Doesn't feel like Autumn any longer

The past few weeks have seen several gales hammer through Orkney, bringing so much rain with them that it feels as though we might have imagined the drought of early Summer. At least we can now experience dawn at a reasonable time, this photo being taken a shade after 8am, whilst still clad in a dressing gown, balanced precariously on a folding chair, and holding a camera out of the top light of the dining room window. Image captured, dignity maintained, just.

At this time of year, Little Auks appear in Orkney waters and elsewhere, blown in from the Atlantic and in need of a bit of shelter. We ventured to Scapa Bay to track down a couple of these diminutive birds which are only the size of a Starling.

Through most of the bad weather, our bird feeder was quite busy with finches and the like but, during the last few days, the level of seed hasn't shifted one iota. At breakfast, on Saturday, we discovered why...

This female Sparrowhawk must have moved into the area and quickly figured out where all the tasty snacks were. In the film, she is eyeing up a small flock of Redwings feeding on the Cotoneaster berries at the rear of the garage. Later that same day, she was devouring a Blackbird in next door's garden, and judging by the crazy angle our bird bath was at, the unfortunate thrush had been unceremoniously grabbed out of the shower.

A trip to the RSPB reserve at Hobbister featured a frantic five minutes of birding action before we'd even parked the car. As we drove alongside the moor, a pair of Red Grouse were put to flight by a hunting Hen Harrier, then, as we turned into the reserve, a Merlin was busy chasing a Meadow Pipit, before both raptors found themselves in the same airspace and tensions ran high for a few seconds. I was exhausted before we'd even set off for a walk!

Between sunshine and showers, the moorland of Hobbister and the coastline of Scapa Flow gave us a palette of colours to explore: grasses in damp flushes glowed red; ships in Hoxa Sound were muted greys; sheltered from a northerly wind, the waters of the Flow turned blue; more reds with a grisly find of a dead Puffin; and a blend of purple and pink from the last few flowering shoots of some Bell Heather on Highland Park moors at Griffyelt.

Starabir, Moo Cliff and Roo Point

Today's been dreich. I've not put my nose outside all day. However, I have entered lots of 2021 dragonfly data into several spreadsheets, ready for an upcoming upload to iRecord.