Paddyfield Warbler - Acrocephalus agricola in the Hand

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola

 The rare Paddy was caught at the Plantation by Asst. warden Jason Moss on  morning (7:30am) trap rounds. The bird was measured & ringed, a few were ticks removed, far more ticks were added by those folks who got out of bed to see this rare visitor from the east, hence the name Paddyfield. Paddyfield as in Asian rice farming, in no way reference to Ireland as my wife had thought? LOL. I had seen Paddyfield warbler here in 2007, I was new to birding then and the bird was diving in and out of a potato rig at Setter. So this is almost as good as a new bird for me and I am quite happy to see one again. Thanks again Jason.

The visting Paddyfield Warbler even got to check out some Fair Isle knitwear...

see more FIBO info: http://fibowarden.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/whos-paddy.html 

It was nice to see visiting Rail Butcher from North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory.
Rail was a Asst. Warden here on Fair Isle in 2005... I just love it when people tell me birds they have seen in my garden before I moved here... in this case Siberian Ruby Throat! etc.
It's a shame he left yesterday... I'm sure he wont mind too much, he saw Fair Isle's lingering River Warbler, plus he saw a Paddyfield Warbler in North Ron just about 2 weeks ago!

Marsh Warbler also caught this morning on trap rounds.

I'm showing this photo because I like the way the feathers are shuffled between the wing and tail.

Gone FishingS

Henry & Stewart fishing Fair Isle.

Not a keeper for me... this Gunnard sent back to the bottom.
We also caught a few Mackerel, Coalfish, 2 Pollack - Fish seemed very thin on the ground.
But what a lovely day to be on the water! Thanks Stuart!

One of the many "reels" Stewart knows how to play...

Stacks of Skoo - Kirk Stack & Inner Stack
both stacks are used as breeding colonies by Gannets 

The hole in Inner Stack.
the white is bird crap and Gannets

Father & Son - below the North Lighthouse- Photo by Stewart

Henry & his Sillock/Coalfish

Auld Haa - Kenaby - Brecks

Simmer Dim at the South Lighthouse - Fair Isle, 11pm 

River Warbler & Summer Solecist Photos

River Warbler Locostella fluviatilis

Asst. Warden Jason Moss refinds the River Warbler... The bird was caught, ringed & released.
for more info: http://fibowarden.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/tales-of-river-warbler.html

I thought the River Warbler would of had much bolder undertail coverts stripes? This bird had lost quite a few tail feathers, it might have to stay around a bit longer and grow them back? Usually  River Warblers are quite sculky. We will be lucky to see it again as it went 10 days since it's last sighting, somehow not showing or found for the FIBO Board Members. ouch!

Bee Mimic Fly

Marsh Warbler in the garden on and off for the past week.

Heart in Nature

Fair Isle Thursday Performance
Neil - Lise - Stewart - Stewart 

Hattie the first full time bartender at the FIBO bar. Cheers!

The rare Frog Orchid

Solecist Bonfire Beach Party in the Havens

Hover Flies

Hover Fly Helophilus Pendulus

Hover Fly Rhingia campestris 

I love the shadow on this Herring Gull

Fair Isle Father's Day

David Parnaby and daughters Grace & Freyja.
Freyja a classic Norse Fair Isle name & is youngest child on Fair Isle.

The Parnaby's (Susanna included) at the Fair Isle Museum open house.

Sock it to me!
Great looking Fair Isle Knitwear was worn by so many folk at the Museum celebrating the Tall Ships Barter, my favourite? these sock! Natural colour wool hand spun and worn by the Stuart Thomson, hand knit by his wife Annie.

Garden Warbler

Mackerel Wire Sculpture (fishing buoy base) 

Oystercatcher egg & nest
The gravel nest... and I thought my childhood was hard. 

Simmer Dim - Midnight at the Auld Haa

Chris Stout's Brazilain Theory - Live in Concert - Fair Isle

Brazilian Theory

Thomas Rohrer (sax and rabeca)

Carlinhos Antunes (guitars)

Rui Barossi (bass)

Chris Stout (fiddle)

Where can you buy the CD?

 http://www.base.com/buy/product/chris-stouts-brazilian-theory-live-in-concert-music-cd/dgc-csmuscd001.htm

Well attended and enjoyed by all! Thanks for the show!

and there was dancing!

A little tune after the show.

Olympic Torch on Fair Isle? Natalie Clark & other recent photos..

A boys burning desire to carry a torch!
Henry was bummed to here the Olympic torch was in Shetland but was not coming to Fair Isle. So I cut a picture of the torch out of the Shetland Times Newspaper, attached it to a sparkler and let him run around.

 

The Queen's Biscuits & a Icterine Warbler

The Queen & Icterine really have nothing in common...

though their names rhyme and they both like to wear pale yellow.
So from now on when she wears yellow I may have to call her the Icterine Queen.

Natalie & Me
My dear friend Natalie Clark & son Otto came to visit for a few days from the USA.
How I wish I had a photo of us to show when we met in the early 1980's at Alfred University.
Natalie is English and lives in America splitting her time between Washington D.C. & The Tenons Mountains in Idaho. That is when she is not travelling the rest of the world of course. Who would of ever guessed we would now be living in the others country? The visit was short, but sweet!

What's on my head? see link: http://www.natalieclark.com/scarves.html

A Fair Isle Kep comes back to see it's knitter...

The Fair Isle Nature Club - with Nick Riddiford

Willie & Gina - Rosemary & Magnie
 Much more than welcome guests at the Auld Haa.

One Happy Micha! - the leader of a German Birding Tour after seeing a rare River Warbler with only minutes to spare before his departure on the afternoon plane.

Puffins & Razorbill

Natalie, Liz, Henry & Otto taking in the sights and taking photos.