Home at last

I had to work away for a week, which was ok, especially as there were few interesting birds, however, good to get home.

Friends arrived from South on the Friday evening so the weekend was spent hunting for good things and seeing the sights.

 Er, TC, that might not be the best place to go seawatching

Maybe that's not so great either

Yesnaby produced a nice Mealy Redpoll on Saturday, as well as a good selection of Arctic Skuas. At Birsay we found that as I suspected the previous week the Arctic Terns had decided to leave. Maybe they'll try elsewhere.

We clambered around on rocks and went rock pooling, just have to mind where you step.

Oystercatcher clutch

Oystercatchers sneak off and then you have to keep your eyes skinned. 

On Sunday we went looking for summer plumaged Great Northerns at Evie and bumped into a summer plumaged White-billed instead, very nice. (Pic later.)

There was a Green Sand on The Shunan and a Cuckoo up behind the house. Later in the day we went to Mar Wick.

The weekend disappeared rather sharply.

After work yesterday, a lazy start this morning involved trout fishing with youngest offspring, we caught three, let two go (under-sized), and she had baked trout for lunch.

I wandered down to The Shunan to fill in pot holes mid afternoon and bumped straight into a Red-necked Phalarope, another female, it hadn't been there earlier. Also there a Blackwit, a Ringed Plover, a pair of Common Sands and five or so Dunlin. One pair of Coot have young and there are two broods of Greylags, a three and a five. Work again tomorrow...