Sunday, January 01, 2012

Hogmanay Guizing & New Years Day Birdwatching

Happy Hogmanay!
 Guizing house to house is a party every step of the way...

The Hogmanay Singers, The famous artist Hog-Monet
& a wolf in Sheep's clothing.

Before reading the script below I would like to explain the word "Hog" on Fair Isle is defined as a young male castrated sheep good for nothing but eating hence they are the cut up and place in the freezer until needed. Yum Yum! This is the main pun the script is built on as "Hog"manay is a word for New Years Eve .
Hogmanay guzing script:

Tommy: Hello! I’m the famous artist Hog-Monet
I’m here to introduce, the Hogmanay Singers... The Castrati!

Tommy: we all know you are world famous for your high pitched voices.
Do you mind me asking how you hit those high notes?
Liz: yeah, we've all had an encounter with some real ball busters.

Tommy: Well it’s New Years eve or as we say Hogmanay.
Every time I think of January 1st I get a chill in the bones...
Karen: It’s better than freezer burn!

Tommy: Well do we have any New Years resolutions?
Liz: Lose weight
Joyce: Stay away from the mint sauce
Karen: Stay out of the freezer
Henry: to get more mint sauce. yum yum!

Tommy: Looks like we have a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
My resolution is to finish painting my master piece... before my master cuts me to pieces...
Henry: I would like to be there when that happens! yum yum!
Tommy: Well it's on with the show? Dunna be Sheepish, lets hear you sing that Hogmanay holiday classic!

Everyone sing:
Rise up good wife
and shack your feathers
dunna think dat we are beggars
we’re only Bairns that come to play
rise up and geens for Hogmanay

your pockets full of money
your bottles full of beer
rise up ageens for Hogmanay
against a good new year.

Tommy: Now the Castrati will leave with this new and final verse.
that best portrays their feeling at this time of year...

Give up on life
we won’t be fathers
dunna think we die with bitters
rest in pieces later today
rise up to heaven for Hogmanay




The Fair Islander

The Mexican


Some of the party goers at Barkland after midnight...
Thank You Angela & Darren!

The Barkland Blue Christmas Tree

Sunrise New Years Day 2012 - Fair Isle

Henry & I went out "Birding" all day!
We look forward to birdwatching on New years Day because all the common birds we know count on our new year list of birds seen in 2012. We made a good start today and have great hopes for a few more Lifers or Fair Isle ticks this year.


Henry & David (FIBO Warden) at cliffs edge by the North Lighthouse.
We saw a Glaucous Gull here... It pays to enlist the help of a professional!


A Shag...
 List of the 38 species of birds seen today.... as we found them.
  1. Starling
  2. Fulmar
  3. Snipe
  4. Rock Dove
  5. House Sparrow
  6. Blackbird
  7. Herring Gull
  8. Greylag Goose
  9. Turnstone
  10. Curlew
  11. Shag
  12. Purple Sandpiper
  13. Redwing
  14. Eider Duck
  15. Black backed Gull
  16. Rock Pipit
  17. Gannet
  18. Guillemot
  19. Little Auk
  20. Redshank
  21. Hooded Crow
  22. Common Gull
  23. Mallard Duck
  24. Twite
  25. Fieldfare
  26. Black Guillemot
  27. Snow Bunting
  28. Robin
  29. Glaucous Gull
  30. Raven
  31. Woodcock
  32. Song Thrush
  33. Dunnock
  34. Lapwing
  35. Pink-Footed Goose
  36. White-Fronted Goose
  37. Wren
  38. Merlin 

We also found this today!
Jack Ashton-Booth? Henry & I think this hat found today in the Wervie Burn is yours!
It still has a Puffin pin on the other side. Just one more reminder of you for us here on Fair Isle.
Cheers & Happy New Year!

We Bird until Dark and can't imagine we missed anything?

New Years Day Inter-island Challenge 2012
Fair Isle vs. Whalsay

Hey Tommy - final score from Whalsay was 51 species today.
An absolutely monumental effort from dawn to dusk. 

In no particular order: Great Northern Diver, Shag, Eider, Mallard, Teal,
Wigeon, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Black Guillemot, Hooded Crow, Raven, House
Sparrow, Starling, Blackbird, Twite, Rock Dove, Wren, Rock Pipit, Lapwing,
Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone, Purple Sandpiper, Golden Plover, Ringed Plover,
Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Greylag Goose, Snipe,
Dunlin, Long-eared Owl, Common Buzzard, Cormorant, Gannet, Long-tailed Duck,
Guillemot, Little Auk, Skylark, Redwing, Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Oystercatcher,
Black-headed Gull, Kittiwake, Iceland Gull, White-fronted Goose, Robin, Song
Thrush, Jack Snipe, Fulmar.

Also saw the wintering adult Kumlien's Gull, but that's not a species, so
doesn't count for anything. Can't believe I didn't see any Red-breasted
Mergansers; and despite them being resident and there being their shit all
over the moors, I couldn't find a Red Grouse. But otherwise, a pretty good
effort from Whalsay I think. The Common Buzzard was a complete surprise,
found being mobbed by Hoodies. In the same place as the bird in November, so
it must have been lurking unseen in the hills until today.

How did you guys get on? Cheers, Jon


Not as well as you... you are the WINNER!
Fair Isle was down by 3 species while Whalsay is up 14 from last year...
This years combined total 48 species.

Congrats is in order... Well Dunn!

Happy New Year Everyone!

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