Sunday, 11 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Saturday, 10 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Friday, 9 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Wednesday, 7 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Tuesday, 6 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Monday, 5 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Saturday, 3 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
A few months ago I discovered a garden so large that it has to be one of the largest gardens here, if not the largest and its at the end of a road by the sea. I never hear any bird news from here, so guess that nobody checks this regularly. I parked my car up on a grassy area next to a small beach and walked to the end of the road to view the garden. Its so large and dense that you can only just see the house. I walked around the entire circumference (almost) of the garden for the first time which included very boggy ground. There are blue bridges over streams in the garden, it looked so fascinating and so beautiful with so many trees and shrubs and areas of grass. I would LOVE to own this property, a birder's dream! The shocking thing was that all I could find was a Blackbird that flew up from a stream and another bird that flew up from a branch and didn't see again, which really wasn't worth all my efforts! There should at least have been a Siberian Rubythroat here. The only highlight was a Red Admiral butterfly which took me by surprise. Whoever owns this massive garden is not going to allow birders to roam around their paradise, so will only ever be able to view this from the surrounding cliffs and fields. I'm not going to say where it is, my secret!
Went to Wester Quarff and was rewarded with one very brief view of the Firecrest and a second view for a bit longer in the tops of the willows, but raining and very sadly no photos. There were a handful of birders here too. Went to Levenwick and finally had lovely but distant view of the Siberian Stonechat on a fence post, then it disappeared, still raining and again no photos – bumped into Jim N. here who was also seeing this for the first time. Checked out the Geosetter Burn but only managed to find 3 Robins in the fading light. After hearing news of a Minke Whale fairly close in and heading north from Ocraquoy I headed that way and parked my car up on a high hill at Fladdibister which overlooks Ocraquoy headland – didn't see anything and continued my journey home.
Atrocious weather here tomorrow with 44mph+ south west winds and rain all day long.
Friday, 2 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!
Arrived and parked up at Quendale Mill just after sunrise. Walked to Brake to search for the Siberian Blue Robin. I would also then be close by for when and if it was seen in Hugh's garden again. Sadly Hugh didn't see it in the garden again. I spent the entire morning until midday, slowly and meticulously checking all the gardens and habitat at Brake several times. Birds seen: the Yellow-browed Warbler I found last night, several Robins, 6 Continental Blackbirds, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Pied Wagtails x 3, 4 Grey Herons flew over, Wheatear, 2 Bramblings, male Chaffinch. Someone else had seen a Pied Flycatcher, but frustratingly I didn't see this. There were a few birders looking here, but not many, which was a real surprise as I heard that there were several standing in Hugh's garden yesterday that didn't see the Sibe Robin as they had been standing in the wrong spot when it showed and then obviously couldn't move because of the size of the crowd.
Nice to chat with Brett Richards again whom I last saw at the Egyptian Nightjar! He had arrived this morning with others. Its incredibly sad that the Siberian Blue Robin didn't show again yesterday afternoon and also that it didn't stay until today for other birders arriving. I would love to know where it disappeared to yesterday. I noticed there were quite a few cats around at Brake which doesn't bare thinking about. Several birders pointed out that it was clear overnight so more than probably has gone now. 😞
Walked back to Quendale Mill checking gardens on route. Had lunch and a brief snooze in the car, I felt very tired now. There were 2 Yellow-browed Warblers chasing each other round in the sycamore copse and also a Robin and a Blackbird in here. Left and drove back very slowly to Brake for a last check before I left and spotted a familiar figure walking along the road – it was Steve Gantlett!!! I see him more here than I did in Norfolk! 😂 He had flown over for the Siberian Blue Robin this morning which we glumly chatted about. If you are reading this Steve, you and Sue might as well move here, it will be cheaper for you and you'll have a greater chance of increasing your list if you live here!
Drove to Sumburgh Head and sat on the grassy slope watching the 'roses' where all I could manage was a Blackbird, Robin and 1 Pied Wagtail. There was a Rock Pipit that looked bigger then it should it have done creeping around on the grassy slope behind me. A Yellow-browed Warbler was flitting around on the wall next to the RSPB carpark by the lighthouse.
At the second quarry (largest) at Sumburgh I managed to see a Chiffchaff in a nettle patch, 3 Twite, 2 Wheatears and a Robin were on the cliff. There was a Yellow-browed Warbler in the garden at Grutness which I highlighted to a tour group driving past, who then stopped to enjoy watch this feeding in the fading light – they were very pleased as they hadn't seen it when they had looked earlier. On the way back home I stopped at Levenwick and saw 3 Sand Martins overhead down by the beach – it was too late in the day to see the Siberian Stonechat.
PICTURES TO BE ADDED
RBA Weekly Round-Up 25th September to 1st October!
Thursday, 1 October 2026
SHETLAND BIRD NEWS – SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN & TWO-BARRED GREENISH WARBLER!
As predicted there was something BIG, something HUMONGOUS!! "Mega" was not big enough! When I saw the message at work I felt sick, SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN in Hugh Harrop's garden at Hillwell!!! I could not believe what I was reading. I wanted to go now. I don't normally get stressed about a rare bird turning up when I'm at work as I always hope I will see it after work and mostly I do. But this bird was on another level, I couldn't not see it. I finish early on a Thursday at 3.23pm, I asked if I could take an hour's TOIL that I have left and I was granted this. Left work at 2.23pm. The Siberian Blue Robin had not been seen since before I even left work and Hugh had closed his garden, but I just hoped and presumed that it would be found again, how wrong I was.
I parked up on a verge between Hugh's house and Quendale Mill. Most birders were now at MEGA Number 2 of the day a TWO-BARRED GREENISH WARBLER at Quendale Mill! You couldn't make up today, you really couldn't. I went straight to stand and peer over Hugh's garden and there were only about five other people here and Ashley Banwell from Norfolk turned up moments after me who was on route to Fair Isle. At this moment I couldn't even think about any other bird other than the Siberian Blue Robin. There was a Yellow-browed Warbler in the garden, a Robin, a Chiffchaff and a Blackbird.
Eventually I tore myself away to walk to Quendale Mill where I had brief views of the Two-barred Greenish Warbler – I would normally have stayed to try and get a photograph, but gave that up when I heard that Hugh was going to do a circuit of his garden and kindly allow birders to stand in his garden again. I rushed back up the road to make sure I was there for this. Long story short, nothing, nothing at all. Hugh did this again half an hour later and then closed his garden for the day. Massive congratulations to Hugh, how excited he must have been this morning – he was telling Roger R and me that initially he thought it was a 'bluetail' and I think it took him a little while to pin it down by the sounds of it. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it reappears tomorrow. I had heard that a Robin was chasing it around a lot, so it could have relocated to another garden close by?!


















