Monday 30 May 2016

Grey Head

The Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was still in the garden, showing on and off for most of the day, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Grey-headed Wagtail were on the Loch.
Curlew Sandpiper
Grey-headed Wagtail

Sunday 29 May 2016

Ollie in the garden

The only migrant I saw all day was a Swallow at West Voe Beach, until 5pm that is, when a Warbler turned up in the garden that turned out to be Eastern Olivaceous Warbler.

Thursday 19 May 2016

3G

Green Sandpiper, Garganey and Greenshank on the patch today, as well as a Wood Sandpiper.
Garganey
Greenshank

Wednesday 18 May 2016

Days off

A couple of days off work and there has been a little bit of change on the patch, new birds were 3 summer plumaged Knot and a rather bedraggled Short-eared Owl, the back of the loch is drying out nicely and is being used by a small flock of Dunlin, the drake Garganey is still present and was joined by a female on 18/5.
Dunlin
Garganey
Knot
Short-eared Owl

Sunday 15 May 2016

Nitti Ditti

Up against it again, this time going up to Unst for Green Warbler between night shifts. Up from Lerwick at 7am, all the way to Toft - no problems, all the way across Yell -  no problems, the ferry to Unst - broken down, ferry cancelled!!! Eventually they managed to fix the boat, after us all waiting for about 3 hours! Checked the plantation at Setters Hill Estate for about 45 minutes with no luck, and then I located the bird in a small area of trees by the old play park, initially the bird was chasing flies deep in the Sycamores, and only giving full views occasionally, before perching on top of a low fence in front of 2 of us for about 3 minutes. Then it was back down to Lerwick (via 2 ferries), then back home for a quick change of clothes, then back to Lerwick for another night shift - on the go without any sleep for a total of 39 hours!!!!

Monday 9 May 2016

Easterlies

A few days of easterlies promised so much but delivered very little to the patch, maximums for 7th-9th - 25 Common Tern, 2 Arctic Tern, 5 Whimbrel, 1 Arctic Skua, 2 Garganey, 2 Pintail, 2 Gadwall, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Siskin, 1 Sand Martin, 9 Swallows, 4 Willow Warblers, female Blackcap, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 2 Carrion Crows.
Garganey
Common Tern
Gadwall
Siskin
Swallow
Whimbrel
Willow Warbler
A couple of shots of Fitful Head

Tuesday 3 May 2016

Grozzer !!!

After a 10 hour nightshift in Lerwick, got home to find 2 Siskins on the feeders in the garden. I then managed a whole 3 hours in bed before the phone woke me with several texts alerts of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on Burra, so up and ready and back to Lerwick and then on to Burra by about 4pm and watching the bird on the feeders by 5 past, I stayed with the bird until it dropped behind a wall, so I headed back to Lerwick and then home. Just enough time at home to upload my photos onto the computer and then headed back to Lerwick for another 10 hour nightshift - who needs sleep?!!!
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Siskin