Friday 25th October
Rare Bird Alert News
Yellow-browed Warbler at Brakefield Road, Sandwick.
Yellow-browed Warbler, Hawfinch at Tresta.
Snow Buntings x 2 at Boddam.
Yellow-browed Warblers x 2, Siberian Chiffchaff at Da Gairdins, Sand.
Olive-backed Pipit still at Clickimin Loch, Yellow-browed Warbler at Helendale, Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at Burn of Sound, Barred Warbler in garden at bottom of Hillcrest, Sound, Black Redstart at Nedersund Road at Sound, Barred Warbler at Peerie Oversund Park, Sound, Lerwick.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Easter Skeld, Reawick.
Yellow-browed Warblers x 2, Siberian Chiffchaffs x 2 at Gardins, Culswick.
Siberian Chiffchaffs x 2 on south side of Olas Voe, NE of Culswick.
Yellow-browed Warblers x 4, Siberian Chiffchaff at Bridge of Walls, NE of Walls.
Yellow-browed Warbler in garden, north of Loch Gruting, Staneydale, east of Walls.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Walls. Black Redstart at Eswick.
Common Rosefinch in large garden at Turrifield, Siberian Chiffchaff at Sandness.
American Wigeon, Hawfinches x 2, Yellow-browed Warbler, Snow Bunting at Loch of Hillwell.
Russian White-fronted Geese x 5 flew over Bakkasetter.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Vementry.
Yellow-browed Warbler near Aith Voe.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Kergord.
White-beaked Dolphins x 8 offshore at Levenwick.
Siberian Chiffchaffs x 2 at Levenwick.
Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at Geosetter Burn.
Yellow-browed Warbler, Siberian Chiffchaffs x 2 at Maywick.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Ireland
Yellow-browed Warbler at Voehead, Isle of Bressay.
Bluethroat at Haroldswick, Glaucous Gull at Uyeasound, Snow Bunting at Saxa Vord, Yellow-browed Warbler at Northdale, Unst.
Barred Warbler, Snow Bunting on Out Skerries.
Hawfinch, Siberian Lesser Whitethroat (probable) in garden on Mid Yell.
A beautiful sunny and calm day here. I had an emergency optician's appointment at 9.10am this morning, after having a minor eye accident on Wednesday evening – I had just got out of my car to walk into a paint shop after work, when I pinged the elastic toggle from my coat into my right eyeball. The pain was extreme and I had to sit in the car for a while to recover. Sat with icepack on eye all evening, which felt very tender and sore, the next day at work it was okish, but became sore again late afternoon, went to optician's after work, but they couldn't see me until Friday morning. They suggested some eye drops to soothe the pain, which I purchased from them and they did help. At my appointment, they were very thorough and assured me that it wasn't serious, although they could see slight grazing on my cornea, it should heal in a few days at the most.
Headed to Clickimin Loch in Lerwick, to try and have a second view of my rainy, windy sighting of the OBP on Monday evening. I spent more than several hours here, trying to locate the Olive-backed Pipit! I found 4 Chiffchaffs, 1 Robin, several Redwings on the grass at Anderson High School, Blackbirds, Starlings and several Wrens, besides the usual Hooded Crows. Bumped into two birders, Pete F. who had been looking for the OBP for the last 4 days, who felt sure he had it briefly on the corner in a grassy area by the edge of the trees by the loch, opposite the school and later a young man joined us too called Dan (who had just come off Fair Isle). Long story short, I was at the opposite end of the path, where I had seen it on Monday night, when Dan G. put news out of the OBP being in the same place that Pete thought he had seen it earlier. I speed walked to join them and of course it was gone again! I stood there for another hour and a half, patiently waiting, which was noted by amused passers by! I was just about to leave when Paul Harvey turned up, so I walked round with him for a while, presuming he would find it, then bumped into him a little later and he couldn't find it either! Gave up.
Went to Tesco to do a much needed food shop. Drove past Perrie Oversund Park (Barred Warbler found there a short while later!). Stopped on route home to check out Njugalswater Burn, SW of Bridge of Fitch and found nothing but sheep. Returned home to find the House Sparrows, Starlings and Collared Doves had stripped most of the feeders empty in under a day.
The last few days has been very difficult for Lucy and for Vivien and I, but today was the first day I heard Lucy talking to me fairly normally and quite calmly, which was good! She had walked to one of only two shops where she is living now, a butchers shop, which also sells a few other food items and purchased some milk, which she had ran out of until her next weekly food shop with staff tomorrow. In the evening a member of staff had gone to the fish n chip shop for her and she said the fish n chips were fantastic! Lucy's older musical friends, Judy and Jim had replied to her text she had sent to them to let them know she had moved, which she felt very relieved by as she had not heard from them a while. Judy and Jim have very, very kindly supported and visited Lucy on a fairly regular basis for many many years. I think today was Lucy's first okish day in her new flat!
Thank goodness Lucy is seeming to be settling in alright. On the eye, I had a similar thing a while back, I'd had conjunctivitis and woke up one morning, rubbed my eyes like you do, and the most excruciating pain from my right eye. I nearly fell out of bed onto the floor it was that bad. Long story short, number 95 in the emergency phone line, nobody else would see me without an appointment in several days and I ended up going to Cromer hospital walk-in. 3 hour wait even though there were only 3 people including myself in the waiting room. Eventually a very nice man there did all the tests and said I had corneal abrazions, gave me an anaesthetic which was instant relief and send me away with antibiotic ointment. Took about a week to get better, but I understand exactly what you're going through, it's just awful so I hope it gets better soon.
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