3rd June 2008 – west Mainland and east Mainland
The weather was lovely …. very sunny and warm and a welcome relief from the rain and sea fog the day before although the sea fog did return at the end of the day.
The highlights today were an unexpected but excellent view of a female Peregrine and 5 or 6 Harbour Porpoise
.
Here is a summary of my sightings:
Sand Water between Tingwall and Voe: 7 over-summering
Whooper Swans and 2
Red-throated Diver.
Kergord (the only notable stand of trees on Shetland):
Rook and
Collared Dove (a reminder of southern England!).
Melby near Sandness: 2 summer plumaged
Sanderling, 2
Whimbrel, 4
Turnstone, 2
Ringed Plover and a
Blackbird (strange!) on the beach plus 1
Red-throated Diver, and several
Arctic Tern,
Shag,
Herring Gull and
Common Gulls and
Fulmar offshore.
Brig o’ Waas: 2 displaying male
Ringed Plover and 1 female, 2
Redshank, 1
Curlew, 2
Oystercatcher, male
Red-breasted Merganser, 3 fly over
Red-throated Diver, male and female
Wheatear plus several
Arctic Tern and
Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls …. but no Otter
.
Ringed Plover ....
Oystercatcher ....
Westerwick: 5
Rock Dove and 5
Twite in the cliff top fields.
Tresta Voe: 3
Turnstone, 2
Redshank, 2 pairs of
Teal and 1 pair of
Shelduck on the marsh, several
Arctic Tern and
Oystercatcher on the shingle ridge plus male
Red-breasted Merganser,
Black Guillemot and
Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls.
Sandsound Voe: 2
Red-throated Diver calling from way out in the voe (1 in almost full winter plumage), pair of
Eider on the beach,
Fulmar nesting on the cliffs and several
Arctic Tern fishing offshore.
South Nesting: female
Peregrine perched on a fence post close to the road (it promptly flew off over Loch of Feester when I raised the camera lens
) and 2
Whooper Swan on Loch of Houlland.
South Nesting Bay: 5 or 6
Harbour Porpoise seen very well in a calm sea, c.10
Common Seal plus several
Guillemot,
Black Guillemot,
Razorbill,
Arctic Tern and
Gannet.
Billister: 2
Red-throated Diver, 2 pairs of
Red-breasted Merganser, several
Oystercatcher and
Curlew plus 1
Great Skua, 1
Common Seal and several
Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls (including a juvenile of the latter which caught a crab and was protected by its presumed parent as it ate it) …. but no Otter! …. again
.
The day closed at Billister on east Mainland with the sea mist rolling in and the eerie, wailing calls of
Red-throated Divers out in Dury Voe. The RSPB website has the call of the Red-throated Diver here ….
The RSPB: Red-throated diver
Close your eyes and imagine that emerging from the seafog
.
Richard