A beautifully calm morning. As I headed to Burrafirth I saw the Glossy Ibis still in a field near the old kirk in Haroldswick but couldn't stop as I had a car on my tail - there were 10 Goldeneye on the loch and 2 Glaucous Gulls on the beach. We then drove south to Uyeasound where the calm seas were playing host to 9 Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver, 10 Great Northern Divers, 18 Common Scoter and 710 Long-tailed Ducks.
Common Scoter off Uyeasound
Since living on Shetland my previous largest flock of the species was just 4 so 18 this afternoon was a surprise! All were juveniles or females.
Black-throated Diver off Uyeasound
My digiscoping camera's battery died on firing it up - no surprise having not recharged it since last Winter. But, it's amazing what detail a DSLR can capture even at great range. Note the bill shape, foreneck/hindneck contrast, blackness of its upperparts and white flank patch.
