Wednesday 11th September
Rare Bird Alert News
Barred Warbler at Sumburgh Farm.
Red-breasted Flycatchers x 2 at Orca Country Inn, Hoswick.
Sooty Shearwaters x 2 at Esha Ness.
Wood Warbler in gardens near beach at Levenwick.
Pied Flycatcher at Sound, West Yell.
Common Rosefinches x 5, Barred Warbler, Pied Flycatcher on Isle of Foula.
Pied Flycatcher at Valyie, Norwick, Unst.
Another rainy day here and looking at the sea, I wouldn't want to be on any ferries right now! Busy at work and meeting (as always) some lovely Shetland folk.
Returning home from work I had a fabulous surprise!
The first thing I do when I arrive home is to look out of the living
room window at my bird feeders. Feeding on the grass was a small white
bird amongst a huge flock of 60+ House Sparrows and Starlings. Heart
racing and for a nano second I thought I had my first garden mega – not
quite, but it was a Leucistic House Sparrow, with light pink beak and
feet and the majority of the body was white with only a few black/brown
markings, WOW! What a stunning bird!
Leucistic House Sparrow
Scalloway
Photographing through my double glazing is absolutely rubbish to say the least, so I attempted to photograph from the stable door, which is also tricky as it doesn't matter how slowly you open the top section of the door, the birds are so close, they are very aware that you are there. I get did lucky a couple of times, but pictures obscured by a Starling and foliage. The last option is to stand at the furthest end of the garden, which I did and in the rain, but it didn't return after that. I will try and get a better picture tomorrow if its still there. Lovely garden tick! In fact I don't think I have ever seen one like it! I made sure I re-topped up all the feeders. I wonder what else will turn up in my little garden?!
Posts
Double glazing is the pits! Not horrific if you are square on and the glass is clean.... but at almost any angle and you get refraction through both lots of glass and it gets worse and worser!
ReplyDeleteWith an SLR you are looking through a "scope"... but using binos from indoors and the two sides are at totally different focus points.... I often close one eye and use them as a monocular!!