SHETLAND TRIP – DAY 19: Another BIG Day & A Hume's Warbler!

HUME'S WARBLER

Boddam

 

I decided to start south and arrived at Grutness Pier early morning. After the huge fall yesterday and fog last night, there was still a huge amount of migrants to see today. Grutness was alive with birds, mostly Redwings, Blackbirds and House Sparrows, but also found a Song Thrush on the grass amongst the boulders on the other side of the wall. Mallards were in the pool by the wall and also saw a couple of Wrens. News came up on the WhatsApp group of a Hume's Warbler at Boddam!

In the garden at the Lighthouse at Sumburgh Head, it was riddled with migrants! I spent a long time here and managed to see several Goldcrests, a male Blackcap, Robins, Wrens, a Brambling, Redwings and Blackbirds. Fulmars were sailing around the clifftop. Sadly, no sign of yesterday's Pallas's Warbler. I saw something fly into the roses (from a distance) and took some pictures – I was quite taken back when I was going through my pictures this evening! It had to be a Redwing, but it was doing a brilliant impression of a small owl!!! Returned to Grutness Pier again for a short while and watched a male and female Blackcap having a wash and brush up in a puddle!

Sumburgh Lighthouse

 

Cliffs at Sumburgh Head

 

Redwing in the garden at Sumburgh Lighthouse

 

Blackbird in the garden at Sumburgh Lighthouse

 

Redwing doing an owl impression!

In the middle of the lighthouse garden

Goldcrest in the garden at Sumburgh Lighthouse

 

Blackcap in the garden at Sumburgh Lighthouse

 

Brambling on the wall at Sumburgh Lighthouse

I then headed to Boddam to see the Hume's Warbler, which was in a local birder's garden – Paul H. had kindly allowed people in his garden to see this cracking little bird. As I stood there with Paul B., Paul H., Jim, Hugh H, Andrew H and a few others, I realised how there would be have been 50+ birders, had this been in Norfolk. Such a joy to watch something good with so few people. The Hume's Warbler flitted around like it was on fire, never resting or stopping for more than a fraction of a second and incredibly difficult to photograph – we were viewing from a lawn and looking over a stone wall into another garden full of trees, The Hume's Warbler teased and tantilised for hours and would occasionally appear just above the wall, but by the time you had lifted your camera, it had gone again! I stubbornly stayed and waited a long time to obtain a smudgy picture – my pictures improved slightly, just before I left. Also watched a Chiffchaff constantly chasing the Hume's around. A Redpoll landed in a tree briefly, behind where we were standing.

HUME'S WARBLER

Boddam

 

Redpoll in garden at Boddam

 

Chiffchaff in garden at Boddam

 

It was just after 2pm when I had finally had my lunch in the car. It had started raining and this continued for the rest of the day. I went to Hestingott to look for migrants and returned to the garden where the RFB had spent most of its time – found Starlings, Redwings, Blackbirds and House Sparrows. Had a look in the Virkie Willows for the Little Bunting found earlier, but no joy with that. News came up of a Radde's Warbler found by the Orca Country Inn at Hoswick, but I decided it was a bit late in the day and would be too dark in those trees by the time I got there and also it might not have been showing very much.

Parked up by the Sumburgh Hotel and walked north over the field to the stone wall by the sea, where I flushed a Woodcock! Lots of Redwings, Blackbirds and also a few Meadow Pipits, Robins and Bramblings seen. I returned to Sumburgh Lighthouse and checked the garden again in dense fog! Only found 1 Robin here and a Brambling feeding by the car park. The slopes around the lighthouse were covered in Blackbirds and Redwings as I drove back down the road.  I stopped by the quarry and found 6 Blackbirds and 1 Robin besides the usual Fulmars. I had a last look at Grutness Pier at just before 6pm and was fascinated to see at least 15+ Blackbirds perched on the large boulders at the far end of the pier! Returned home in the fog.

A WHITE'S THRUSH had been found by Stephen Dunston on Out Skerries today! Throughout the day, others had found some good birds on Shetland including: Long-eared Owls, Ring Ouzels, Hawfinches, Blyth's Reed Warblers x 2, Little Buntings, Black Redstarts, Great Grey Shrike, Radde's Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Siberian Chiffchaffs, to name but a few. Its going to be heavy rain and strong winds for the next couple of days, so I may stay in tomorrow morning and add all the photos to my posts! One week from today I will back at work! Can't believe I have to leave this Sunday!

NORFOLK BIRD NEWS & MEGAS!

SUMMARY OF TODAY'S BIRD NEWS VIA "RARE BIRD ALERT" 
  For access to full details of daily sightings, please subscribe to one of RBA's Bird News Services  

Grey Phalarope, Velvet Scoters x 3, Snow Bunting, Little Stint, Little Gulls x 4 at Titchwell RSPB

Cattle Egrets x 4 at Welney WWT

Velvet Scoters x 3 at Winterton

Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Little Stints x 3 at Snettisham RSPB

Short-eared Owl flew past Overstrand

Snow Buntings x 6 at Weybourne Camp

Ring Ouzel at Martham Broad

Pomarine Skua, Great Northern Diver at Holme

Caspian Gulls x 2 at Cromer

Snow Bunting at Hopton-on-Sea

Hen Harrier at Warham Greens

Caspian Gull at Cley NWT

Little Gulls x 3 flew past Mundesley

Caspian Gulls x 2, Twite x 5 at Blakeney Point

 

MEGA NEWS 

WHITE'S THRUSH

Out Skerries, Shetland

WHITE-TAILED LAPWING

Blacktoft Sands RSPB, Yorkshire

TWO-BARRED GREENISH WARBLER

Spurn Point, Yorkshire

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER

Crookhaven, County Cork, Ireland

RBA Weekly Round-Up 12th to 18th October!

By Jon Dunn

https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/weeklyRoundup2021_42.aspx?s_id=844066813

Thanks to the RBA Team for including my Little Bunting photograph, taken at Cunningsburgh, Shetland on 12th October.

SHETLAND TRIP – DAY 18: Easterlies, Rain, Fog & HUGE Fall of Migrants!

Burn of Sound, Lerwick

 

I was not very well last night at all and hardly slept because of it – this resulted in me sleeping over half the morning, which couldn't have happened on a worse day. My summary below is just for the afternoon and would have been a far more exciting selection, had I been out in the morning as well! Other birders had incredible numbers today, including Yellow-browed Warblers, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Ring Ouzels, Pallas's Warbler, Little Bunting, Common Rosefinch, Siberian Chiffchaff, Black Redstart, Goldcrests, Woodcock, Hawfinch, Lesser Whitethroat, Jack Snipe and thousands of Redwings, Blackbirds and Bramblings.

House Sparrows and Starlings feeding on the lawn

This afternoon, Levenwick produced several Redwings and Blackbirds in the fields by the beach, but nothing else of note, apart from the usual Starlings and House Sparrows. Parked at Gulberwick by the kirk and walked along the track south of there, following the burn and then had kind permission from the owner to have a look in what must be the best bird garden in Shetland! So much cover, so many bushes, plants, fir trees and all alongside a burn – I'd give the world to live there. I saw lots of Redwings and Blackbirds along the track and in the garden and along the burn, but nothing else more exciting seen sadly.

The Burn of Sound at Lerwick was also bursting with Redwings and Blackbirds and again nothing else. Wester Quarff gave the best selection and numbers, with at least 100+ Blackbirds on the slopes above the higher road, along with Redwings and 1 Fieldfare. At the end of the higher road, I saw 8 Bramblings in a bush by the verge, but they scattered and vanished after a car passed me, so no chance of photos. Along the lower road at Wester Quarff I had a Goldcrest in the bushes by the horses, on the corner after the first house and more Redwings and Blackbirds. Drove home in thick fog and its still foggy now late this evening. So, this must mean there will be thousands of migrants to see tomorrow in full daylight!!! Tomorrow could potentially be incredibly exciting!

Spent the evening, sorting and selecting pictures for the last few days, but ran out time to Photoshop them and add to the blog. Hopefully I will catch up with adding pictures over the next few days.

NORFOLK BIRD NEWS & MEGAS!

SUMMARY OF TODAY'S BIRD NEWS VIA "RARE BIRD ALERT" 
  For access to full details of daily sightings, please subscribe to one of RBA's Bird News Services  

Grey Phalarope, Shorelarks x 2, Lapland Buntings x 3, Spotted Redshank, Purple Sandpiper, Black-throated Driver, Caspian Gull, Short-eared Owl at Titchwell RSPB

Snow Buntings x 5 at Horsey

Black Guillemot, Caspian Gull at Overstrand

Little Stint, Spotted Redshanks x 2, Cattle Egrets x 3 at Potter Heigham Marshes

Velvet Scoters x 3 at Winterton

Common Cranes x 26 at Welney WWT

Richard's Pipit, Snow Bunting at Sidestrand

Snow Buntings x 5 at Weybourne Camp

Water Pipit, Spotted Redshank, Great Northern Diver at Holme

Caspian Gulls x 2 at Cley NWT

Caspian Gull at Cromer

 

MEGA NEWS 

WHITE-TAILED LAPWING

Blacktoft Sands RSPB, Yorkshire

TWO-BARRED GREENISH WARBLER

Spurn Point, Yorkshire

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER

Crookhaven, County Cork, Ireland

FORSTER'S TERN

ENE of Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland

SHETLAND TRIP – DAY 17: Easterlies! Red-flanked Bluetail & More!

I was up before dawn and even beat the Starlings and House Sparrows appearing on the lawn. I had also hoovered the cottage before sunrise! It was raining initially, but by the time I was ready to go out of the door it had stopped. I checked Levenwick out before some local birders arrived, but they did a far better job than me, searching all the fields and covered far more ground than me. I could have done the same, but still need to be very careful over uneven ground with my fractured toe (not confirmed) but must be, because it still hurts. Starlings and House Sparrows were feeding close by to the beach, but nothing else seen in the bay. Oh, I did see a Pied Wagtail flying across the road in Levenwick too.

Rain and sun, early morning from the cottage

 

Whimbrel's Cottage, Levenwick

Starlings and House Sparrows on the lawn

 

 

Apart from the many Starlings and House Sparrows around the gardens, the only find was a huge flock of Redwings in the garden that once had a Siberian Rubythroat in. I managed to get a poor picture of one of them! Redwings are incredibly difficult to photograph well – my late father had some good photos, but that's because he had put apples down for them and was photographing them from one of his home made hessian sack hides at the observatory – happy memories. Anyway, the Redwings were flying in from left to right across the driveway into a tree that was partially obscured from view and then something spooked them and they all flew off north east.

Whimbrel's Cottage, Levenwick

Taken from the beach – centre, back of picture

 

Starlings near the beach at Levenwick

 

Redwing, one of a flock of 50+ at Levenwick

 

Penny at Levenwick Beach

 

After checking Levenwick, my plan was start south at Sumburgh and work my way north, but plans often change! News came on the WhatsApp group of a Common Rosefinch at Quendale Water Mill, which is somewhere I was going to check out anyway, so went there first. The trees and bushes by the watermill were alive with loads of Starlings and House Sparrows. A birder was here and I asked him about the Rosefinch – he told me that birders had found it here before he arrived and it had flown off. Oh well! I walked through the gates and followed the track up the hill. Several flocks of Redwings exploded from the burn below and also several Meadow Pipits seen, but nothing else really of note. I was just on the way back to the car, when John F. phoned me to say "Bluetail", "where?" I said, thinking John meant there was one in Norfolk – no, he had very kindly phoned me to say there was one in Shetland and only just down the road at Hestingott! I hadn't noticed the WhatsApp message!

Meadow Pipits at Quendale Water Mill

 

 

I arrived in Hestingott and could see several birders here, standing near a garden, but they were not really looking, so I guessed the bluetail was not in sight. Cutting an incredibly long story short, it was the most elusive bluetail I've ever come across and it took me until 1.10pm before I saw it, with brief but good views in a garden next to a play area. Later on, I managed to get the worst smudgy picture ever too! But I shouldn't complain, its still a Red-flanked Bluetail and you can never tire of seeing these cracking little birds. Huge thanks to the finder, whoever it was. I also saw a Red Admiral butterfly here.

 

RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL

Garden in Hestingott

One of the worst pictures I've ever taken of a very elusive bluetail!

 

Black Guillemot at Grutness Pier

 

Headed south to Grutness pier as I was desperate for the loo (public toilets here) and then sat in my car having a very late lunch at about 2.30pm. Watched 2 Black Guillemots and 2 Razorbills fairly close by in the sunshine which was nice. Headed up to Sumburgh Head to check the quarries for migrants and the lighthouse garden (roses). Some birders were already in the quarry, so I gave this a miss and headed up to the lighthouse for the first time since I arrived. After parking in the RSPB mini car park, it started to rain, so waited for a bit and then the sun came out. The light over the cliffs with Fulmars and Kittiwakes cruising round, was stunning. Walked along the cliff top garden and found no migrants in there at all. Fair Isle was clearly visible in the wonderful light. Took a couple of videos, pictures and then spent a long time photographing the Fulmars. Bumped into Jacquie and Dave here too!

On route to Sumburgh Lighthouse

 

Scenery from Sumburgh Lighthouse

 

 

Fulmars at Sumburgh Lighthouse

Fair Isle from Sumburgh Lighthouse!

 

The Sumburgh House Hotel

 

Blackbird in the upper quarry at Sumburgh

Fulmars in the upper quarry at Sumburgh

Grutness Beach – I think, will check?

Boddam

 

 

I headed back down to the first quarry and had a good look round – aside from the resident Fulmars on the ledges in the quarry, I only managed to find a Blackbird and a Wren here. I returned to Hestingott, but didn't get out of the car as the light was fading, so rubbish for photography anyway. Headed south and stopped at Boddam where I saw several Seals lounging around, but no Otters seen. Back in Levenwick I decided to light the fire, which I haven't done many times – plus I got it going quite quickly this time! East winds again tomorrow, may bring something mega exciting?!