From Birdguides:
"...... stunning news of a GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER photographed on mainland Shetland this week.
This represents the first record for both Britain and the wider Western Palearctic of this Nearctic vagrant.......
Details remain scant at present but the bird was photographed at the start of the week by a homeowner who recognised it as something unusual. Once the photos had made it to local birders over the weekend it was looked for, unsuccessfully, though they were able to confirm the location of the images."
WOW! What a record!!!!! Doubt that will reappear, but I will be ecstatic if it does! Shetland will be busy if it is refound somewhere, chartered planes and all that jazz!!! 😜
Pictures now on Birdguides in their review of the week (which includes my Blackpoll Warbler photo) and photographed by Hazel Ulstad (not her garden or home) on 16th October. Thank you to Hazel for making the photos public, so insanely exciting to see these pictures!
https://www.birdguides.com/articles/review-of-the-week-13-19-october-2025/
A mint picture of one here: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/163796041
Alot of birders would be lying if they said they hadn't done some Googling now the picture has appeared, which I have too. If I wasn't a birder and I didn't have a camera and had an interesting bird in my garden I would call the nearest person I know with a camera. If my theory is correct then the Great Crested Flycatcher could have been either very close or fairly close to where I live!!!
This bird is on another level! What many of us would give to see this. There is of course a chance how ever small, that it may be refound. My guess is that the thermal imagers have been and will be working overtime for the people in the know of the location! Good luck!
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Ridiculous behaviour from all you twitchers. Chartered planes “and all that jazz” ? Not only ridiculous but irresponsible and reprehensible. Climate change, anyone? By the time you lot have thermal imaged, hounded and flushed it poor thing will have been stressed to its death.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, I take it you are from Shetland, as I never had this much hatred when I lived in Norfolk from non-birders and I have been writing my blog for over 15 years. I wouldn't be chartering a plane, but some more than possibly would have done, its a very serious bird, its made the tabloids including our local Shetland Times. Do you have any foreign holidays booked this year or did you last year or booked for next year, how will you be getting there, flying by any chance? "You lot" nastily worded – don't tar us all with the same brush, I don't have a thermal imager for starters. No birders got to see this amazing bird so it hasn't been stressed to its death, how ridiculous!!! Its not in ANY birder's or photographers interest to hound and flush a bird to death – why would they? Let me explain, how would they be able to enjoy watching it if its dead, or photograph it, it is in the interest of all to ensure the welfare of the bird, especially when it has flown so many miles of its intended course.
DeleteNo to all your questions. You birders behaviour on Shetland whenever rarities turn up is well documented.
DeleteNot all birders "behaviour" is the same, you can't tar everyone with the same brush.
DeleteThere seems to be a big difference between those people who genuinely love, and care about wildlife - the Jane Goodalls of this world - and some of you so called ‘birders’. Your behaviour disgusts me.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, two Anonymous keyboard warriers for the same post! My behaviour disgusts you? Or some birders? What I have specifically done to disgust you, please explain? I was born into wildlife and birds, my late father was an ornithologist, I have always had a passion and love for all things in the natural world. Try and be kinder, it will be better for your blood pressure.
DeleteAnonymous Number 2 is obviously unable to explain about my 'behaviour', hence no reply.
ReplyDeleteNo wish to engage with you further. Conversation ended.
DeleteYou don't wish to engage because you can't answer my question! Conversation ended from me too!
DeleteCan’t be bothered. If you can’t see the problem in what you’re all doing there’s no point.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly am I doing?
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