100 'not out' !

  Firstly sorry for the late update, I had meant to do it last week but as I was busy most evenings (sampling some fine whisky) and then a virus/bug on the pc meant I couldn't get online. Something had got in to the program that runs the wireless side of things and had basically turned off the connection and no amount of effort would re-start it. However, it now seems to have been sorted by my antivirus scans - fingers crossed.

  Over the last week or ten days, I've had one or two days (or part days) out either on my own or with 'Dr Phil' - who left yesterday (9th April) and I hope, has a few good memories of staying with us and working on Unst for two weeks. The family have been away since the 30th March (and still are until Sunday) on a trip south to see friends and relations so I've been 'home alone' for quite a lot of the time which did seem strange - although the cats were here (and Phil).

  We've had a couple of days during the last week or so when there's been a fall of snow - not much and it didn't last - but it did get me to make 3 visits to Hermaness in succession to the gannets. The last visit was the best with a good covering but by lunchtime it had all melted. I set off from home at around 7am and was up at the cliffs by around 8am. It felt really cold in the wind and my guess was the temperature was somewhere around -5c but could easily have been less with the windchill factor. A few shots from the morning............

  Despite the weather, it seems like spring is finally here as some of the summer migrants are starting to arrive. The first Puffins have arrived down at Sumburgh, there have been Bonxies on Yell and I had my first Wheatear at Lamba Ness this morning (10th April).


  Well, as to the title of this blog. This afternoon I reached 100 species seen in, over or from Ordaal - all since Feb 2011. Back south in the North Cotswolds it took me over 40 years to get to 107. The bird that took the list to this milestone ? A rather nice male Gadwall down on the flood water just along the shoreline. Gadwall aren't particularly common birds in Shetland so it was nice to get one here.

  Robbie