12th October: I'll have a P please Bob

I arose at 8:15 surprisingly without the usual banging hangover but could not actually feel anything below my neck. On route to the bog a glance at the windsock indicated south easterlies. I forced some breakfast down me and wandered down the road past the Virkie willows. A single note call overhead that seemed vaguely familiar almost woke me but I put it down as a Starling.
Rob appeared outside Helen's with a cup of tea which seemed a good idea, it all gave me a chance to check I'd not made a mess of the bathroom which of course I hadn't! Tea drunk Rob and I headed back to Sunnydell. On the POV both Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit were close to the road so I took a photographic diversion. Whilst photographing them both I thought I heard Rob shout me. He shouted me again so I thought it must be something urgent like the Toab shop ringing to say they'd had their pie delivery. No such look it was just to say that Andy M had just found a Pechora in the Toab turnip field. Of course it would have been impolite not to go and have a look so we did. We picked it up in flight immediately and I noted the call and its similarity to the Starling I'd heard earlier - SHIT! I managed a few lucky shots as it perched on the fence.

Pechora Pipit. (M N Reeder)

Also there were 8 Lap' Bunts and and the Short-toed Lark in the field but not many people seemed to notice that. Following last years Shetland domination by the Punk Birders this year was shaping up as the year of the drunk birders.

In the field quite literally. (A Mackay)

With this in mind we headed towards Sumburgh. Compass Head was alive with Thrushes and Meadow Pipits but the Grutness garden had just two Goldcrests. Walking along the top between Compass Head and the light house produced little else except for a Merlin. As we reached the lighthouse garden Andy M pulled another gem out of the bag in the form of a seven striped sprite from the east (that's a Pallas's Wobbler to them that don't know).

Seven-Striped Sprite (M N Reeder)

R B Fly (M N Reeder)

The hangover was subsiding and hunger was kicking in so we descended down the hill with a fry up in mind. A quick check of the Grutness garden produced a new Yellow-browed. A fine fry up was had by all followed by a trip back up to the lighthouse for the newly arrived Dusky Warbler found by another good old Rotherham lad and a sheep shagger. The Dusky Warbler had done a bunk but another Yellow-browed was new in and the R B Fly' was showing ridiculously well. Concious that big things were happening we decided to check out the Boddam area. Instantly we had an abietinus Chiffchaff and yet another Yellow-browed but nothing else. A 'proper' Arctic Redpoll had been present in the Quendale Area since early morning associating with a party of Twite unfortunately it wasn't among them whilst we were there. With the rain getting heavier we decided to head back to the Virkie area. A visit to Mainlands Store gave me the opportunity to sample a corned beef and tattie pie. Not a true pie in the strictest terms more a slice of a much larger one. There was excessive crust on this pie and the tatties were hard. To be honest Sparky had half of it and seemed to enjoy it though like I said earlier he eats shit so can't be relied on to give an accurate rating. With this in mind I awarded it a rather mediocre 5 on the Pie Scale.

Pie Dog (M N Reeder)

Whilst there I replenished Helen's single malt stock with a new bottle of Ardbeg to make up for the one we had drained the previous evening.
I decided to lay off the alcohol this evening and do the driving instead so no doubt my body will be in a state of shock in the morning.