Weekend Birding trip 11th & 12th of May

The 11th

A dull day in Lerwick proved to bring out some very good birds including a lifer tick for me.

Common Terns or Tirricks on their return to the Clickimin Loch, this is one of five birds I saw today.

Also on the Loch today 1 Sand Martin, 1 House Martin and 20 Swallows (even in a flock of that many they were impossible to photograph!)

A male Pied Flycatcher

 This is the first of any Flycatcher species I have seen and quite a lovely sight (even though I had to take my picture through a bunch of branches!)

One of two Woodpigeon at Helendale, I've been told they are very good to eat (Pigeon on a plate might taste nice)

A Willow Warbler

 One of three birds around Helendale, also in Helendale one Siskin.

House Sparrow singing

The 12th

A brighter day in Lerwick brought out a few more birds.

Willow Warbler

for such a tiny bird it has a loud

and beautiful call that can be heard from about

100 metres away

 Willow Warbler

 Sleepy Tirrick

A basking Common Seal

The Loch of Voe was teeming with lots of  bird song (and midges!)

A singing Chiffchaff

 A nice song to hear when walking round a plantation

Also round the loch there was a Robin

Primroses

A Midge or Mayfly of some sort

Also today while crossing on the ferry from Toft to Ulsta a large flock of

about 150 Knot flew South-east over the Sea towards the mainland.

This is the biggest flock of any wader I have seen and its amazing how they

they can all fly together in a large flock without crashing into each other.

On my way back to Mid Yell me and my Grandad stopped along the

Westsandwick Beach to look for a Pilot Whale which had been washed up there

last week.

The whale is about 4.875 metres long

and was washed high up on one of the smaller

beaches south on the main beach

It was quite sad to see such a huge and

majestic animal washed up dead.