SHETLAND BIRD NEWS & MORE!

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MAINLAND

Buff-breasted Sandpiper still on pool east of lighthouse, Glossy Ibis still on flood at Eshaness.

Red-breasted Flycatcher in small geo below RSPB staff car park at Sumburgh Head.

Red-breasted Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Warbler in garden at Sumburgh Hotel. 

King Eider ad. fem off Twagoes Road, Common Rosefinch with Redpolls at Upper Burn of Sound, Yellow-browed Warbler at Helendale House, Yellow-browed Warbler at Seafield, Lerwick.

Yellow-browed Warblers x 3 at Geosetter.  

Red-breasted Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Warbler at Da Lodge, Lower Voe.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Vidlin. 

Barred Warbler in scyamores at north end, Yellow-browed Warblers x 3 at Levenwick.

Little Bunting at top of burn at Quendale.

Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at Middleton, Maywick.

Yellow-browed Warbler in plantation near Strand Loch, Tingwall.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Orca Inn, Hoswick.   

Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at Easter Quarff.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Swinister Burn, Yellow-browed Warbler at Brakefield Road, Sandwick.

Little Bunting briefly by parking area at far end, Muckle Roe.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Leean Plantation, Mid Walls.

LANCEOLATED WARBLER at Aswick (elusive), South Nesting.

Western Bonelli's Warbler in garden at Eswick.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Hamnavoe, NNE of Lunna.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper still at wet field, Fleck.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Channerwick.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Garth, NEE of Sandness.

Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at Voe of Scatsta, Scatsta. 

 

ISLANDS

Pallid Harrier juv. male flew east over Lund, Yellow-browed Warbler at Setters Hill Estate, Common Rosefinch near school, Baltasound, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at Valyie, Norwick, UNST.

Arctic Warbler, Pallid Harrier, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Little Bunting, Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Quails x 2 on OUT SKERRIES.

Yellow-browed Warbler in garden at Gunnista Road, Yellow-browed Warbler at in bushes along the edge of Uphouse Road, ISLE OF BRESSAY.

Barred Warbler still in plantation at Skaw, ISLE OF WHALSAY

Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at cemetery, WEST YELL.

 

https://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sightings.html

EYEBROWED THRUSH – FAIR ISLE 

As expected there was a huge amount of bird news being posted whilst I was at work today. As I left this evening I couldn't decide which way to go – best birds were a Western Bonelli's Warbler and a Lanceolated Warbler (which I have never seen). There had been no news on the Lancie since the initial sighting at 2.27pm, so I asked on the WhatsApp group if anyone had seen it and they had, but long story short it sounded extremely elusive and there are questions (apparently) about the ID - maybe any further pictures will confirm things. Very strong south easterly 50mph winds all day.

I checked Helendale Terrace quickly before I headed to South Nesting and found nothing. Started to head to South Nesting for the Lancie and sighed when I ended up in a long queue at the traffic lights out of Lerwick – as I slowly progressed along the road I realised I wasn't going to get to South Nesting and find the exact location before the light went. Someone had kindly added a pin to their post, but I had no signal to open the pin – the phone signal is shockingly bad in Lerwick (I'm Vodafone). Postcodes work best for birds as you can put this quickly into your Sat Nav and you are away promptly. Having to get paper OS maps out of the car and try and work out where something is, when you are the only person in the car, slows you down considerably and with fading light too its not a good situation. I realised that the best thing to do was to change plans and trying find my own birds close by, so I didn't waste any of the daylight that I had left. I wasn't too bothered, its going to take a very big bird to overshadow my Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on North Ronaldsay – maybe something like a male Siberian Blue Robin or my dream – a Black-and-white Warbler?!!! There are a few weeks to go here yet!

Checked out Njugalswater Burn at Bridge of Fitch which was not sheltered in the slightest so probably no birds here and this was the case. Returned to the Siberian Thrush trees at Tingwall and searched the garden areas and tracks and got excited when a bird flew up from a driveway, which I quickly found perched on a fence wire – a Meadow Pipit which should have been an OBP. From this point it was car birding and I drove around some of the spectacular gardens situated high up the hill with lots of pines/trees and habitat at East Voe – too late in the day, nothing apart from a Blackbird and one LBJ that flew from one bush to a large dense hedge. So headed home, it was dark and that's was the end of my spectacular birding evening! 😂 So many pictures to process and post.... 😏

The hardcore amongst you will be out tomorrow in dire conditions of 56mph + winds and rain from 10am all day. More birds will be discovered on Thursday when there is minimal rain, a moderate breeze and sunny nearly all day – whatever mega bird you find on Thursday, please keep with it until I arrive after my early finish at 3.23pm precisely PLEASE?! Good luck and enjoy tomorrow for those of you visiting and local birders who are able to get out and find the big one! 👍 🔥