Ringing buzzard chicks

Yesterday I was out ringing buzzard chicks with Dave Leitch, Ewan and Jenny. We ringed birds from several broods bringing the group total for 2001 to over fifty chicks. These are quiet raptor chicks, compared with those of most falcons or accipiters. So the whole effort was a relaxed experience with time to appreciate the birds. And even easier as Ewan did all the tree climbing and passed the chicks down to the grown where we ringed them in comfort, then passed them back up to Ewan at the nests.

Here are a few shots of the birds being ringed.

Outer Hebrides

 Berneray beach

I took a few days off last week and went for a trip around the Uists. I had planned to ring wader chicks there as they are usually so abundant in the machair grasslands. But this year, with such cold wet and windy weather, there were very few chicks. Nor any adults about. The oystercatchers were in flocks, or on eggs. I have never seen the islands so quiet with birds.

So I spent a bit of time watching for otters. Its always good to see these amazing animals. Fascinating how they can move so liquidly. And it good to get out of the bogs for a few days and walk with sand beneath my feet.



Cotton grass blowing in the breeze.

Shetland - whimbrel

Scalloway Castle

I have been pretty busy over the past several weeks, what with studying greenshanks in Sutherland then whimbrel in Shetland. And as the weather has been cold wet and windy the whimbrel were slow to go down on eggs. Many pairs were simply standing around as if waiting for warmer weather before they laid. So not many photographs of whimbrel, and in place I have posted a few shots of a variety of buildings on Shetland.  

 Norse click mills along a streamline

A floating hut out from Voe harbour

Greenshank

Since arriving in Scotland I have been busy studying greenshank, and continuing work began last year on a colour-ringing project, to investigate where the birds breeding in northern Scotland go to overwinter. 

A sample of birds have been colour-ringed with individual colour combinations, which allows any marked birds to be identified if seen by birdwatchers elsewhere. They are intriguing birds to work with, but very difficult to find and then catch.

Autumn into Spring

Last week I left the garden in Canberra while in full autumn colour. Then the next day I was in Scotland in full Spring sunshine and bloom. Both good, neither better.

Autumn leaves poking through the garden fence.

 Wood sorrel in a Scots pine wood

Wood anemone opening below an emerging  bracken frond