Female Long Tailed Duck in flight -Shetland

 Photographing birds in flight is always challenging but well worth it. Long Tailed Ducks came close in at Grutness at high tide and because they were in mating mode there was a lot of activity

Seeing them close up is great, round at West Voe there are still well over 100 birds but very distant.

They will soon be heading north to gather at Bluemull sound near Unst and it is a spectacular sight to see several hundred birds before they head to breeding grounds further north

Shetland Sandwick birds

Ravens seem to be more confined to the western side of Shetland when we first start to come to Shetland back in  the late 1980's but now they are wide spread.

Around Quendale, which seems to be the strong hold, in winter you can see flocks of 100 birds and these seem to breed high up on the moors

They have been responsible for attacking lambs so the farmers are not keen on them

Snipe are always difficult to see and photograph and often they fly off before you can get onto them

Redshank numbers are high in Sandwick during winter with flocks of 100 possible especially around the Wart

Around 300-400 Golden Plover are often found around the Wart along with other waders and if you can find a spot to sit and wait in your car they slowly approach. Hopefully the Redshanks are not near by as they are a nervous bird. Sometime an American Golden Plover can be found in this flock

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Thrush time in Shetland

Large numbers of thrush have arrived in Shetland this last week. Looking out of our living room window we could see 34 Blackbirds in the field in front while another 6-7 at the back

 Goo to see large arrival of Fieldfare and Redwing, especially around Spiggie  where several hundred fed.

another 300-400 up at Sumburgh while people reported large numbers further north.

Fieldfares normally disappear at the sight of a camera lens so i stayed in the car and managed to get a couple of close birds

The Fieldfare chased off several Redwing

It was good to see them in good light which brought out the colours. With very few berries in Shetland its down to catching earth worms, so when we get a frost and harder ground, they will disappear