Guess what.... It's still bloody cold!

It's been a while since my last post, but as you may have guessed, there ain't been a lot of action in this crappy weather we've all been having! The highlights have been; c. 40 Snow Buntings, 3 Jack Snipe, 5 Red Grouse, 10 Bar-tailed Godwits and quite a few very good views of Otters.... Unfortunately the weather hasn't been all that good for photography, and this is the best I could do with the local Otter (just a wee bit of light would have been nice!!!)

Otter in the dark...

On a slightly different note... I know we all have to 'start somewhere', and 'we all make mistakes' etc etc, but I seen this quote on a well known Internet identification forum, and couldn't believe what I was reading... "My immediate thought was Sparrow but it seemed a bit dark and chunky so perhaps Peregrine?"..... and I thought I had problems!!!

Dam it's cold... Part 3

OK... OK... I know the title lacks imagination, but it's still bloody cold here!

As far as birding is concerned, this cold snap has had it's good side though, as species that are normally very hard to see, are a bit more obvious as they have fewer places to hide! This helped me get a 'patch' record of 4 Jack Snipe today, along with copious amounts of Common Snipe and Blackbirds. Not sure if these are just local harsh weather movements, or refugees fresh in from Scandinavia? Also seen today; a hunting Merlin and the usual Otter. Not a bad day concidering I never even made it out of Burravoe!

I've had better Jack Snipe photos, but this was all I could manage today;

Breakfast on the beach...

Finally received my lens back from Sigma today, and what a great job they've done (and more than I'd paid for!). So now my camera is back in action, I guess there will be no more good birds to photograph now!

I did manage to find this Otter having it's breakfast on the beach this morning. I was photographing it straight into the sun, so the results weren't ever going to be great. The pics are also shown in the order in which I took them, which is surprising as In the second pic he did clearly see me, as I was caught out in the open, but he still didn't seem too fussed and just continued messing about on the waters edge...

Bird wise, I did manage; 14 Bar-tailed Godwits, 5 Common Redpolls and 1 Robin today, and I also did another two BTO 'early winter' surveys, although found nothing unusual as expected.

Feeling playful?

With the 'pants' weather we're having just now, and the fact there are very few birds in South Yell as a consequence. Otter watching was an enjoyable alternative this morning! I watched this one feeding just off shore for about 15 minutes. Then when it had finished 'fishing', it decided to clean itself by playing and sliding along in the seaweed! The light was very bad this morning, so the shutter speed was pathetic at best, but the pics still turned out not too bad...

On Reflection.

Definitely a watery theme today. We are getting very strong Northerly winds at the moment, but I managed to find a very sheltered bay, and when the sun came out the reflections in the water were quite beautiful!

Cormorant;

Shag just off shore;

A successful hunt!

A 'monster' of a bull Grey Seal;Dinner for two!

Oi... 'Fat boy'

and you can't have a watery theme without the obligatory Otter shot;

Bird wise there was nothing spectacular, but a few common migrants were around including Pied Flycatcher and Garden Warbler etc, and a Kestrel was at Kergord! Things might be looking up though, as Fair Isle scored the 'first' American passerine of the Autumn today in the shape of a Swanson's Thrush!

Too close for comfort!

To get decent photos of wildlife, sometimes means you have to sacrifice personal comfort! This includes lying on sharp rocks and having your boots fill up with seawater... just fantastic!

It was while watching a distant group of 4 Otters early this morning, that one of these (a large dog), decided to 'home in' on the patch of seaweed covered rocks that I was hiding in! He proceeded to patrol the edge of the rocks and was calling loudly too, but he still seemed totally oblivious to my presence. He got so close at one point that I couldn't even focus (9' min focal distance on my lens!). I got the impression he was calling the rest of the group over, as I have witnessed him do before. It was only when he headed downwind of me (the last pic) that he must have sensed me. Still, I was quietly quite glad the encounter was almost over, as I had some body parts that had given up on me by this point!!! It was well worth it though for the experience and the pics, even though the light wasn't all that great for photos. Shetland has to be one of the best places in Britain for getting the 'full on' Otter experience!...

finally he detected me, and photographed into direct sunlight too!

On the birding front, only 1 Ruff and 2 groups of Bar-tailed Godwits to report this morning (8 birds and 5 birds), looks like a complete clear out of migrants last night...

Commuting with wildlife

The ferry terminals up here are some of the best places of all to get close encounters with Otters. These mammals are now so used to the ferries and cars, that they take little notice of people! This is of course as long as you stay in your car, and stay reasonably quiet!

This Otter was photographed on the way back home from a night shift, so it's still pretty dark, and the iso was set at 1600! This means the pics ain't of the highest quality, but I'm always happy just to see these beautiful creatures... and photos are just a bonus. This animal caught 2 Butterfish in a matter of 5 min, and was hunting only 20 feet or so from the small line of cars waiting to board the ferry! Not a bad commute to work eh?

The Vanishing Warbler Trick!

Highlight of the last few days goes to the Paddyfield Warbler found on Unst (where else!), and found by Rory (again!)... This bird was present in a relatively small patch of Rose bushes, but was able to disappear and go undetected for ages! I tried my best for an hour before I even got a glimpse of it! Not an easy bird by any means, but well worth the effort!


I've also had a few waders in Burravoe recently, with different flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Ruff passing through.

Otters, Hares and Polecats have also been logged locally, but that's enough of them for now. I may also post a few more Otter pics, as soon as I can get them sorted out...

Sunshine on a rainy day...

Today was a mix of thick fog and heavy rain, without much to be cheery about weather wise! which is a good job that the wildlife was providing the highlights.

First up was a family group of Whooper Swans. These rare breeders couldn't have been more co-operative and even came closer to me as I parked. Which is a good job too, as the light conditions were awful, with high iso required...

Altogether now... ahhhh!

A Common Tern at Toft provided a slight distraction...

and an Otter on Yell to finish off with...

Singing in the rain...

Don't know how I've not managed a Linnet on my patch before now, but away from the Sumburgh area, these birds start getting harder to find. Found this bird while trying to sound record the Chiffchaff singing in the rain! Also in Burravoe were 1 Snow Bunting, 6 Fieldfare and 1 Redwing.

The raindrops were even bouncing off it's back! Photographed in atrocious conditions...

This Otter (one of 3) was also out and about during my early morning dog walk, and with fieldcraft, [with fieldcraft I mean crawling through sheep shit and mud!] I even managed to get within 7 feet or so. Now smelling of shit and covered in mud you might get close to Otters, but it ain't all that great for getting close to your wife, and even my dog didn't seem too impressed...

Most today's photos have been taken on about iso 800 and that's all due to the heavy fog and drizzle.

Blast from the past; 28 April 2005 seen me ticking off Whites Thrush at Quarf, Shetland. This was one of only four British Spring time sightings of this beautiful thrush, and thanks to living in Shetland I've now seen 3 birds in total, and I'll still go for the next available too! (Still not managed a pic either...maybe this year)

Caution, Parental advisory!

This title refers to the antics of the local dog Otter when he found a female (and cub)!

I spotted the male as he came out of the water and started calling. Then this female with cub appeared and homed in straight to him. One thing led to another, and I started to feel like a 'voyeur', as daddy and mummy Otters got down and dirty... and all in front of the kids as well! (For full size pics, check out the link in the side bar -----> )

and on the 'migrant' front, I also scored my first Chiffchaff and Bonxie of the year today...

Also more Rock Pipits (photos of two diferent birds) inc one with a 'super' and 'Pinkish' tinge...but not much Grey though! (colours not altered, see side bar for more hot 'Pipit' action!)

Otter

I took a day off work today to try and get my new roof watertight before the predicted rain at the weekend. Unfortunately, although it was sunny and mostly dry, the wind decided to blow hard enough to ruin my best efforts at roofing! So predictably attention turned to birding (what a surprise eh!), and more specifically trying to photograph more 'dodgy' variations of the local Rock Pipits! It was while photographing these, that this Otter decided to amble through... Not a great shot, but it was an opportunistic grab, before the Otter spotted me and scarpered!

The Wheatears are also back on my patch....