Down on a Shetland Beach

With this lock down its been difficult to get around so my walk takes me around Sandwick. it's a pity because there has been a Little Bunting at Toab, Common Cranes (4) at Hillwell and White Billed Diver(3) in Yell and Unst.

 Redshank

We have two beaches, both very different, one with lots seaweed and rocks while the other on the south side at Sanick has a sandy beach.

There are lots of textures to look for, using a Macro 105mm lens reveals lots of interesting items. Seaweed or shapes in the sand look good with the sun at a low angle

                                                               Seaweed top and bottom

      Ripples in the sand

Barnacles 

Limpet

Some interesting ripples coming down onto the beach from a small burn

Seaweed looking like paper

Tree Rings on driftwood

Grutness birds - Shetland

These posts may be come more irregular as Corona Virus kicks in. Throughout my walk I never met anyone, a bus passed with no on and a few cars headed up to Sumburgh Head

Out in the bay at Grutness several Eider could be seen displaying 

Once they started to feed a flock of gulls descended on the flock of eider and started to attack them when they brought food to the surface

The number of Red Throated Divers had decreased to 5 but were well spread out, unlike last week when they gathered into one flock

Lots of wader about at present with Curlew calling as they went to a stubble field. A flock of 26 Oystercatcher flew up from the beach calling and soon joined the Curlew feeding in the field

Other waders included Turnstone(6) Ringed Plover (8) and Redshank(12) on the beach

In the garden a Chiffchaff moved swiftly through the shrubs, my first of the year

A Couple of Purple Sandpiper landed on the beach well away from the rocky area. Further out a small flock of Long Tailed Duck and Black Guillemot.

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Sumburgh Spring birds

Finally managed to get out after lots of bad weather and being ill round Christmas. It was an excellent day on Sunday with lots of sun and a lack of wind

We stopped off at Sumburgh and straight away heard the song of Starlings, Twite, Meadow Pipit, Curlew and Oystercatcher - a good sign of spring

The three Twite sang away unconcerned by my close approach. They were joined by around 20 Starling who started singing immediately, what a tonic

Making my way over the West Voe I saw a small bird on a fence post which turned out to be a male Stonechat then the female jumped up near by. This pair has now been present for a week with the odd bird a bit further north

They constantly dropped down into the dunes picking up insects and looked settle, who knows if they will stay to breed

At Grutness only a few Shag could be seen on the incoming tide

This one surfaced just in front of me as I stood on the pier.

Several Red Throated Divers could be seen but only one showed any sign's of Summer plumage

Also good to see a group of 18 Long Tailed ducks in the bay

West Voe
Gt Northern Diver (2) Eider (6) Long Tailed Duck (66) Common Gull (22) Turnstone (18) Gt BB(2) Rock Pipit (4) Herring Gull (8) LBB (1)