Otterly wonderful week

Hello. Another week has flown by, with a great selection of wildlife highlights.

With the late July period, comes the opportunity to ring storm petrels. European storm petrels have returned from their epic migration off the southern tip of Africa, and the end of July/ early August time window, offers the best opportunity to safely capture these diminutive ocean masters.

Away from the usual historic trapping sites, I opted to test the end of my road, just by the shore on the inlet diagonal from our house. With the net up at midnight, I planned for just an hour to see if any storm petrels would arrive. I was pleasantly surprised to catch 4 European storm petrels, before the real unexpected surprise, as a Leach's storm petrel went into the net too!

                                                                             European storm petrel

                                                                                   Leach's petrel

                                                                   Leach's petrel

Not a bad return for a small net in a speculative area. All safely checked and wearing their own distinct identification ring they were sent on their way into the night to flutter masterfully over the ocean. Quite an experience. The following night with the ringing group at a usual historic site, we captured 95 European storm petrels and 3 Leach's. One of the storm petrels a Norwegian ringed bird.

The working week consisted of finishing off some of the practical work from the previous week, as well as completing some of the last Red necked phalarope surveys of the year. Numbers are starting to drop, with many birds beginning to leave their breeding sites, and prepare for their migration. Soon they will be sipping cocktails on the coast of Peru (minus the cocktails I'm guessing).

A journey North again following on from surveys, I had the fortune post work to embark on an incredible overnight trip to one of our scarcely visited sites- an off-shore uninhabited island, where we were able to confirm the presence once again of occupied Leach's petrel burrows. A superb experience.
Prior to setting sail, I spent a good 30 minutes with this charismatic otter at the Yell ferry terminal in gorgeous sunshine.

Obviously you don't hear about the days of meetings, planning and reports side of my role, but I thoroughly enjoy the balance and being able to see the direct benefits of our conservation work. 

Evenings and days off, consist of day trips out to enjoy our new home. (Nearly a year now).

A truly stunning place.

Sorry for the long wait my week has been skuad.

Hello.

Well a lot later than normal, but finally a bit of a summary of why it has taken so long to get round to this weeks post.

Firstly, it has been a busy working week, lots of variance and as usual plenty of memories yet again. With attention turning very much to breeding birds, it was a week of surveys and practical management to help habitats over the coming months.

Work started at Loch of Spiggie, with the removal by hand of the invasive plant "monkey flower". Although attractive in appearance this non-native species can really take a hold if not controlled, at the detriment to other important plant communities.

Spiggie has an important fen basin habitat, florally rich and diverse, with a lovely selection of orchids and a superb array of basin fen species. So work began on Setter marsh to pull by hand these flowers from the roots to prevent future spread, or the flowers going to seed.

Ten bin bags later, a slightly sore back and a feeling of relative satisfaction we were done for the day. Of course there was bird highlights too, calling quail and broods of tufted ducks adding to the scene.

Surveys this week took me north to Fetlar, for two days of surveying for red-necked phalaropes out on our managed sites. Numbers continue to impress, with plenty of male birds showing promising breeding behaviour, and a few nests found too, along with fledged juveniles and a few chicks.

A stonechat by Loch of Funzie was a nice highlight on my way to survey, whilst a fledgling cuckoo rather comically being fed by meadow pipits was a rather significant record, with not many confirmed breeding records of cuckoo for Shetland in recent years.

Back south, after a bit of an absence. the lesser grey shrike emerged again, in a similar area, so an evening visit with the family was enjoyable.

                                                                           Lesser grey shrike, Bigton
The remainder of the week and into the next was a busy week of planning and a continuation of surveys and further work on Spiggie too.

So then we arrived at today. After news yesterday of the long tailed skua (the one that had flown through my garden) was back at Dalsetter hill behind my house, I headed out this morning for another look at this absolute stunner. I had sensational views as it flew calling, and associating with Arctic skuas also present. Just when you think things can't get any better, Shetland delivers another surprise. As me and Mick were watching the exquisite skua, it became apparent that there was a second bird! This one with no tail streamers. The two chased each other around calling, putting on a display of acrobatics, before spiralling high. The Long tailed, long tailed skua (if you know what I mean) came back but the new second bird didn't.

                                                                              Both Long tailed skuas

                                                                                   Take off

                                                                    The second bird- with no tail streamers

It was great to arrive back home and still be able to watch the skua from the kitchen window!

Only on Shetland.

All on the doorstep

Hello.
With June transitioning into July, it heralded the supposed start of Summer. From a wildlife perspective, that usually signals a quiet spell for migration, briefly, before autumn migration offers signs of commencement, with returning south bound waders.

However this is Shetland, and surprises are always just around the corner. July was welcomed in with one of my best birding experiences ever. Whilst not actually birding.

I had decided to take a break from working on the laptop for a few minutes, so decided to gaze out of the bedroom/office window at the garden. A wheatear was bouncing around the pond, and Arctic terns were dancing across the fields heading inland, each one carrying a fish. Anecdotal evidence, seems to point to a decent year for seabirds, with plenty of food being photographed being brought in by multiple species.
What happened next was the real wow! from the left of the garden behind next doors trees emerged an absolutely exquisite adult long-tailed skua! It continued through the garden showing off all its glory and magnificent long tail streamers, as it bounded onwards inland. Being a birder rather than a photographer (I know you're shocked due to the quality of images) I naturally reached for my binoculars to try and track where it was heading. It continued onwards to Clumlie loch just up the road. I was left shaking my head in disbelief that I had stared into the eye of an immaculate long-tailed skua, passing through at head height in my garden!
Despite a brief search, I couldn't relocate it. But it would eventually be seen again by a couple of locals.

A productive day at work followed, before heading out in the afternoon to arrive just in time to see a Turtle dove at Paul's, before it vanished for a few hours. First of the year, and yet another migrant. A lovely record, but always one tinged with sadness and frustration. A once common migrant and indeed widespread breeder down south, they are now in heavy decline, certainly not helped by the continued hunting of this evocative species on their spring migration, through Europe.

                                                                            Turtle dove- Boddam

Some excellent trips north surveying, were very productive, with some more red-throated diver chicks seen, as well as some lovely views of territorial whimbrels.

                                                                                   Whimbrel on territory 

A couple of broods of merlin were ready for ringing too, so that was completed whilst out and about. 

News of a pod of orca, (the 27 pod), were reported to be heading our way. We could easily have waited at the living room window and added them to the window list, but opted to head to the bay, as they were coming into the bay hunting. 

We arrived to get sensational views, including a bull, surfacing a few feet away. The sound of the blowing and the sheer size was incredible. 

We were enjoying them too much to bother with photos, but did manage a few when they went more distant.

                                              Orca- 27's pod. A calf features in some.

The female red-backed shrike continues to linger at Sumburgh quarry, and a mini arrival of Two-barred crossbills has started, with 5 at Kergord. Is it the start of another excellent influx of these beautiful birds? 

Watch this space.

A week of practical management and survey work lies ahead, so lots to look forward to.