SHETLAND BIRD NEWS, PHOTOS, BIRDING, LIFE AND MORE! MY 14th YEAR ANNIVERSARY 2024!


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Friday 26 July 2024

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

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None.
 

My gorgeous "Shetland" carpet was laid today by "A One Flooring". The two gentlemen fitting the carpet did a fantastic job. I'm so glad I picked that colour, it really does look like sand – its a warm yellowish colour and goes brilliantly with my brilliant white walls and turquoise paint. I also paid to have Cloud Nine 11mm underlay for extra warmth. Yesterday I bought a large dust sheet, as I still have a second coat of white gloss to paint on the shelves (was a wardrobe) and door frame. I also need to touch up the dark turquoise paint after I removed the masking tape and also need to paint the wood next to the windows frames, which I sanded down this morning.

I didn't do anything else today apart from nap alot – I felt totally exhausted from a marathan week at work and decorating late every evening. I will attempt to put the new radiator up myself, if not I will have to pay someone to do it and also need to order the blinds now – also from "A One Flooring". Then I can put my new flat pack desks together. Another lovely day here. I had a Siskin on the feeders, I have not seen any here for a while, so lovely to see.

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

Thursday 25th July
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Black Redstart at Grutness.
 

Thursday 25 July 2024

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

Wednesday 24th July
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Night Heron at Dale of Walls.
 
 
Another warm and sunny day –  the only person in my team at work today and very busy. Decorating again after work this evening. Last night of decorating my studio/office on Thursday evening. Carpet being laid on Friday! Cutting things fine as usual! I have one more thing to do, which shouldn't be a problem after the carpet is fitted, I'm going to paint the dark brown window surrounds a lighter turquoise – I have already bought the paint (special mix), so ready to do that at the weekend. I have oil based dark turquoise paint in my hair and probably added some white splashes after painting the ceiling, oh dear, never mind! I'm going to have a decorating break after that and escape out somewhere.

Monday 22 July 2024

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

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None.
 
 
Another warm and sunny day – more decorating after work this evening. I know that my posts are not exactly exciting at the moment, but I really need to get as much done to my house as I can before Autumn migration starts and need to get the rest of my stuff unpacked, which I can now start doing after the carpet is laid on Friday.

Sunday 21 July 2024

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

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None.
 
 
Very warm and sunny all day – felt very tired, so didn't start decorating until very late in the day. Lovely to have a visit from Jill and Rob this evening, who inspected my painting skills – not perfect by any means, but not too bad for an amateur! After watching a Youtube video, I managed to replace the large wallpaper patch where the old storage heater was and its not perfect, but looks loads better than it did.

50 plus House Sparrows feeding in my garden and Starlings hooving up dropped seed, being as they can't access most of the feeders. Huge fun to watch young House Sparrows perched on top of my life sized lamb. Lots of bathing in the drinking baths – lots of bird action on a gloriously sunny day.

Saturday 20 July 2024

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

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None.
 
 
Very warm and sunny this morning, then foggy when I had to nip into Lerwick to buy a decorating tool and then this evening it started to rain and currently raining very heavily!
 
An electrican came out yesterday to re-measure the small cupboard where the boiler is situated and temporily got it working again for me. Today they had to return to turn if off permanently as the water was beyond boiling point and dripping out of the outlet pipe outside the house. Hopefully this will get replaced soon, not looking forward to the mess involved of removing that tank in my kitchen. The cupboard space is smaller than the tank and the electrician said the cupboard doors must have been built after the tank was installed, which means some of the cupboard will have to be removed to get it out!

Friday 19 July 2024

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Honey Buzzard at Scalloway.
 
 
Another lovely sunny day here again and perfect temperature. Thank goodness its not boiling hot here, like it is down south. Painting all day and nipped to GTS in Lerwick to buy my first Rointe Belize 990W WiFi Electric Radiator, which is for the new office/studio. When I have completed this room, I will get an electrician to remove all my very old storage heaters and replace with new Rointe Belize radiators.

Thursday 18 July 2024

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

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Quail still at Loch of Hillwell.
 
 
Another lovely sunny day here again. Three days of decorating, so excited, not!

Wednesday 17 July 2024

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PACIFIC SWIFT by cliffs just north of Virkie.
Quail singing at Loch of Hillwell.
 
 
At last a sunny day whilst I was at work, so it was nice to see the glittering sea from the hospital windows! Unprecedentedly busy at work, so had no energy to do all the decorating I should be doing in the evenings, so it will be hard at it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No heatwave forecast here thank goodness.
 
My lovely red rose bush (which I think is called "Sealed with a Kiss"), which I dug up from my garden in Norfolk and put in a huge pot, has loads of buds and two roses out just come out into flower and looking the best ever, so along with the fragrant smell of this and the huge existing Mock Orange Shrub in the front garden, its all smelling very fragrant and the bees seem to be happy in my garden too, especially with the newly planted borage in the driveway and my new "Big Blue" Sea Holly and my herbs etc. I have spent so many pennies at Planticrub Garden Centre to get my garden established, I don't think I need to visit until 2025!
 
Lots of families of House Sparrows and juv Starlings stripping my bird feeders and a couple of Siskins yesterday – can't keep up with them! My latest fun additions to the garden include a cheeky smiling upside down gnome hanging from a swing in the large sycamore, to amuse folk accessing Gallow Hill and in the front garden a laying down on his belly birdwatching gnome which I love, some cute bunnies, couple of fairies on a seasaw, some reflection stainless steel balls and a Canary positioned in a shrub in pot – all good fun and adds to amusement to the garden!

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

Tuesday 16th July
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PACIFIC SWIFT by cliffs just north of Virkie.
Gull-billed Tern still at Loch of Gards, Scatness.
 
 
Rubbish weather here, grey gloom, fog this morning and no sun – feels like late Autumn! Lucy reports the same weather in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

RBA Weekly Round-Up 9th to 15th July!

By Jon Dunn

Thank you to the RBA Team for including my Gull-billed Tern photo in their Round-Up.

Monday 15 July 2024

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

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PACIFIC SWIFT at Pool of Virkie.
Gull-billed Tern at Loch of Gards, Scatness.
 
 
Very busy decorating and on a time schedule now, so didn't go and see the Pacific Swift after work this evening, but saw one last year at Boddam on 5th July.

Sunday 14 July 2024

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Gull-billed Tern at Loch of Gards, Scatness.
 
 
 
GULL-BILLED TERN
Loch of Gards, Scatness
 
Arctic Tern
Loch of Gards, Scatness
 
 
I have not been birding for AGES, so I escaped for a little while this afternoon and headed south to see the Gull-billed Tern at Scatness. I was the only person here at Loch of Gards! Spitting with rain on and off all day, so not the best of light, but what fabulous views of this awesome tern, as it flew around the loch to feed, wow and a new bird for me! Arctic Terns also and 5 Swallows skimming over the water. The Gull-billed Tern disappeared around 6.30pm, so I left.

At The Grutness Pool there were 4 Dunlins feeding, Oystercatchers, Arctic Terns, juv gulls and House Sparrows. Checked out the Pool of Virkie to see if I could find the Gull-billed Tern, but couldn't find it anywhere. Good numbers of waders including several Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers, Curlews and Eiders.

Made it home in time to watch Spain beat England 😞 Spain have had an awesome day with Carlos Alcaraz beating Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final today too!

SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

Saturday 13th July
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Gull-billed Tern at Pool of Virkie and Scatness.
 

Thursday 11 July 2024

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No news today.
 
 
Very busy week at work – fell asleep this evening. Serious three days of decorating ahead, carpet laying date has been changed to later in July. Dismal weather for July, hopefully it will improve at some point, before Autumn arrives!

Wednesday 10 July 2024