Welcome Spring

Hello, so this is the first blog from me. Are you looking for world class photos? intelligent writing and captivating posts? If you answered yes, I can refer you to some other very good blogs out there.

So that's the expectations dealt with, on to the posts.

I am very fortunate to be living and working in my dream destination. A location I would visit annually as a kind of pilgrimage, to clear my mind and connect with the natural world, with a backdrop of stunning scenery, special birds and special people too.

Whilst the majority of my birding has been carried out previously to coincide with the wonder of spring or autumn migration, I am now in a position to watch and enjoy the full range of the seasons and everything they have to offer.

It has been a strange start to life up here, with the lockdown restrictions and illness to my wife. But we are so fortunate to have so much on our doorstep to enjoy.

Well, that's the start bit done, on to the posts about birds and local wildlife.

Spring has been trickling on over the last few months, with everything looking greener, an increase in wading birds and a small pulse of passing migrants and returning breeding birds.
Movements here are very dependant on the winds, and the recent northerly and westerly winds are not conducive to successful northwards passage of birds. However easterly winds are on the horizon (from Monday 18th), so hopefully migration of passerine birds will turn up a notch.

As alluded to previously, there have been small pulses of migrants coming through, with tree pipit, wheatears, siskins, brambling, willow warblers and blackcaps all appearing in the garden. And species such as whinchat and pied flycatcher present briefly, a short walk away.

There have been some nice additions to my Shetland list in between, with great white egret a short cycle away, red kite over the house and a superb woodchat shrike down at Grutness. As is the case with everyone else in the current lockdown situation, I have missed plenty to, by not being able to travel by car or even originally go out more than once a day. So species such as Eastern subalpine warbler 8 miles away were missed (more on that shortly) and slightly further afield, spring arrivals  like hoopoe and little bunting were out of reach.
But good things come to those who respect the rules and have patience, as the saying goes.

I have enjoyed common crane from the front window (3 of them) and an elusive red kite, finally did the decent thing and just came over my house. Then of course there was the Eastern subalpine warbler. After missing the one 8 miles away, Paul Harvey found one just across the bay from me. So a short cycle of less than a mile in distance and I was enjoying one of my favourites!

                                         Eastern subalpine warbler- Boddam

                                          Red kite- over the house Dalsetter

It is currently blowing a force 7 outside, so I am not expecting much today. But still, there are Arctic terns, Great and Arctic skuas from the front window, as well as a nice scattering of birds on the sea in the bay, which consist of black guillemots, red throated and great northern divers, fulmars and shags.
And for when the wind drops, we are extremely lucky to have the cliffs behind the house, that hold razorbills, guillemots and puffins. 

Future posts will be shorter, and less waffle I promise, with some more landscape shots too, to paint a picture of the views. 

If the weather is accurate and the birds play ball, it is that time of the year here for species like red backed shrike, bluethroat, common rosefinch and icterine warblers! Fingers crossed.