1st for Fair Isle and 8th for Britain following one on Unst, 14th May 2018.
Friday, 31 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
1st for Fair Isle and 8th for Britain following one on Unst, 14th May 2018.
Thursday, 30 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
1st for Fair Isle and 8th for Britain following one on Unst, 14th May 2018.
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
1st for Fair Isle and 8th for Britain following one on Unst, 14th May 2018.
Tuesday, 28 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Monday, 27 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Sunday, 26 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
My birding list today, too tired to make it anything much more than a list!
Swift, several Swallows, Marsh Warbler singing/seen and Blackbirds at Swinister Burn – so beautiful here, not been for ages. Several birders hoping to see the Red-footed Falcon that was seen briefly on a post here, not long before I arrived, but it wasn't seen again today. Back at my car I was chatting to someone on the phone whilst eating a late lunch – when I walked round to get in my car, a black cat had made itself very cosy on my driver's seat!!!
Icterine Warbler singing at The Orca Inn, but impossible to see. Lovely to meet a Shetland family of birders, including Sam who works in Occupational Health!
Photographed a pair of Shelduck and cute goslings at Boddam Voe (no issue for me, but other birders were harrassed for just parking on the road and in a layby this morning! When will it end?!). Also several Eider here, a Snipe flew over and Turnstones foraging amongst the seaweed. Walked down to the Croft Museum, but apart from a gorgeous Shetland pony, there were no birds of note here.
News on WhatsApp of 3 Crossbills at the Geosetter Burn and was heading that way next anyway. Delighted to see the Crossbills, by the Geosetter Bridge, but they were very, very skittish and flew off up the burn and I only got a distant, rubbish photo later on. Also Garden Warbler and female Blackcap here.
Found a Spotted Flycatcher and Garden Warbler, opposite the Spiggie Hotel.
Found 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a female Blackcap and a Chiffchaff in the Grutness Garden. After a foggy, gloomy day, the light was now stunning and I got some cracking pictures of one of the Spotted Flycatchers. Swallows skimming over the Grutness Pool, 2 Dunlin, Oystercatchers, Shelducks x 2 and Arctic Terns carrying fish – a beautiful scene.
Checked out the Sumburgh Hotel garden – nothing here, but did bump into Norfolk birder Gary Elton leading a group for Oriole Birding Tours!
At Quendale Mill, I found the Turtle Dove in the tree above the mill with Collared Doves, a very photogenic male Pied Flycatcher in the garden, Icterine Warbler seen, but wasn't able to get a photo, male and female Siskin, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and a Reed Warbler. Swallows skimming over the burn, so lovely to see. Cute skipping lambs as I walked along the burn and as far as the dam, where I found a Spotted Flycatcher on a fence wire and House Sparrows dust bathing. Arrived home at 10pm and then watched the first of five parts of the Shetland documentary on Channel 5 +1.
The long run of easterlies here concludes on Wednesday.
Saturday, 25 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Had a drive and walk around Fladdibister and then Oraquay where I saw a Bonxie fly over, then continued on to Aith and Cunningsburgh. A black bunny rang along the road in front of me! There was a Great Northern Diver close in by the shore, in the pull in area off the A970. On route home I saw a very long winged brown 'ish' bird fly across the road, just outside Cunningsburgh – the only thing I could think of was Nightjar, but the light was awful, so couldn't be sure at all.
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Thursday, 23 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Wednesday, 22 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Tuesday, 21 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Monday, 20 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Sunday, 19 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Rare Bird Alert News
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Saturday 18th May
Saturday, 18 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
My ProGrade CFexpress reader decided to fail when I tried to offload all my latest pictures – cost £71.00 and is only just out of warranty! Completely dead. Sent off for a SanDisk Extreme PRO CFexpress Card Reader. I had to learn very fast how to download my pictures via Wifi which was painfully slow, new card reader is supposed to be arriving next Wednesday.
Tried to find my own birds in Scalloway and failed. A roasting hot day here with little wind. At Tingwall Loch I found 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, several Tufted Ducks and Mallards. I was drawn into the garden centre and bought three more plants, then headed south.
Had fabulous views of a male Red-backed Shrike at The Geosetter Burn, along with a Garden Warbler, female Blackcap, Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler singing its heart out. Sat at the bottom of the stile waiting for the Red-backed Shrike to reappear on the fence line, when a Short-eared Owl came into view over the hill! Jill and Rob joined me here and pointed out a Whinchat on the fence. Another male Red-backed Shrike seen in the scrub by the pull in at Rerwick. Nothing of note at Levenwick. Headed home.
Thursday, 16 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE
Another gloriously sunny day here with south east winds. Amazing driving and crane skills from Ozzie Craig, who delivers for Jewsons, when he delivered my ton bag of logs to stack in my shed. I couldn't believe with such calmness, that he managed to crane that bag over the corner of my house, over the washing line and onto my raised patio next to the shed door! I wish I had taken a video of that. He did say that if the Jewson's own lorry had delivered, they would not have been able to do that and it would have simply been craned onto my driveway. He suggested to ask for him again, when I get the next delivery – I certainly will. It didn't take as long as I thought to remove all the logs and stack them up in my shed. I will easily be able to stack another three ton bags in there and probably more.
Brilliant washing day with twice the amount of pegs used as you would need down south. The views from my house, especially with a full on sun day and magical light are stupendous, I feel so lucky to be living here. Siskins, House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Starlings and Robin in the garden and lambs skipping on Gallows Hill.
Wednesday, 15 May 2024
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Very busy day at work and then drove south to the Grutness Pool to see the Red-spotted Bluethroat which was still around – lucky me! It was a beautiful day here with full on sunshine. As I pulled up to park, Rebecca N. was here and she had been photographing it about 20 minutes ago, but it had vanished. It soon returned and we watched and photographed it at fairly close range. Then Hugh H. turned up, along with Paul H. and then Jim N. and a friend of his. I have seen several Red-spotted Bluethroats before throughout my life, but you can never tire of watching these striking and elegant birds. It was happily feeding around the pool and was at one point only a few yards away over the fence by the shore side. Chiffchaff and male Blackcap here, Shelduck, Mallard, Turnstone, Wren, Starlings, Eiders on the sea close by, Great Northern Diver, 1 Swallow. Lots of Silver-Y moths around and a few Red Admirals seen.
In the Grutness garden I found 1 Chiffchaff and a female Blackcap amongst the Starlings and one of the gorgeous ginger tabby cats was sunning itself in the warmth of the greenhouse. It seemed like the perfect evening to view my first Puffins of the Spring, so headed up to Sumburgh Lighthouse. I saw more flying around than posing by burrows, but I did get lucky with one very cute Puffin coming out of his burrow, who briefly watched his audience of five people, then duly turned, excreted two yards of Puffin poo and retreated to his burrow, much to the amusement of us all! I walked along the famous "Roses'' by the lighthouse – nothing excited errupted apart from 1 Blackbird and a Starling. Several Wheatears around on the dry stone walls. I found two more Puffins just over the wall at the far end, but my normally stealthy fieldcraft skills failed and they flew off before I was able to get any winning shots. The spectacle of Fulmars, Gannets and Guillemots flying below me was stupendous as the sun was starting to set. Back at the disabled car park, I watched two Twite on the wall.
I returned to the Grutness Pool where the Red-spotted Bluethroat was still in view at 9.15pm! A Chiffchaff was also still catching flies close by. A fabulous birding trip after work. Arrived home at 10pm. One of the dangers of living here at this time of the year, is that you can easily spiral into burning the candle at both ends with the long daylight hours available to you, but I don't have to be at work tomorrow, so no issues with that. I now have the next six days off!
PICTURES TO BE ADDED