchers are now up to 40+ and Skylarks are now in double figures, still only 2-3 Meadow Pipits though. On the Loch today there was a 1w Glaucous Gull and a Whooper Swan which was joined by a second bird later in the day. In West Voe the Scoter flock is still there, Long-tailed Ducks have increased to around 250, also in the Voe were 36 Goldeneye, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers and 6 Great Northern Divers.

Glaucous Gull

Great Northern Diver

Red-breasted Merganser

Whooper Swan

Another bit of a show of the Aurora

A summery looking West Voe

And a moody looking Fitful - hard to believe that both pictures were taken just a few hours apart

Noticed this Points per Bird table on BirdGuides - not bad for a tiny patch in winter.

Also on BirdGuides was this epic error -

Odd Bits

A few photos taken at Scatness over the last week.

Dalek hiding behind a wall?

Quendale Bay and Fitful Head

Sunset over Lady's Holm

Garth's Ness and Fitful Head

Shag.

Storm cloud over Lady's Holm

Winter Fireworks

So, last night I was on the internet going through the usual websites, then as an afterthought I clicked on this one -

As soon as I saw this I went in to the garden, and for a good while (until the clouds rolled in) the sky was pretty mental.

Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Trapped

I've had the camera trap out in a quiet corner of the patch for the last week, nothing unexpected, some results below.

Greylag Goose

Snipe

Teal

Sunday, 28 February 2016

Last of the good weather

Being as today is forecast to be the last fine day for a while with more typical Shetland weather returning tomorrow, I thought I'd get out and just take a few pics of various bits around the patch. I did manage a year tick though in the form of a Woodcock - well there may have been 2, I had flushed a bird by the end of the road and 90 minutes or so later flushed it or another from by Sanblister beach. Cracking views of 2 Merlins at Stinky Geo as they tried to get at the Starlings that had sought sanctuary in there to avoid the attack.

Merlin

Oystercatchers

Purple Sandpipers

Rock Pipit

Early evening from the house

Saturday, 27 February 2016

Ducks and Stuff

Shockingly the wind speed was only 3mph on Shetland today! Even though this made for easy birding, I still couldn't find a year tick on the patch. Apart from 23 Great Northern Divers, a Skylark and a Merlin, the patch seemed to be full of Ducks - 150 Long-tailed Duck, 5 Common Scoter, 1 Velvet Scoter, 10 Red-breasted Merganser and 29 Goldeneye were in West Voe, and 2 Shelduck, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 45 Teal, 7 Tufted Ducks and 4 Goldeneye were on Loch of Gards.

Velvet Scoter

Goldeneye

Long-tailed Duck

Red-breasted Mergansers

Shelduck

Loch of Gards and Fitful Head

Sumburgh Head from Scatness

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 !!!!