Otter

Driving from a seawatch at Yesnaby to The Loons yesterday evening, and a good job I was going slow by Loch of Skaill as a big dog otter was in the road. He slipped down the bank and I stopped. Thinking that was it and he would have nipped off unseen below the bank I was about to drive off when up he popped up a few feet away in the loch and gave me a look. He dived, then up again, staring at me and me at him. We played this game for a few minutes before he got bored and dived away.

Here's the proof, not the most wonderful pic though...

The redpoll was joined by two more, slightly better photos of them. The rump and back certainly have a white ground colour even if they are heavily streaked, islandica I reckon.

 Siskin and Common Redpoll

Various pictures of the three

Also yesterday an Arctic tern on The Shunan, a House Martin through the garden. The seawatch at Yesnaby produced about 40 Bonxies going south, uncountable as most were above my head and I was staring out looking for distant Poms.