Saturday 13 February 2010

More beautiful days

One of our rotting carts, this in the Orkney Vole "reserve"

Lunch and coffee outside, it's still and sunny up here; decidedly warm to be honest, tropical not.

Work on the potato patch has proceeded these two days, some progress but steady is best with digging I find.


Bird race reccy is ongoing, the Stromness Iceland Gull made it onto the year list yesterday as did Chaffinch. Goldfinch and Dunnock were nailed (our garden bird is a tad unreliable, although it was singing yesterday), Goldcrest was checked out.

Two species singing yesterday with Robins being most vocal along with Dunnock. Oystercatchers seem to be venturing inland more, both yesterday and today seen from the garden. The Rooks are decidedly frisky.

Loch of Stenness held 120 Scaup yesterday, not a bad total and Little Grebe made it onto the garden list courtesy of slightly distant Loch of Bosquoy. There were fleetingly 27 Fieldfare in the garden, next door.


Today's mission was to nail down the GW-f Geese but they didn't seem to be where they were supposed to be and the light was grim, need to get these sorted. Twitching A.carolinensis would be the ticket tomorrow.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have my every sympathy with the digging! Double-digging existing grassland is sheer hell.

Jon

Alastair said...

I'm not keen on it. I thought about getting a rotivator but it'll cut all the roots up and that might not be the best plan. A little and often I reckon, although the weather was good for a walk to day so none got done.