November 15, 2005
What's that? The fat lady singing?
Well, it's back to work for me now, and this time the autumn really does seem to be over. I'm settling into my winter routine now, getting up in the dark, making an arse of feeding the hens and the sheep outside in the pre-dawn gloom, battling the roosting Starlings that have snuck into the byres to share the warmth and shelter with the hens, and hopefully blag a free breakfast... then feeding myself in the kitchen, a couple of bits of toast and a mug of strong filter coffee, before racing to catch the ferry to work. Half an hour later I'm on Mainland Shetland, and 20 minutes drive into the rising sun sees me at my desk by the pelagic factory, daydreaming of gulls from the high Arctic. There'll come a time in the next few weeks when it'll still be dark at 9am when I get into Lerwick. Yesterday was a taste of what's to come, as it teemed down with rain and was getting dark by 2.30pm in the overcast conditions.
Complete contrast today as high pressure pushed in overnight - a dusting of snow on the exposed peat banks as I drove into town, and a fine clear sunny day. Temperatures down to freezing tonight.
Went out on Sunday and fruitlessly searched for a Laughing Gull. No such luck, but a nice flock of 23 Long-tailed Ducks, and a juvenile Pomarine Skua made my day. 8 adult Whoopers on the loch outside the house all day, doing their best to ignore my stupid dogs racing up and down the airstrip when P and I walked them.
Autumn? Gone when the Pine Bunting buggered off. Winter? Right here, right now.
Follow the Weather Starling for a forecast, or see Shetland live on the NAFC webcam… 
Today's North Atlantic chart
An Icelandic Birding Diary (Iceland, funnily enough)
Nature in Shetland website - all the up-to-date bird, insect, cetacean etc news for Shetland, plus photos... indispensable.
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Come back soon!
Posted by Stercorarius at November 15, 2005 08:31 PM