Angle Shades

I'd not caught this moth in this trap before, got it by sugaring last year.

Angle Shades

Here's some recent scenic pix from around home.

Big(ish) Green Day

The weather looks pretty good in this picture, for a short time before lunch it was almost sunny...

I did of course choose the worst day for weather that we've had for weeks, winds up to 40mph, poor visibility and from lunch time continuous rain, yuk. At least cycling out to the coast was easy enough, coming back was something of a struggle. The good thing about this activity was that I went birding at some different places and that I birded familiar places, like Palace and the Links in a different way.

Some migrants now appear to be established in some numbers, for example Sedge Warbler and Wheatear on the coast. Hirundines have arrived in the last few days with House Martin now at all its usual haunts and there were exceptional numbers of Sand Martins at Birsay, 30.

Waders provided the highlights of the day, showy summer plumage Knot, Sanderling and Black-tailed Godwit.

Dunlin

Sanderling

Sanderling

It was such hard work coming back from the coast though that I abandonned plans to search Loch of Harray and the moor so the total of 71 is less than what could be achieved on a better day. The last three species were added from the comfort of the kitchen with tea and cakes and the nice warm Aga to make life somewhat more comfortable.

The ones that got away were a likely Siskin that emerged from a garden during the worst of the weather, a small wader, that just might have been an LRP, that flew inland from The Links and two sub-adult skuas that were too far out to sea but features I could make out were consistent with Long-tailed... so it goes.

Pebble Prominent

Pebble Prominent

It seems very early to be catching one of these but I'm not complaining, what a beautiful wee beastie.

Also in the trap: 3, Hebrew Character and 1, Common Quaker.

Two Tree Sparrows were again under the feeders, Oystercatcher on the lawn, Dunnock singing and a Chaffinch called.

Early evening there was an Arctic Tern feeding on Loch of Bosquoy and perhaps three House Martins there too; both species seen from the garden.

Whimbrel in the garden

Yesterday as I lingered by The Shunan on the way home in the evening a familiar call was heard and after a minute or two a Whimbrel landed on the mud in front of me. Very surprisingly this is only the third time I have recorded this species in the home tetrad and only the second time on The Shunan. last year's bird hid under the wall and didn't call so it remained unrecorded from the garden. This individual was much more obliging. I drove up to the house, scanned with the scope but it was out of sight behind the wall but then it called, called again and took flight. It flew straight towards me, fairly low over the front garden and disappeared to the north. There were five summer plumage Dunlin as well.

Today, I dropped in at home for lunch on the way back to work from a meeting in Kirkwall and the Tree Sparrows were back, well there were two. They were still under the feeders when I returned at six. I'm tempted to purchase a nest box. There were nine Dunlin on The Shunan this evening.

It's warm tonight so I'll put the moth trap out.

This weekend is green birding weekend. I think tomorrow is the official day but I've jobs to do so I'll be listing by foot and by bike on Sunday. If I get to the coast I would think that 70 might be possible, we shall see.

Another beautiful day

A Sedge Warbler by The Shunan, a Goldfinch over at work (first record) and finally a brief glimpse of two Tree Sparrows flying east out of the garden this evening.

Yesterday there was a Red Admiral in the garden, amazingly early I think. A male Hen Harrier also paid us a visit cutting through the front garden as it headed down the hill to hunt.

White-tailed Eagle

Just finishing a visit to Palace, Birsay with a seawatch at the Brough car park when by some miracle a text came through, eagle 15 minutes away. The seawatch (which had produced 22 Arctic Terns, 2 Puffins and an Arctic Skua) was quickly abandoned and I arrived just in time to get pretty good flight views of the perhaps 2nd summer White-tailed Eagle before it and its Greylag posse disappeared over the hill. Thanks to AL for the call.

Lapwing chicks

The Shunan, everything's gone yellow

Marsh Marigold

Not so much to report today except the first brood of Lapwing chicks were running around on Shunan mud this morning.

The Tree Sparrows did not reappear in the garden but were heard by The Shunan in the afternoon, perhaps migrants over or the same birds mooching around.

This pair of Pied Wagtails are prospecting by the burn

We went for a swim in the sea, not very warm. Scooting around on the boards was ok but when I tried snorkling I wished I hadn't, head got rather cold, rather quickly. Scooting around in the sea might not have been the best plan, this was filmed yesterday from just over the water near Thurso (movie taken though an SLR standard lens, the beasts were 20ft away at times apparently. http://youtu.be/-UoFWDQ4uyE - come my way soon.

Glazing and Tree Spugs

In goes the last bit of glass

A day spent in the garden, a beautiful sunny day and, at least here in Harray, very little wind. A Goldfinch was buzzing around. When I went inside to connect up the drill the Goldfinch was on the Nyjer and Tree Sparrow there when I came back. In the end I counted three and a quick call to PH added the species to his county year list attempt.

Brought in by one of the cats, I don't think he climbed up to the nest

A rare bird on Orkney and there were three on the feeders this afternoon, nice

Also today a Goldfinch, the Linnets again, two Swallows around the byre and Louise claimed two Siskin. PH texted to let me know a Sea Eagle was heading this way but it was most likely too high to see by the time it passed us dipped in any case.

Later in the afternoon 16 Pink-feet headed east over the house.

Here's The Shunan at dusk today

From the kitchen table

Sitting at the kitchen table after tea I noticed two Linnets feeding at the front, just by the window, they're not so common in the garden so we admired them for a few minutes before letting the dog out and they flew. However, a bit of a scan produced one then another Bonxie, nice. Oh look! Wheatear on the wall, more Linnets nearby as well. I started getting into this so focused carefully on The Shunan and there beside the Redshanks was the summer plumaged (well nearly) Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit. A Song Thrush then appeared on the lawn, quite infrequent of late. So along with the usual suspects, Oysercatcher, Curlew, a nice set of gulls etc quite a list was built up in just a few minutes.

Tuesday evening and at 9.53 p.m. we were all in the garden expectant, the ISS flew by and we waved but couldn't quite pick out the crew waving back from 200 miles or so away. if you are reading this from south it may be possible to see Endeavour chasing the ISS down in the next few days (if it launches successfully) sadly not in view from here. Check out the website for times and position - click here

Gannet!

View to the Graemsay Light and Clestrain Sound

A long held ambition has been to add Gannet to the "from the garden" list. It's about 7 miles to the sea that we can see from the garden, we can see the Graemsay light and just to the north is a thin strip of the Clestrain Sound that is visible. Because of the various water bodies that I'm looking across to this piece of sea (three, Loch of Bosquoy, Loch of Harray and Loch of Stenness) there is nearly always shimmer which makes identification of any birds in The Sound pretty much impossible. But today it was clear. Within five minutes of beginning the attempt a Gannet was clearly seen winging its way south through The Sound, result. Last year I did manage Shag, their small flocks are not too hard to identify in the right conditions (no shimmer) but so far this year none have been espied. I think seeing Tystie, which is common in the sound, may just be a step too far... or maybe not, the loan of a Questar may be called for however.

Starling

Hebrew Character (also caught Common Quaker)

Such a good start to the day was quickly added to with a Greenshank on The Shunan and a Sparrowhawk hunting the garden Starlings. Then it was off to Swanney and Keith's garden. The luck did not hold. After four hours, a good soaking and no Subalpine Warbler I called it a day, it was seen twice whilst I was there, somehow I was in the wrong place at the right time and dipped.

On to Birsay where there was a Blackcap, a Swallow, good numbers of Sand Martins and Wheatears, a nice bowl of soup, White Wagtails and a Common Sandpiper.

Twite

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

Mute Swans

Previous evening from home.

Corrigal

Holodyke trees

Swallows

There were two Swallows at work yesterday when we got back from the sailing venture. A further Swallow flew through the garden today.

Sailing yesterday was excellent, plenty of wind and the boat fairly clipped along. In Kirkwall Bay was a superb summer plumage Great Northern Diver, Arctic Skua, 40 Long-tailed Ducks and 3 Bonxie.

This evening there were two Wrens singing at Holodyke, gradually creeping closer to home; Willow Warbler was singing there, it would be nice if one sang just a little way down the hill. There were still two Brambling in the garden - the photo is from yesterday when there were three.


There was a further attempt to see the Subalpine, dipped again but I'll attempt again tomorrow.

To the tune of Jammin'

I'm dippin'... The Subalpine wouldn't show for me when I got there at 5.30 or so. Intend to try again tomorrow.

As I left for work today there were four Wheatears on the track and later at work a couple of hirundines (possibly Sand Martins) went distantly past the office window.

However, the Willow Warbler is still singing at work and a male Hen Harrier flew across the road by the Shunan as I headed for my meeting in Kirkwall.