Patchwork and Foot It

Yesterday was spent tramping around the home patch. It was a beautiful, sunny calm day, until evening when it rained. Ideal for searching the lochs. Most things gave themselves up in the end except for Slav Grebe and Scaup which proved elusive.

This morning I headed over to The Brough and had an hour before the tide came in. Fulmars were going at about 1400 an hour and I added Kittiwake and Guillemot. Best bird was a Great Northern Diver sitting off the eastern end, not so common in this bit of Orkney.

 Record shot GND

Fulmars and Guillemts were on the cliffs

On the way home I managed to locate the Loch of Banks hybrid crows, very interesting birds, each at the furthest end of the hybrid continuum. This afternoon was track mending time but thinking that a raptor or two would be possible I walked down with the barrow rather than use the trailer. I'd barely got beyond the front gate when an adult Peregrine shot through. Nothing showed down at the heap but strangely on the way home a Kestrel showed at almost precisely the spot the Peregrine had been seen earlier.