Loch Ewe
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Today there was lots of Marsh and/or Willow tits in the garden as well as coal tits, LT tits, Blue tits and Great tits.
They must have known that I am preparing some nesting boxes for them for next year and a table for today - It is already being used. I plan to put it a little higher up once I myself get sorted
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we put up a new table in the back yesterday. Loads of blue tits, smaller number of Great Tits, and the occasional long tailed tit. My CCTV tells me the sparrows are still in and out of our nest box.
we put the old table in the front, be interesting to see if we get anything.
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This forum is full of Tits.
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So’s the Sun.
Were you aware that there had been sightings or did you just come across it by chance?
A visiting birder found it late yesterday in what is probably the remotest part of the island, but the news was only put out after dark, so it was too late to go looking. I went this morning and there were a few others searching for it. It took us a while to relocate it as it had moved to a different part of the hill, but it was well worth it.
One of those mythical birds that people will travel a long way to see, but to have one on your local patch is a never to be forgotten experience.
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Would it be living year round on Fetlar then, or is it just temporary/passing through? ('scuse my ignorance)
The likelyhood is that it will have come in on the back of the strong north-westerlies we have had. Who knows how long it has been here, but not long would be my guess.
They used to breed on Fetlar in the 1970’s but the last bird left (a female) in 1993 They have never bred anywhere else in the British Isles.
It’s a young male, so if a female turned up (highly unlikely!) it could get interesting. The recent, almost total extinction of our rabbit population would be an issue though. Not much else to feed on, mice wouldn’t keep it satisfied for long.
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My first reaction was it’s a wowowl! Take a bow, Paul.
What happened to the Rabbits Paul and could you repopulate them?
Some strain of a virus that attacked their lungs and which originated on the mainland, but managed to find its way here. They disappeared extremely quickly.
We used to have loads in the garden, then one day last winter I found three dead on the same day. After that they were nowhere to be seen.
I did see one last week and a couple of others have been spotted, so I think there’s a chance that they might recover.
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Terrific spot, what a wonderful creature. And interesting back story Paul.
The forecast is for very strong south-easterlies here on Thu/Fri so while there are no guarantees, literally anything could turn up after that. After the incessant westerlies we’ve been having, there should be a shedload of migrants arriving.
Has anyone told the Home Office?
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Shhh, they don’t come in through the normal channels.
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If there more than two they will be back up to full strength in no time!
Apparently they breed like … erm 
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