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| Happy Hogmanay! |
Guizing house to house is a party every step of the way...
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| 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  |
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| The Fair Islander |
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| The Mexican |
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| Some of the party goers at Barkland after midnight... Thank You Angela & Darren! |
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| The Barkland Blue Christmas Tree |
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| Sunrise New Years Day 2012 - Fair Isle |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| A Shag... |
- Starling
- Fulmar
- Snipe
- Rock Dove
- House Sparrow
- Blackbird
- Herring Gull
- Greylag Goose
- Turnstone
- Curlew
- Shag
- Purple Sandpiper
- Redwing
- Eider Duck
- Black backed Gull
- Rock Pipit
- Gannet
- Guillemot
- Little Auk
- Redshank
- Hooded Crow
- Common Gull
- Mallard Duck
- Twite
- Fieldfare
- Black Guillemot
- Snow Bunting
- Robin
- Glaucous Gull
- Raven
- Woodcock
- Song Thrush
- Dunnock
- Lapwing
- Pink-Footed Goose
- White-Fronted Goose
- Wren
- Merlin
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| 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! |
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| 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! |
Results from last year: http://fair-isle.blogspot.com/2011/01/first-of-year-bird-list.html
I love how you explain things in a step-by-step manner. It makes everything so clear.
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