Nice weather persisted for the whole day so we completed the monthly beached bird surveys and then checked a few sites around the island. A Water Rail scuttled along the margins of Haroldswick pool before climbing into the rosa, the 4 Scaup were again present at Loch of Cliff, the wintering Ruff was among a small flock of Redshank in fields at Mailand but our reward came mid-afternoon when a Black-throated Diver surfaced among the 6 Great Northern Divers and 2 Red-throated Divers off Uyeasound where a flock of 5 Common Scoter were also present.
Norwick: Red-throated Diver & 2 Long-tailed Duck.
Haroldswick: 2 Great Northern Divers, Water Rail & Moorhen.
Burrafirth: 4 Scaup.
Uyeasound: 6 Great Northern Divers, Black-throated Diver, 2 Red-throated Divers & 5 Common Scoter.
Steep forehead with peaked forecrown. White 'face', foreneck with dark indentation at the base. When alert it appeared very long-necked.
Dagger-shaped pale, black-tipped bill held level. Steep forehead with smoothly-rounded hindcrown.
Hindneck viewed from behind lacking any visible white sides. Gleaming white rear-flank patch.
Grey crown, nape and hindneck with black border to neck-sides.
Dagger-shaped bill held level. Large gleaming white rear-flank patch.
A sharp contrast between its well-defined dark hind-neck and
white cheeks and fore-neck.
Very black-and-white appearance. Isolated white rear-flank patch.
Black-throated Diver off Uyeasound
Foolishly I didn't have my digi-scope camera with me and being at a considerable distant it was almost too much of a reach for my DSLR albeit the final image above was obtained by Brenda holding her mobile phone to my scope.
2cy Great Northern Diver off Uyeasound
Drake Red-breasted Merganser off Uyeasound
Ruff at Mailand, Uyeasound
