Just an excellent day yesterday, starting off at 5 doing my farm survey. It's an organic farm that borders the moor so there's lots of interest. Best bird was a redpoll sp, in the same place as last time. Lots of Twite on the moorland edge with signs of breeding.
Then at home There was plenty of interest around Loch of Bosquoy and The Shunan trying to count breeding birds. I got home and a Marsh Harrier flew through and a Tree Sparrow came to the feeders again.
A fun afternoon was spent at Birsay, rock pooling and eating nice cake at the cafe as well as counting Arctic Terns.
Here's a pitfall bird, under the feeders
Just a Starling, leucistic juvenile
Then in the evening after eating tea and whilst finishing my beer and intermittently peering at The Shunan with my scope a very smart Red-necked Phalarope was found feeding next to the Dunlin. Ellen and I leapt in the car and got reasonable views before it rather rapidly vapourised. One minute it was in the scope, Ellen looked and saw it again, I went back to the scope and it had gone...
A self-found tick for me, so especially nice.
Eynhallow today
2 comments:
Nice self found bird Alastair. I remember a trip we had with Arctic Terns at Birsay nesting around the gravelly car park area. I think it was at Brough of Birsay? or something like that...Spring Squill was in flower there too...
Yes Spring Squill still grows there. I would have been chuffed to find the Ring-necked Ducks but was beaten to them... still nice "from the garden" tick.
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