Cloud nine

After last weekend's shenanigans and a 24 hour work trip that actually spanned 4 days, I was understandably nervous about boarding another ferry. Fortunately, this particular one only plied its trade between Kirkwall and the island of Westray, a journey of a mere 85 minutes. The route was sheltered within the waters of the archipelago, so the crossing was smooth despite the attentions of a brisk westerly breeze.

I was doubly fortunate, in that the satellite dish I had been tasked with replacing was actually at ground level, no ladders necessary, thank you very much. Job completed, the second mission of the day was to try to find a small flock of Glossy Ibises which had been frequenting the island for more than a month (when the first reports came in during December, I did wonder if I would have any work on the island before they disappeared again).

Over the years, I had seen several of these water birds, which are uncommon visitors to the UK, but never in circumstances where photography was an option. Once on a trip to Welney, a wetland reserve in Norfolk, I found myself in a hide where there was a mini twitch of a such a bird. A kindly birder let me use her telescope to see a distant brown blob which was apparently a Glossy Ibis, and that was how I accidentally twitched a lifer. I have even seen one in Orkney before, on a dreich Winter's day, in the pouring rain, as it was feeding on the opposite side of a field. Again, not ideal views or circumstances where a camera would've been handy.

So, hopes were high for a better experience in Westray, although the flock was known to be highly mobile, fragmenting into smaller groups or disappearing for days at a time. The previous day, they had been seen by the Loch of Burness, west of Pierowall, so that was where I headed. Driving down a single track road, my navigator was busy checking her phone for ibis updates and had just announced (without looking up) that reports suggested they were again in a field by the loch. However, by this point, I had already let the van coast to a halt... right by a small flock of nine Glossy Ibises.

Nine! My life total had just increased by 450%!

The flock was busy foraging, constantly moving and probing the ground with their long bills to find invertebrates to eat. I struggled to take crisp photographs of the action, so in the end I resorted to some film footage, which brought the added bonus of an ibis squawk (at the beginning of the below trimmed version).

Although in Winter plumage and on a dull day, the colours were still sumptuous, especially at such close quarters. I could finally understand why the ibises were named Glossy.

There may have been celebratory tea and cake, possibly at the Groatie Buckies Café.