St Aidens- water birds

young coot

Mute swan

Coot dispute

Young Gt Crested Grebe

Ruff

Around 500 Greylag

St Aidens- visit

 St Aiden's RSPB reserve has been in exsistance for about 9 years as it a reclaimed mining area

It offers a number of different habitats from farmalnd, woodland, lakes, marsh, muddy areas , reedbed

Its a big area but there are numerous paths short and long with a visitors centre and toilets, you have to pay for carpark if you are not a RSPB member

Lots of Magpies

Wood pigeon feeding young

Goldfinch one of a flock of 30+ around carpark

Species

Little Owl, Kestrel, Red Kite (8) Buzzard (4), Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Collard Dove, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Long Tailed Tit, Gt Tit, Blue Tit, Bearded Tit, Little Egret, Common Tern, Herring Gull, GT BB, Black Headed Gull, Cormorant, Tufted, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Gt Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Canada Goose, Greylag, Starling, House Sparrow, Lapwing, Ruff, Black Tailed Godwit, Mute Swan, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Robin, Coot, Moorhen

43 species

American Golden Plover

Migration is underway in Shetland, with the Black winged Pratincole still on Fetlar. Last night about 7pm a flock of at least 50 Swallows arrived over the field infront of the house and spent a few mins hawking for insects before disappearing south, this is the biggest flock i have seen in Shetland.

The odd Willow Warbler and Wood Warbler have been seen but a report came in of an American Golden Plover , a bird i haven't seen before. Luckly it was only two mins away at the west side of Setter in Sandwick.

I scanned the fields and found a small flock of 20 or so of Golden Plover and up popped the American Golden Plover easily recognised by its darker plumage.

Even through an 800mm lens and cropped it was still small but still recognisable.

I have missed out on a few AGP in Sandwick, always a good spot for Golden Plover especially in winter when they spend most of the time around the Wart in Sandwick

Down on the beach  at Sandsayre Turnstone (12) Sanerling (5) Redshank (4) and Ringed Plover (4) while a couple of Red Throated Divers could be seen out on the sea.

September is always a good month for migration and i am looking forward to some good experiences

The pigeon and Herring Gull

 I was down in Lerwick a few days ago and spent some time at Hays Dock watching Black Guillemot and fishing Gannets.

Closer in i noticed a feral pigeon which took off from the top of a shed but was targeted by a Gt Black Back Gull which hit the bird in mid air and sent it crashing into the harbour. I have never seen this before.

The pigeon soon became waterlogged and flapped its wings in vain as it tried to take off. 

While the adult GTBB flew onto the top of the hut and watched two Juv GTBB gulls started circling. One then started to attack the pigeon while it sat on the surface of the water.

It jabbed twice but the gave up allowing the pigeon to swim off and gained some shelter at the back of a small boat just out of sight. 

The two Gulls flew off but by then the pigeon floated out from behind the boat dead