Hawfinch - Coccothraustes Coccothraustes

I took these photos from the window only a few feet away. What a AWESOME bird! A male Hawfinch. He fought off the Starlings, House Sparrows & Chickens for rights to the window bird table. The Hawfinch was first seen yesterday about 2pm. It fed all day until dark and was back this morning. I took tons of photos, Dad deleted most of them but some are sharp. A Kestrel came thought the garden at least 3 times today and then I saw the Hawfinch was being chased by the Kestrel with out stretched claws but the Hawfinch got away. It came back about 2 hours later and ate on & off until dark.

The Kestrel it missed the Hawfinch but got a House Sparrow.

I'm outside now and that is my reflection in the window.
it is not affaid of me now I can walk up close.

Hawfinch have cool feathers on their wings.

We saw Puffins today too!

Siskin at Hand and funny captions

                                    Come on little Siskin, come to the hand... 

                                              Yeah! you came to the hand!

Hey, Thomas the cat are you hungry?

                                                           

                                              what's that you say little birdy? 
                         

Look I am touching the bird with my nose!

ugh! did you fart, our was that me?

Take the photo Henry!
Can you think of a better caption for Tommy to say?

Sea Slugs - Onchidoris bilamellata - First records for Fair Isle

Sea Slugs - Onchidoris bilamellata

 First record for Fair Isle!

not rare in Britain just never found or noted here before.
I found about 10 of them.

sweet peerie little things aren't they!

Sea Slugs with nicely striped Dog Whelks found in the North Haven during very low tide.
March 9th, 2012

 I took them to Nick Riddiford for identification. Thanks Nick!

I like tide-pooling!

Fishing with Stuart & Dad

Haddock!

Pollack on a string... Henry caught 4 Pollack at a go.

 Stewart of Quoy took us out fishing in his boat July 30th, 2011 the Sea/Ocean was anything but calm that day. My dad has a saying "you never get sea sick if you have a fish on the end of your line". And we had plenty! It was amazing almost non stop fish! and so many different kinds. Dad & I had a blast! While Stewart was laughing at my enthusiasm.

Greater Sandeel

Dad caught a Gunnard

The View of the Isle from Sea is always... Wow!
Kirk Stack, the white on the rocks are nesting Gannets as are most of the birds in the air. Average wingspan 180cm.

My 3 Haddock

Stewart snagged this beautiful Sunstar from the watery depths.
Dad and I have never seen one before. 

We went in for a closer view at the fallen cliff face.

in a hour or two the fish box was full.
on the way back to the pier we checked our Lobster trap! lucky day!



our half or share of the catch.
Mackerel, Haddock, Cod, Greater Sandeel & Flounder
(Pollack & Coallies not shown)

I found these 2 in the the stomach of the Cod. 

Squat Lobster & Long Clawed Porcelain Crab 




We have tale to tell... Thank you Stewart!

My 11th Birthday Party



Pinata Bull - Me - 11 Birthday Cake Yum!



All us kids! partying after school at the Hall.

Eleven!

Party Games & Skits

The first candy starts to fall... don't worry plenty for all.

Happy Birthday To Me

Henry & the Puffins - My Mom made this Video!

Atlantic Puffin with Sandeels - Fair Isle

Henry & the Puffins

Video by Liz Musser (my Mum)

* Starring *

Henry Hyndman (me)

Dr. Will Miles

Jason Moss

& the Puffins of Fair Isle

Music by Inga Thomson

Made for

http://www.shetland.org/

&

http://visit.shetland.org/

Thank you Fair Isle Bird Observatory

The Videographer

The Talent

The Birds

Fair Isle

Oh my God it's a Lobster! Jelly Fish Invasion!

3 Lobsters in a Pot & the Biggest Fish in the North Haven

3 lobsters - weighing 1 to 2 pounds each

No Way!!!!

We had not checked our Lobster trap for a while because of bad weather. I knew the bait would be eaten by crabs the very first night. With a brake from the weather Dad & I were finally able to go fishing again and get our one trap. Three Lobster! Unbelievable! We have only caught 1 other lobster in 5 years! now bring our total to only 4. I was so happy.

 It tastes good I've never eaten Lobster before.

  

everything is just ducky.

Am I Dreaming?

Pollack - I Caught this fish in the North Haven as well.

 A new North Haven record... the biggest ever!

(for us or that we know of?)

Lobster Last Night!

Fish & Chips Tonight!

Cool Jellyfish Invasion!

       Comb Jellyfish                                     Hula Skirt Siphonophore

A note from Nick Riddiford Island Naturalist.

"Henry and Tommy Hyndman brought me an amazing collection of jellyfish and other plankton collected this evening from North Haven. The highlight was definitely the spectacular Physophora hydrostatica, and amazing collection of orange body, transparent tubes above ending in a narrow cylindrical float and with a series of threads trailing below, with yellow blobs attached. It has even been given an English name – hula skirt siphonophore. It is a deep sea species but, being a slow swimmer, it is vulnerable to being brought to the surface by currents. Five were collected, so there must have been many more.

Other jellyfish and allies taken comprised a blue jellyfish Cyanea lamarckii – which occurs from time to time; a mauve stinger Pelagia noctiluca – which normally occurs further out to sea. We had a mauve stinger invasion two years ago.. The previous Anomalocera patersoni record for the isle was in 2009. Henry was involved in that too! (when he brought me all those ghost shrimps). a number of the comb jelly Bolinopsis infundibulum – a very common summer visitor to Fair Isle shores; and Ptychogena crocea - a thecate hydroid usually found on rocky substrates well below the tidal zone.

The collection also included numerous smaller plankton. By far the most numerous was a Calanus copepod – probably Calanus helgolandicus which is a recent late summer invader of our waters (replacing Calanus finmarchicus which has disappeared in response to climate change). The most interesting capture was a blue and green coloured copepod called Anomalocera patersoni. Some of the blue markings appeared luminescent in some lights. This is a surface waters dweller of North Atlantic origin, quite widespread but having suffered a high decline in population since the 1970s.

The cutest planktonic capture involved a 1 mm long transparent replica of a crab. It was indeed a crab, an early instar of the common shore crab Carcinus maenas. A tiny, bright crimson shrimp keyed out to Apherusa jurinei, I have found an earlier Fair Isle record for Apherusa jurinei - from June 1998! 2nd recorded for the isle but probably a regular (overlooked) component of the inshore gammarid community."

The Three species highlighted in bold appear to be first Fair Isle records.

Strangely, North Haven was empty of jellyfish this morning when we released to beasties back into the sea.

Cheerio! Nick

Thanks for that Nick! Henry