A frosty morning and I even had to de-ice my windscreen! A Chiffchaff was again in our garden. Skaw produced another encounter with the Common Buzzard that was circling high above the radar dome atop Saxa Vord hill but otherwise all I saw was a single Pied Wagtail. A walk around Norwick added 2 Pied Wagtails, a Redwing, 3 Mealy Redpolls, a Brambling and a Snow Bunting. Haroldswick was playing host to 3 Great Northern Divers, the 5 Gadwall, a singing Chiffchaff and the 2 Carrion Crows. At Loch of Cliff the 3 Mute Swans and 3 Whooper Swans were still present and there was a Pied Wagtail at the Shore Station. On returning home there was a Tree Sparrow on our feeders being the first I've seen this year and after a prolonged shower of rain a male Blackcap appeared. I then drove to Uyeasound where there were 9 Mute Swans, only c.15 Eiders offshore, 12 Long-tailed Ducks and a pair of Pintail. A scan of Norwick early this evening produced 3 Great Northern Divers and 2 White-billed Divers (s/p & w/p) the latter sat side by side.
Common Buzzard & Bonxie over Saxa Vord
Around 100 Bonxies taking to the air drew my attention to the Buzzard
Tree Sparrow at Millfield
Mealy Redpolls at Norwick
Pair of Pintail at Uyeasound
