Rare Bird Alert News
MAINLAND
Yellow-browed Warbler at Orca Inn, Barred Warblers x 2 by road at west side of Hoswick Burn, Hoswick.
Yellow-browed Warbler north of road at Hoswick Burn.
Firecrest in 2nd garden on north side of south road, Yellow-browed Warbler at Netherburn, Wester Quarff.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Easter Quarff.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Brig O' Fitch.
Yellow-browed Warbler in garden at Stromfirth.
King Eider ad. fem off Twagoes Road, Yellow-browed Warbler at Helendale Drive, Lerwick.
Yellow-browed Warblers x 2 at Brakefield Road, Sandwick.
Little Bunting, Yellow-browed Warbler at Califf, Veensgarth.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Sumburgh Hotel.
CITRINE WAGTAIL flew over West Voe towards Sumburgh Hotel.
Barred Warbler, Lapland Bunting at The Spiggie Hotel, Yellow-browed Warbler at Scousburgh.
Bluethroat, Common Rosefinches x 2 at in wild bird crop at Scousburgh.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Loch of Voe.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Geosetter.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Wadbister, SSE of Girlsta.
OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT in garden (Wiltrow) at Boddam.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Longwell, Aith, Yellow-browed Warbler at Kenswood, Cunningsburgh.
Little Bunting, Curlew Sandpiper at Pool of Virkie.
Hawfinch at Voe of Scatsta.
Sooty Shearwater flew past The Lookout, Lapland Bunting, Sumburgh Head.
Common Rosefinch, Yellow-browed Warbler at Swining.
Barred Warbler at Orbister.
Little Bunting in driveway of old school house, Dale of Walls, WNW of Walls.
OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT at croft above Loch of Sung between Dale of Walls and Mid Walls.
Little Bunting in paddock of Silly Sheep Company, Yellow-browed Warbler at Lower Dale, Walls.
Yellow-browed Warblers x 3 at Leean Plantation, Mid Walls.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper still in wet field at Fleck.
Red-breasted Flycatcher still at Lower Voe.
Ring Ouzel in quarry between Watsness and Dale.
Yellow-browed Warbler in small plantation at South Nesting.
Little Bunting, Yellow-browed Warblers x 3 at plantation by road at Hamnavoe, NNE of Lunna.
SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN
in garden at Hillwell
Yellow-browed Warbler at Hillwell.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Brake.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper juv. still at pool SE of lighthouse at Eshaness.
Barred Warblers x 2, Yellow-browed Warblers x 4 in garden by play area at Hestingott.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Grutness.
Black Redstart at Swinister, Ollaberry.
EASTERN STONECHAT sp. (probably Siberian) by garden at Netherton Road, Levenwick.
TWO-BARRED GREENISH WARBLER at Quendale Mill.
Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler at Gulberwick.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Bridge End, Burra.
Little Bunting by picnic bench at Swinister Burn, Yellow-browed Warbler in gardens behind beach at Sandwick.
Yellow-browed Warbler at Voxter.
ISLANDS
Barred Warbler in garden by crossroads at Gutcher, Yellow-browed Warbler at plantation by marina at Cullivoe, Yellow-browed Warbler at Mid Yell, YELL.
ARCTIC WARBLER north of Springpark Road, Common Rosefinch at Baltasound, Pallid Harrier juv. flew over Valyie, Norwick, Common Rosefinch in roadside cottage garden north of Mailland, Lapland Bunting at Baliasta, UNST.
Firecrest at Soberlie, ISLE OF FOULA.
Barred Warbler, Little Buntings x 2 at ISLE OF WHALSAY.
Long-eared Owl this evening on OUT SKERRIES.
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?!
It was either still in Hugh's garden or had relocated to another garden to escape the Robin. So I decided at this point it would be a good idea to check the nearby gardens at Brake. Andy J and Anne E. ended up joining me. There was one particular very large garden with a paddock in front of it that seemed to be full of bird action with 2 Pied Wagtails, a Robin, Blackbird, Chiffchaff and I found a Yellow-browed Warbler to the side of the garden in a sycamore along a little track. I genuinely thought this track was a track you could walk along, how wrong I was, big mistake. A man drove up on his quad bike and was very angry. I remained calm and polite and apologised when he said this track was his drive and said we will leave now and we did, but he was going on about people being here all day..... looking in people's windows.... yes that what's everyone was doing..... looking through windows to see if a Siberian Blue Robin was perched on people's kitchen tables – silly man, does he really believe that all these birders are here to peer in windows!!! I won't ever walk on that track again now I now it belongs to him, but I will be checking out the same garden again in the morning, it wasn't his garden I was looking in by the way, he lived much further down the track. I'm allowed to walk on a public road and that's where I will be tomorrow. Even if I wasn't a birder and was just walking, I love looking in people's gardens to see what's growing and what flowers are still out etc, I find it fascinating, the hope of seeing birds in gardens as well is an added bonus!
I left Brake and returned to Quendale Mill for a last look at dusk for the Two-barred Greenish Warbler and was surprised to find quite a few birders still here – I saw the bird again, but not long enough to photograph plus the light was appalling now. A bat appeared around us and for a short while landed on a wall where several of us photographed it and then flew off again. Bats are not very common here. I returned to my car and went home to Scalloway. Had a sandwich and a scone which I had purchased from work at lunchtime in preparation for this evening. Its been a long day.
Bat: Nathusius Pipistrelle at Quendale Mill
ID'd for me by Pete Gulliver from Easter Quarff, thank you.
What a day to be out birding in Shetland for those not at work. So many birds were seen and the crazy thing is that because everyone went to see the Siberian Blue Robin, hardly anyone was looking anywhere else! Just think about how many megas that were blown in yesterday haven't been found yet!! I feel that tomorrow will continue to produce more big birds. At least I now have three days off! Phew!
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