Close encounter

Fulmars always present around Shetland

We keep getting small influxes of thrushes and in the last few days the field in front of our house has held Fieldfare, Redwing, Song Thrush (rare) and Blackbird

This was one of 8 in the field and kept coming onto our fence allowing a very close approach to about 6-7 feet

We get a lot of Blackbirds with white feathers but this was totally black

Fieldfares on the ground with a mixed flock of waders, mostly Turnstone with Purple Sandpiper and Redshank

 Today we are expecting Sever gale force winds of around 70mph with gusts of 80mph+ so it will blow away a few birds but hopefully blow some interesting ones in

In shore Guillemot

 

Glossy Ibis at last

 

Finally after 4 attempts i got to see the Glossy Ibis

This had been in Eel burn at Quendale since 2 January, with 3 others reported up in Unst but all these dying after a few days

I thought i was going to have no luck again having walked the burn from the beach to the wall. I was just looking at a Twite flock (200) when the Ibis flew up from the burn from further up near the loch, an inaccessible place over 3 fences

It flew over my head and down towards the beach. The weather was not good, very dull with Force 5 wind and rain showers

I relocated it in a short section of the burn close to the beach. It flew up and away back towards the loch but came down about 1/2 way along the burn close to a flock of sheep

Thinking it may go back towards the loch i approached from the north and managed to see it low down in the burn looking around.

Photography was impossible due to lots of thick vegetation sprouting up

It did fly up and headed parallel to me back towards the loch giving fine views. It then dropped down beyond the wall but close to the bottom of the crop field

It is thought these may be Spanish Birds, with 160 reported in the UK. Birds also now breeding in the Camargue and attempted to breed in Lincolnshire last year

Although they can seem to be almost black a bit of light reveals more a glossy purple colour.

A new bird for me and worth putting the effort in to see the bird. 

A  small arrival of Chaffinch and Robin have joined the growing numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing

Rabbit diner

Although we have few birds of prey there are plenty of birds to clean up 

Lots of gulls including this juvenile Gt Black Back Gull as well as a growing number of Raven and Hoddie Crows

This rabbit was a recent road kill and it was only a short time before the gulls and corvids found the corpse

Ravens are big birds but three GtBB gulls chased them off and then left this young bird to feast on the Rabbit