I wandered over to Skaill on Saturday to catch up with the Great Crested Grebe, bumped into some Scaup, a Whimbrel, a Swallow and investigated a possible seawatch spot for skuas. The trouble with Yesnaby is that birds can fly too close and disappear under the cliff, last year I missed more than I saw. The low cliffs at Skaill, to the north of the bay look like a good bet, and there's some shelter there. I think I'll give it a try this year, let's hope some come by. The brief seawatch produced a flock of four Common Scoter, really uncommon here, a GND, Puffin, Razorbills and piles of Fulmar and Kits. On the way back to the car there were Swallow and Wheatear.
Scaup duck
Fulmar
Common Gull
Rock patterns
Today a tramp around Mirkister and then on to Bosquoy produced all three commoner hirundines, a couple of Ringed Plover on a very nice flood at the back of Bosquoy and a huge flock of 200+ Mepits. There seem to be loads of Leebs about, but no white winged gulls unfortunately.
Still a few of these around
The Shunan held its first five Blackwits for the year yesterday and today there were 21. There was a Siskin on the feeders on Friday and three pairs of Brown Hare by the track on Thursday.
Blackwit roost
Through the kitchen window
Laying low
Evening light
Melanistic rabbit, common around the garden
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