Little Gull.

Last year I added two species to the list of birds for the patch around the house, a classy Woodchat and a long overdue Osprey (seen frequently in the past from the garden, but not flying in the patch, one finally came north with its fish). This year, the twelfth year, I've added three new species so far, four if you count Pom which is one I got back on Louise this year (she saw a full-tailed adult fly through one spring, I think it went over my head but being in the car I dipped). Gannet, flying along the Hawthorn hedge, now truly in the patch, following one previously, injured, and a few metres over the border, outside the boundary. Spoonbill, feeding for an evening on The Shunan, a complete surprise. The afore mentioned Pomarine Skua, a sub-adult through south, nice. And now yesterday Little Gull, an adult, in amongst a Common Gull flock around the house and by The Shunan. Annoyingly I didn't find the Little Gull. I would have given a few more seconds as I was checking the gull flock from the kitchen, we were indeed discussing that I'd never seen Med Gull from the window when AL, here on a ringing expedition, exclaimed Little Gull! And there it was indeed, at the head of the gull flock, all black underwings and tiny. We packed up the ringing gear and headed out to see it. Fortunately, I noticed it had split off from the main flock and headed up behind the house where I got a few pix.

Little Gull with Common Gulls.

I've made a new page for the patch bird data - https://literateherringthisway.blogspot.com/p/bird-species-list-and-other-bird-data.html to document bird recording. The list is in calculation, one or two things I need to check because I can't remember, did I really see Knot on the patch? Somewhere around 150 species.

This year has been an odd one. Several species have gone missing. Wheatear being the most common, but Yellow-browed Warbler has also been absent as has Ringed Plover and any of the slighty less common waders, I usually get one or two of them. No Blackcaps this autumn when we usually get a period when they are quite common and can regularly be seen on the apples on sticks. 

There are a few species that I really should have recorded on the patch in the twelve years; Little Egret, Crane, White-fronted Goose, Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal (recorded several times in my extended 3km patch), Red-backed Shrike, Whinchat, Pied Flycatcher and Common Rosefinch, one of which was a few miles up the road on Thursday and Friday. Being retired, and thus birding the patch during the week should surely pay dividends next year. 

The ringing expedition was triggered by the numbers of finches here, particularly Brambling. However, with the mild weather they are feeding elsewhere, principly in the Loch of Bosquoy stubble field where there may be 30 or so with 50 or so Chaffinch. A field that continues to unseasonally hold more than 60 Skylark.

Finch flock, Loch of Bosquoy.

 Otherwise this week I've been out to the coast a few times and on the 3km patch. Flocks of flying waders has been a bit of a theme.

Snipe at Loch of Harray.

Purple Sands and Turnstone.

Purple Sandpipers.

Purple Sands on the deck this time.

This brief visit to Birsay coincided with a bit of sunshine and interesting light.

Harbour Seals.

The strong winds of late had brought more Goose Barnacles to shore.

Some interesting seas were also evident at Skaill on Friday.

There was a significant swell but large waves are one of those things that are very hard to give a sense of scale to in a photograph without risking life and limb by getting in close.

Lastly, a couple of images from Loch of Harray.