Beautiful weather yesterday and today. Busy decorating corridor walls and bathroom. Carpet for corridor and blinds for office studio and bathroom being fitted next Friday! South east winds from 3am and all day tomorrow and Monday!
Saturday, 31 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Friday, 30 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Thursday, 29 August 2024
East Hills at Wells, Norfolk on Fire Today!
When John F. sent me a link to the news this evening, saying that East Hills was on fire today and someone had been arrested for arson, I could hardly believe what I was reading. I can't possibly say on here what I actually want to say, otherwise my blog may be removed. What a truly wicked thing to do. I don't know the full loss of the habitat, but any loss is awful for such a unique and special place.
For anyone who doesn't know, East Hills is a belt of pine trees, sycamores, bramble, scrub surrounded by Marram grass, beach and saltmarsh just north of Wells-next-Sea in Norfok – its a little piece of paradise, a joy to visit, either by boat at high tide or walking out at low tide (potentially treacherous though as quick sand on route and you have to be super careful with the tide times). It was a particularly exciting place for birders searching for rare birds both in Spring, but even more so in the Autumn migration in September and October. There have been many, many rare birds out there.
I have walked out there several times over the years, but after a scary quick sand incident when I was walking out alone, I only took the boat out after that! It is a place of solitude, a place where you never bumped into a dog on lead or off lead and more than often, not another human being either. There is a fabulous selection of trees out here, mainly pine trees, but a good number of sycamores, which are a magnet for migrants feeding on insects amongst the sticky leaves. A truly beautiful place to be. Can't believe this happened. I would love to know why this was set on fire and for what reason, it seems very odd as it reads that it was a 60 year old man. Maybe a barbecue? If so this is breaking the law as it strictly states no fires or barbecues on notice boards, on the inland side of the marsh, before you walk out there.
Several of the local birders who walk out there regularly, some of them daily in October will be devastated to say the least. Any loss of habitat means loss of wildlife, thank goodness its late in the season and not Spring when birds would have been nesting. Even though I have left Norfolk, this is extremely shocking and sad to hear about.
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Tuesday, 27 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Monday, 26 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
MacKenzie's Farm Shop
After research on who sells what wood, how big the bags are, prices and delivery prices for my multi-stove fire, I decided to go with MacKenzie's Farm Shop. Its not cheap buying hard wood logs wherever you get them from, but it was free delivery if I ordered two bags (plus I was only a few miles away) and this made Mackenzie's Farm Shop the best choice all round. Plus they allowed me to go and look at the logs and gave me a free trial bag of logs! Very sadly, the fabulous Farm shop and cafe has closed down (see details about this on their website) and is up for sale, but they still sell many things on their on-line site, which I hadn't realised until fairly recently. Hazel was extremely prompt in replying to my emails (which is rare nowadays with any business) and with very short notice (less than a day) Hazel and her husband Kenneth agreed to my request of delivering me two tonne bags of hardwood logs after I finished work this evening. I wanted to get stocked up for the Winter in the dry weather and today was the only day this week with guaranteed sunshine and no rain! I didn't want wet logs going in the shed.
It was not an easy task, with the logistics of getting anywhere near my shed, as they would be delivered by trailer, so my ordered two tonne bags had to be brought in 10 smaller bags and then dragged round my side gate, up the steep steps to the patio by Kenneth and Hazel and then we all took the logs out of each small bag and put them into two tonne bags in my shed. I was allowed to keep the two large bags, but they needed the 10 small bags back again. It was very kind of them to help me, above and beyond what they needed to. More hands make light work as they say and it was all done by 5.30pm! After they left, I had a sort out in the shed and was in there until 7.30pm. Another big job ticked off my long list!
Here is the link to their website for lots of fabulous products, including household fuel!
Sunday, 25 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Friday, 23 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Thursday, 22 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Wednesday, 21 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Tuesday, 20 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
RBA Weekly Round-Up 13th to 19th August!
Monday, 19 August 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Lesser Grey Shrike at Brune!
Sunday 18th August – Brune, Channerwick, Shetland
Very difficult to photograph in the wind and even had to use my monopod, which I very rarely use, as normally have a steady hand. So not very good shots and none are sharp, but lovely to watch and I was all by myself! When I realised where one of its favourite feeding spots was, I sat in a ditch waiting for it to appear, but of course it didn't return after that. I was probably the last birder in Shetland to see this cracking male Lesser Grey Shrike. I have seen them before in Norfolk, but this was a new bird in Shetland for me.
Sunday, 18 August 2024
Visiting The Scottish Island On The Edge | Foula
Ruth Aisling visits Foula and stays at the Ristie Self Catering cottage
Ruth Aisling Visits the UK's Most Remote Inhabited Island
Ruth Aisling visits Fair Isle via The Good Shepherd and stays with Tommy Hyndman at The Auld Haa Guesthouse