Sunday 14 April 2013

Spring Trip

For the Easter Holidays I went into Fair Isle with my Dad, Step mam and family for a spot of birding and visiting.

The 3rd
 View from Inside Crow Stack


An circular egg found at the bottom of Tommy's Pond, some people thought it was a chickens egg, does anyone know what it is?


Skylark at Lower Stonybrek


Common Frog


A long distance photo of a Sparrowhawk flushed from a tree near the Plantation Trap at Gilsetter, thanks to Henry, A new tick for me!

Here is a Rock Pipit with green colour ring on its legs.
This bird was originally part of a colour ringing project in Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire.
It was first ringed as a first year on the 7th of November 2011 with a wing length of 92mm and it was last seen at Rosehearty on the 28th of February,
It was then seen breeding at South Haven, Fair Isle on 17th-21st of April 2012 and then was back at Rosehearty on the 28th of September 2012 to the 27th of February 2013 later returning to Fair Isle on the 31st of March 2013.
This is the only known British Rock Pipit to undertake a regular migration.


lots of Frogs


Before Tea, My Dad, Step-Grandad Stewart and I went for a spot of birding and found the Sparrowhawk from earlier that day on the side of Ward Hill.


Sunset from the bottom of Malcolms Head


Puffins


At about 9:30 that night Stewart called me out to the show me the C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) Comet
which was still showing after several weeks, if you looked carefully you could see the Andromeda Galaxy and the comet in the same binocular view.

The 4th

 Icelandic Horse

"You came to the wrong park"


Twite from Henry's window




Male Pied Wagtail


A tailless Collard Dove




Lapwing in action mode


A male Twite ringed at the Bird Obs, male birds have a pink rumped unlike the females.




 male Shag in North Haven




male Eider also in North Haven


Skylark at the Bird Obs


The 5th

 Since it turned out to be such a lovely morning we decided to walk to the top of Malcolms Head, at the top is the remains of an old World War Two building and its a good place to sit and look at Orkney.

Dad looking out towards Orkney


From Left: Mairi, Laura, Steve and Logan
(photo Abby Bisset)




 Grey Seal pup


Cat hunting rabbits


After a rest at Quoy we headed to Ward Hill but took a detour towards the banks for a look at some places we hadn't been before.
Small pond on Burrashield


Burial mound


After 2 previous attempts that day trying to photograph Snipe this one final stood still long enough for me to click my camera.


Communication Mast AKA The Mast


The Friday afternoon plane


The 6th
While Dad was cleaning the lumb (chimney) of Haa I went for a walk around Meoness

Action Maalie on Meoness


Male Reed Bunting at Aesterhoull
One of two male birds




Ringed Wren on South Haven


 Snipe right outside Quoy 

The 7th
A Devil's Coach-horse Beetle 


Lower Leogh


Today we decided to take a walk up Ward Hill again.
The North Light
  

World War Two Huts


If you can see the left line going up the hill, that is an old railway line connected to a winch.


From top left: Taft, Museum, Chapel, Burkle.
From bottom left: Skerryholm, Auld Haa
(photo from Crow Stack)


South Light 
(photo from Crow Stack)


A large Sea Anenamoe in Crow Stack





 Sea slug sp caught at South Harbour by Henry


Another Sea slug sp caught by Henry at South Harbour
(Photo is very zoomed in)


Curlew at Quoy


The 8th
Here is some of the photos we took on our flight back to Shetland.

Foula


Rain cloud south of Sumburgh


 Bridge end


looking east over Burra at Wester Quarff and Bressay


Scalloway pier


Scalloway quarry


The plane coming in to land


After arriving back in Shetland I headed back to Yell,
At 8 o'clock I got a call saying the Bearded Seal was at the Mid Yell marina,
Me and my grandad Tommy rushed down hoping not to miss it.
By the time we got there it was still lying on the walkway, I slowly walked up to it until I was about two feet away and got a few shots of its face on my camera
luckily the seal didn't look like it had much experience with people and so it let me take lots of photos.






Me and the Bearded Seal

Also this Otter was cashing in on some fish left on a fishing boat.

List of Species seen in Fair Isle:

Woodpigeon
Black Guillemot (Tystie)
Turnstone (Steynpikker
Shag (Scarf)
Fulmar (Maalie)
Snipe (Snippick)
Rock Pipit (Banks Sporrow)
Teal
Rook
Twite (Lintie)
Skylark (Leverrek)
Stirling
Eider (Dunter)
Blackbird
Rock Dove
Sparrowhawk
Wren (Sisti Mus)
Redwing
Fieldfare
Lapwing (Tieve's Nacket)
Merganser (Herald Deuk)
Collard Dove
Puffin (Tammie Norie)
Kittiwake
Herring Gull
Common Gull (Perrie Maa)
House Sparrow
Greylag Goose (Gros Gos)
Mallard (Stock Deuk)
Raven (Corbie)
Hooded Crow
Curlew (Whap)
Pied Wagtail
Oystercatcher (Shalder)
Ringed Plover (Sandiloo)
Common Guillemot (Longvi)
Razorbill (Wilkie)
Reed Bunting
Woodcock
Great Black-Backed Gull (Swaabie)
Song Thrush
Redshank (Ebb Cock)
Bonxie
Meadow Pipit (Hill Sporrow)
Common Scoter
Gannet (Solan)

Total Species= 46
New Species= 1, Sparrowhawk





















1 comment:

  1. Logan great blog post! please share it in the Friends of Fair Isle facebook group.

    ReplyDelete