Today's menu:
Common Crane
Great Northern Diver
Jack Snipe
Barred Warbler
Merlin (x3)
Greenish Warbler
Brown Shrike
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Friday, 30 September 2016
Day 2 Shetland
Today's menu:
Common Crane
Great Northern Diver
Jack Snipe
Barred Warbler
Merlin (x3)
Greenish Warbler
Brown Shrike
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Thursday, 29 September 2016
Everything turning out rosie
Hoorah no more work!
Hoorah off to Shetland!
First a brief stop for a tick for Mr Howard of a Brunnich's Guillemot at Anstruther Port, which was just as well as it's disappeared (presumed dead) today. A brief visit to Fife Ness, on the back of the hundreds of mipits flying over as we watched an ill auk. Sadly not a lot happening there as the weather got increasingly Shetland-like.
Arriving in Shetland in the dark after a fairly quite crossing we're off to Quarff and a Hoopoe on the way. By the time we left Quarff we were nearly at double figures for Yellow-broweds.
I, yes me, numpty me, found a Little bunting in the sunken garden at Scalloway. OK DB helped, and luckily it finally popped up for its shots so I might not have to do the report.
Local gen helped with the Rose-coloured Starling up the road a bit, and when we got a bit more comfortable with the boisterous juvenile, we managed to get the confidence to move closer.
Tuesday, 30 August 2016
After long unproductive stint on the patch...
O(a)r(e) don't stint on the stints
What is happening with Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper? Hundreds are being noted up and down the country where usually only tens are counted. I would love to think that is because these arctic waders are doing well and everything is rosy in the world, but sadly that wont be the case. Some weird weather systems that we can't appreciate or register even in our daily digest of all things weather related in this country, had brought these annuals in hefty volumes.
My previous with both species had been one or two (or in the case of Curlew Sands 4-5 at Rainham), distant specks round the feet of their leggy cousins. Today I took the offer of a lift from James H to have an afternoon down at Oare. Kent has the best light for any wader watching in the Thames estuary–it's always to the south–and Oare has the best set up for close encounters.
OK I had gone on the off-chance of the Baird's being firmed up following a "probable" sighting late morning, but the chance of seeing dozens of Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper was enough to unloose the shackles of a lacklustre patch.
Hundreds of Golden Plover, good numbers of Little Ringed Plover of all ages, Godwits (always godwits here), Spotted Redshank, scores of Redshank (I don't think I've ever seen a flock, and by that I mean scores of birds, as large), tens of Ruff, Lapwing, Snipe, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Dunlin, Knot–a veritable wader banquette and the main stars over 30 of each of Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper. While the Curlew Sands kept their distance the Stints occasionally came really close, but being the size of a sparrow, they could have come a lot closer to make photography easier. Some of the images that have been on the internet have been stunning, the scope views were just draw dropping.
What is happening with Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper? Hundreds are being noted up and down the country where usually only tens are counted. I would love to think that is because these arctic waders are doing well and everything is rosy in the world, but sadly that wont be the case. Some weird weather systems that we can't appreciate or register even in our daily digest of all things weather related in this country, had brought these annuals in hefty volumes.
My previous with both species had been one or two (or in the case of Curlew Sands 4-5 at Rainham), distant specks round the feet of their leggy cousins. Today I took the offer of a lift from James H to have an afternoon down at Oare. Kent has the best light for any wader watching in the Thames estuary–it's always to the south–and Oare has the best set up for close encounters.
OK I had gone on the off-chance of the Baird's being firmed up following a "probable" sighting late morning, but the chance of seeing dozens of Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper was enough to unloose the shackles of a lacklustre patch.
Hundreds of Golden Plover, good numbers of Little Ringed Plover of all ages, Godwits (always godwits here), Spotted Redshank, scores of Redshank (I don't think I've ever seen a flock, and by that I mean scores of birds, as large), tens of Ruff, Lapwing, Snipe, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Dunlin, Knot–a veritable wader banquette and the main stars over 30 of each of Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper. While the Curlew Sands kept their distance the Stints occasionally came really close, but being the size of a sparrow, they could have come a lot closer to make photography easier. Some of the images that have been on the internet have been stunning, the scope views were just draw dropping.
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