Aurora borealis

Bad case of wind

Depending on which forecast you believe, we're in for an overnight battering from either the north-west (boo!) or the south-east (huzzah!). Am slightly confused as to what to believe, given the two forecasts couldn't be more contradictory if they tried. Am inclined (and so desperately want) to believe the Faeroese online forecast which says south-easterlies. The alternative view is the BBC (they of the teletext forecasts that show a big sun for the current day forecast, and a black cloud with rain for the current day in the five-day forecast. Dependable...) who a) aren't telling me what I want to believe, and b) are never very sure of their forecasts anyway.

What is certain is that it's coming - JL confirms it via text message, "Force 9". The first proper storm of the autumn. What will it bring?

Shrike II

Latest on the Lesser Grey - went yesterday after work to try and digiscope it, but appalling rain meant I abandoned the attempt before I got out of the car; lunchtime today was a bit better (heavy drizzle), so managed a better record shot, but the bird was v distant, the scope was being battered by the wind, and the visibility was still a bit crap (excuses, excuses).

Anyway:

And here's hoping I can find another one nearer to home this weekend (female Red-backed still below the plantation... right family, wrong species!)

Lesser Grey Shrike

Yeah yeah, I know I get dead preachy about twitching other people's birds elsewhere in the islands, but this one was only three minutes drive out of town, so hardly qualifies as going out of my way. And yes, for the record it would have been far better had it been on the home island, preferably on my patch, and better still that I'd found it... but that's to take nothing away from what's a gorgeous bird, a summer Lesser Grey Shrike:

Am absolutely kicking myself that I've left my scope at home, so no chance of getting a good picture through handheld digi-binning, despite the bird sitting up on wires for extended periods of time in good light. Will bring the scope in tomorrow and see if I can't improve on the above (not difficult I know!).

Now feeling suitably inspired again to find something good closer to home.

One Greenish, two Aquatic

How right we all were : first a Greenish Warbler, then two Aquatics. Sadly none of them on our island, so not really that much of an incentive to go and see them. But plenty of incentive to redouble our efforts to find our own, which saw me and JL out at 6 yesterday morning trying to chance upon either. Despite blearily working the tattie patches and reedy ditches of the south end, we couldn't find anything to better a Reed Warbler back at the plantation. Inland we came across the hotbed of native breeding finches (a large patch of fuchsia) with a pair of adult Linnets and three young Redpoll nearby, three or four White Wagtails, and back at the coast another Pied Fly. Bugger all else though. JL found a female Red-backed Shrike below the plantation on Saturday, which was presumably new in, but not much else to fire the imagination.

Went heather berry picking last night with friends (for vodka), and came across a recently deceased Gannet on the moor beside a wire fence. An adult bird, in good condition, so can only assume it got disorientated in the recent fog and came a cropper inland. Spectacular all the same, though heaving with feather mites - how tough must they be to hang on when Gannets are fishing?

Garden Warblers don't bake my biscuit

While the rest of the islands belatedly play catch-up this week with Wrynecks and Icterine Wblrs, we're reduced to flocks (well, a few) of Garden Wblrs. Caught one in the dusk in the heligoland last night, and for one glorious moment in the gloom thought it looked big enough to be Barred. But in my heart of hearts I knew it wasn't, and sure enough, sylvia boring was in the trapping box.

B jokes that more Garden Wblrs have been shot in the cause of science (ie, early ornithologists blasting anything they weren't certain of) than any other species. Or maybe they just thought they were so dull they deserved it. Anyway.

The Cuckoo continues to torment us all by roosting near/on top of the heligoland, but never actually in it.

I tried to walk it in two days ago, but the wily sod saw me coming a mile away, and zoomed away to perch nearby and laugh at my pathetic attempts to get near it. I hope a gang of Reed Warblers mug it on the way to Africa. Bastard.

Gropper

Just a short note to keep things up to date. Last night the warbler takeaway service continued to deliver the goods, with JL arriving with one of B's bird bags containing a decent Grasshopper Warbler - again released into the splendid holding area of the thistle patch, but immediately decided it preferred the probably more typical locustella habitat of a deep wet ditch nearby.

Am wrestling with the moralities of counting these "delivered" warblers! Much more clear cut were last nights Pied Fly on the chicken area fence (another good bird for the hens!), and the now long-staying Cuckoo which I picked up this morning from our hill-top vantage point first in flight and then perched on top of the heligoland.

Still much occupied with the fireplace (more concrete work last night) I finally managed to slope out for half an hour at 9pm in a vain attempt to cash in on the decent fall we've had on the island (JL and B had found 5 Pied Fly, several Willow Wblrs, 1 or 2 Groppers, Black Redstart etc during the day, plus the still present Red-backed Shrike and Cuckoo). Managed a paltry score (in the one unchecked kale yard) of another Pied Fly and a Willow Wblr. Am certain the big one is still out there waiting to be found (my money's on Greenish. B still holding out for Aquatic).

Autumn starts here

After a week of south-easterlies of varying intensities, am pleased to report autumn has officially started here (or at least on our island). Unfortunately renovation work to the crofthouse has got in the way of actually going out and finding my own birds, so have been relying on JL and B to produce the goods.

Sunday was a good start, with JL turning up a Cuckoo and a couple of Willow Warblers in the plantation, moving on to a couple of Ruff at the east loch. He let me know about all of this, but to no avail - I was stuck with concrete-work in the fireplace all day. Fortunately B stopped by to see how things were going, and coincided his visit with a flyover Ruff, so despite crappy distant views that one is on the garden list.

By the evening I'd stopped work, and was heading out for a late seawatch when JL arrived again to take me back to the plantation for a male Red-backed Shrike. Have seen plenty of R-bS in the UK, but never a male, so this was a long-anticipated bird. It didn't disappoint, perching in the sun on the plantation fence and occasionally flying sorties into the conifers or dropping down into the grass to return with something unfortunate and juicy. It's like all these things - seeing them in mainland Europe is never quite as good as in the UK, and especially not as good as on your local patch.

The seawatch was dire, but not entirely unexpected as by then it was 9pm and only a few Gannets and Fulmars moving offshore. JL turned up having decided to come and join me, but had been distracted en route by a warbler on the edge of a small loch on the golf course - after B had been wishing for an Aquatic Warbler, this seemed promising! JL was almost certain it was only an elusive Sedge, and sure enough that's all it was. But still a migrant warbler, and as yesterday showed, that was a good omen.

Got back on the island after work yesterday to find JL and his family checking out the croft above the plantation, having already turned up a Garden Warbler. I was strong, and after a brief stop for a chat headed on up the road to home and the fireplace. Almost immediately the phone was ringing - JL had a Barred Warbler in the plantation. I hurried back, and after five minutes working the bushes I'd had two extended flight views, and one reasonable look at it perched in a conifer. Then hurried back to my fireplace.

B came down the island to set up a mist net, and in no time my phone rang again - they'd caught a warbler, but not the Barred - this time an Icterine. B kindly brought the bird up to the house, as by then I was confined to my carpentry. An hour later JL arrived with the Barred Warbler, which he released in the dusk into my giant thistle patch, where it was still mooching around this morning when I left for work. All in all, a great couple of days.

(Oops, forgot to mention the Green Sandpiper yesterday on the flooded meadow by the harbour. Nice).

I don't think I can count in-the-hand birds on the garden list... and even though the Barred is still at large, it's an introduced bird, so am going to be strong and not count that either. What an agonising decision!

Petrels

The proposed seawatch never happened, as we were covered in thick fog all weekend. JL and I went out onto the moors on Friday and managed to stumble across a pair of Red Grouse, and followed that minor triumph with a walk round the golf course to turn up Swift. But the highlight of the day was after nightfall...

First thing in the morning I'd found a dead Storm Petrel by the house, that had presumably flown into a window attracted by the light. With light south-easterlies, and a humid dense cloud cover I thought moth-trapping would be worth a go, so set up the trap in the evening.

At 11.30pm a Stormie flew round the edge of the pool of light cast by the MV bulb, and for the next half hour up to a dozen were flitting through the light. Pretty impressive stuff, and a great addition to the garden list. JL came up for most of it, so we sat outside drinking beer and watching Stormies flying around our heads.

The moth catch was very average, with only a couple of Silver Y's being even vaguely notable.