Burravoe Birding

Guess what.... It's still bloody cold!

2010-12-18T14:22:00.011Z

It's been a while since my last post, but as you may have guessed, there ain't been a lot of action in this crappy weather we've all been having! The highlights have been; c. 40 Snow Buntings, 3 Jack Snipe, 5 Red Grouse, 10 Bar-tailed Godwits and quite a few very good views of Otters.... Unfortunately the weather hasn't been all that good for photography, and this is the best I could do with the local Otter (just a wee bit of light would have been nice!!!)

Otter in the dark...

On a slightly different note... I know we all have to 'start somewhere', and 'we all make mistakes' etc etc, but I seen this quote on a well known Internet identification forum, and couldn't believe what I was reading... "My immediate thought was Sparrow but it seemed a bit dark and chunky so perhaps Peregrine?"..... and I thought I had problems!!!

Dam it's cold... Part 3

2010-11-26T14:10:00.007Z

OK... OK... I know the title lacks imagination, but it's still bloody cold here!

As far as birding is concerned, this cold snap has had it's good side though, as species that are normally very hard to see, are a bit more obvious as they have fewer places to hide! This helped me get a 'patch' record of 4 Jack Snipe today, along with copious amounts of Common Snipe and Blackbirds. Not sure if these are just local harsh weather movements, or refugees fresh in from Scandinavia? Also seen today; a hunting Merlin and the usual Otter. Not a bad day concidering I never even made it out of Burravoe!

I've had better Jack Snipe photos, but this was all I could manage today;

Dam it's cold... Part 2

2010-11-25T12:09:00.019Z

In the last few days, South Yell has seen temperatures just below freezing, with quite heavy snow fall and bitterly cold winds. This weather combination has made birding less enjoyable, and more of a challenge! But as always I'm up for a challenge, and I've been out and about (dragging my poor dog behind me as well!) and still managed to see a few nice birds (for this time of year!... any birds are good). Highlights for me are the 2 Mealy Redpolls, 1 Water Rail, 13 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Robins and 'strangely' 7 Pheasants!!!

This Water Rail was quite confiding, but the light was crap, so shutter speeds were down to as low as 1/50th sec, and the iso between 800/1600... not ideal, but still managed some semi-decent results!

Dam it's cold... Part 1

2010-11-23T14:41:00.008Z

Finally off work today, and able to try for Brydon's Water Pipit (the first for Shetland no less!) on Unst. I arrived at the beach about 9'ish, and was joined by Robbie and Mike shortly after. The bird showed very briefly on the road behind the beach for about 2 min, before leading us on a game of cat and mouse for the next few hours. The temperature was about 2 degrees, and with a strong Northerly wind and rain/hail showers, it felt much colder!... All this, and the fact the bird was so flighty and difficult to follow, meant the pics I have are truly crap... So you ain't going to see any pics here. Try the 'Nature Shetland' link in the side bar for decent photos of this bird.

Easy come... easy go!

2010-11-22T17:16:00.004Z

Well It seemed too good to be true. A stunning male Serin that takes a liking to Shetland and even starts singing in November!............. Looks like it was just a wee bit too good as well. The bird was photographed very well yesterday, and according to the 'bling' it's wearing on it's left leg, it's a bloody cage bird! (why can't the people who want to keep these things, not keep better control over them?) Oh bugger...

Breakfast on the beach...

2010-11-16T10:43:00.009Z

Finally received my lens back from Sigma today, and what a great job they've done (and more than I'd paid for!). So now my camera is back in action, I guess there will be no more good birds to photograph now!

I did manage to find this Otter having it's breakfast on the beach this morning. I was photographing it straight into the sun, so the results weren't ever going to be great. The pics are also shown in the order in which I took them, which is surprising as In the second pic he did clearly see me, as I was caught out in the open, but he still didn't seem too fussed and just continued messing about on the waters edge...

Bird wise, I did manage; 14 Bar-tailed Godwits, 5 Common Redpolls and 1 Robin today, and I also did another two BTO 'early winter' surveys, although found nothing unusual as expected.

Sweet 'serinus' song...

2010-11-14T21:10:00.011Z

A good day was had on the 'Out Skerries' today. It all started because a Male Serin was found by Peter F. last Sunday, but due to work commitments, I wasn't able to make it till today. Just glad the wee bird has taken a liking to the islands and decided to stay so long! The sun was out while I was trying to digi-scope it (still not got my decent lens back...), and bugger me it decided to start singing!!! so pics were forgotten about and the recording equipment was hauled out and dusted off (didn't expect I'd need it for another six months or so). Many thanks to Peter and Mark for all the help.

Crap pics of a top quality bird due to it being digi-scoped;

Calls quite reminiscent of Snow Bunt...

Very quiet song as it basked in the sunshine;

Also seen on the Skerries; 2 Jack Snipe, 1 Water Rail, 1 Woodcock, 1+ Redpoll sp and 2 Robins.

Straight to hell...

2010-11-06T16:56:00.007Z

I went out looking out for Waxwings today, as I was hoping for some sound recordings of the beautiful 'trilling' call they make. For a change the weather up here was calm enough to get recordings too, but sod's law the only bird I did see just wouldn't call! I even tried the 'hated' method of playing an ipod at it to get a response (I know... I'm going straight to hell!), but even that failed to get a response... So I just took a few pics of this rather messy individual instead....

Birder in 'work' shocker...

2010-11-04T13:31:00.022Z

Well I know it will come as a bit of a shock to some of you, but I've been busy at work for the last 5 days! Still managed to see lots of migrants though, but only in the form of Fieldfares and passage waders etc...

Yesterday I had 3 Waxwings hiding from the wind in my front garden, but as soon as they seen my ugly mush at the kitchen window, they scarpered! A Grey Wagtail was also the reward for me doing a few of my local WeBS counts.

Today I decided to try my luck with Unst. The bird of the day being a very flighty and elusive Shorelark. These are pretty good birds up here, as we don't get many, and the ones we do get are always on Lamba Ness. So finding one at Haroldswick was 'nice'... I did get a few crappy record shots, but they ain't anywhere near good enough to post here! so you'll have to take my word for it... Also had a flyover Lapland Bunting here too. The Grey Phalarope was still at Westing beach. (Thanks to Robbie B. for the directions, as I was heading to the wrong place!)

All pic's are taken with a really nasty 200mm lens, as Sigma are still holding onto my decent lens!

Rainbow over Fetlar;

Garden 'tick'...

2010-10-28T14:28:00.004+01:00

A quick tour of the area this morning produced; 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Robins and a flock of 5 Redpoll 'sp' (flyover). The highlight though wasn't till I had given up birding and had started some DIY on the outside of my house. It was then that I had another flyover Redpoll 'sp' closely followed by a probable Richards Pipit flying low over my garden calling (flew into the direction of the sun). I have to say 'probable' because I heard it call about 4 times as it flew South, but the call was a bit harsher than I would expect of Richards! I'm still listening to recordings looking for a match... After I'd given up searching for the pipit, and resumed my DIY, a more obliging Waxwing decided to fly past at close range while 'trilling' away... Nice garden tick too! The moral of the story is that "if you can't get out to the birds, the birds will come to you". I just wish they would hang about a bit longer!

Waxwings.... At last!

2010-10-26T14:22:00.007+01:00

Well about bloody time too! Burravoe finally scores with 5 Waxwings...

'The Boys are back in town'

It seemed like this was the only place in Britain not to be graced by these wee beauties. The weather is complete crap just now, and the birds very flighty in the strong winds, so no great closeup pics, but I'm just glad I got something (even if it was pretty much a compact camera I used!)

Not Waxwings...

2010-10-25T15:26:00.013+01:00

A small arrival of 6 Mealy Redpolls were the best South Yell could muster today. Not the Waxwings I was hoping for! The first Redpoll was very pale, but not pale enough unfortunately! All pics were taken with a 200mm lens (due to my 500mm still away getting fixed), and not a lot of cropping. Just shows how confiding these wee birds can be...

A confiding pale 'Mealy';

Over and under the tail;
A darker typical looking 'Mealy';

It's was fun while it lasted!

2010-10-24T18:51:00.011+01:00

What with howling Northerly winds, and snow and hail for quite some time now, and the better birds in Shetland recently being the likes of Waxwings and WB Divers... can I now presume Autumn in the Northern Isles is finally over?

There has been a few goodies found, and many more twitched by myself, and I've listed the better ones below.... Whether or not all these Northerly winds will bring some Arctic wanderers our way soon, we'll just have to see!

Autumn 2010;

2 Buff-breasted Pipits, 1 PG Tips, 1 Lancy, 1 Izzy Shrike, 1 EOW, 3 Cit Wags, 1 Dusky, 1 Radde's, 2 Sykes's Warblers, 1 Pallas's Warbler, 1 Richards Pipit, 1 Rustic Bunt, 2 BB Sands, 1 Melodious, 1 Arctic Warbler, 3 Arctic Redpolls, 1 Paddyfield, 1 AGP, Plus loads and loads of Rosefinches, Barred Warblers and YB Warblers, and more Lap Bunts than I knew existed!.... not too bad I reckon!... Now how long is it till spring?

Listen to 'mummy'...

2010-10-21T16:00:00.004+01:00

Well my mummy always told me "if I played with it too much, I'd break it", and it looks like she was right. This Autumn has been so exiting so far, that I'd been playing with it on a daily basis, and now it's broken! I'm in the process of trying to get it fixed, which might be a bit painful in more ways than one, but with luck I'll be able to abuse it for many years to come...... I'm talking about my camera lens... What were you thinking!

Mind you, I was also told I'd go blind too...... Oh bugger, I do only have one eye! Maybe I should have listened?

Of the recent sightings in Yell; Otters, Knot, Merlin (stunning hunting action!) and a flyover Lap/Snow bunting has been about it in these strong snowy Northerly winds.

One for the anoraks!

2010-10-18T13:24:00.019+01:00

Well I did promise some 'tristis' recordings, and after a good bit of head scratching, and some consulting with the 'guru' of all such things Magnus Robb (cheers once again!), I can give you the following...

Siberian Chiffchaff ('tristis')

The reason for the 'head scratching' was the variety of calls this bird was giving. The typical 'tristis' call is described in 'Collins' as a "piping, straight (or negligibly downslurred) 'hii(e)p'... ". This call was given by this bird, but it also varied the call with some deviations, including a slight upward inflection in the middle of some calls! And quite a few calls with the downslurred ending mentioned in the 'Collins' guide. I know these birds are still a bit of a 'work in progress', and I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on any new info. As I believe the 'tristis' bird to be a first winter bird, I've included the calls of a young 'collybita' bird raised in Shetland this year as a comparison. As you can hear they do sound very different, with the local bird, the calls all have a smooth upward inflection as expected...

Common Chiffchaff ('collybita')

Redpoll overdose!

2010-10-15T17:02:00.010+01:00

Back on Unst today, but this time to try for better recordings of these 'Sibe' Chiffchaffs! but more on that later.

Good birds today included; 1 Arctic Redpoll, many (60+) Lapland Buntings, 2+ Sibe Chiffchaff, 10 Snow Buntings, 1 Lesser Redpoll (a good bird up here!), many Mealy Repolls and a few NW Redpolls too. It seemed like everywhere I went I could hear flyover Lap Bunts and Redpolls, and god alone knows how many of each were on Unst today!

Lesser Redpoll found skulking in a flock of 'Mealy' Redpolls;

More of these 'dodgy' looking Chiffs;

'Tristis'

2010-10-14T15:49:00.019+01:00

I decided to try the top of Unst this morning, and by 'the top', I mean Hermaness Nature Reserve! certainly not for the feint hearted in this weather either. The rain was constant, and the visibility in the fog was negligible... It was a bloody hard job to find my way back to the car, never mind any wayward 'yank' Pipits or Waders!!!

After the soaking I received, my enthusiasm was a wee bit dampend, but I still decided to try working a few areas before heading home. Best I managed was Arctic Redpoll (BT's bird in Baltasound), 3 Sibe Chiffchaffs, 4 Lapland Buntings, 1 Merlin, lots of Mealy Redpolls and a couple of North-western Redpolls and strangest of all.... A Dunnock on Hermaness NR!

Sibe Chiff;

And of course a sonogram of the distinctive call. For anyone interested in calls... (The actual recording is a bit 'pants', so I've just included the sonogram instead)

Izzy 'in da bag'...

2010-10-12T19:24:00.009+01:00

After 7 fruitless hours scouring South Yell for migrants, and only coming up with a 'best' sighting of 7 Bar-tailed Godwits, I'd decided to call it a day and go home. It was then that I found out about the Isabelline Shrike in South Shetland!!!............ What! I'd not received a text or heard anything through the grapevine! and this was after 3pm and the bird was reported just after 1pm. What was going on? After a few frantic calls to the South birders for some 'gen', it was a quick dash for the ferry, and the rest is history, as you can see by the pics. The day has never really got light today in Shetland, so all pics were taken on iso 800, and stupidly slow shutter speeds, but at least I got something. Many thanks to J. Nicolson for letting me use his lens too. Much appreciated mate!

With the remains of a Blackcap it prepared earlier!... Nice.

Incoming!

2010-10-11T10:26:00.010+01:00

Sunday morning was spent birding Fetlar with hopes of another PG Tips. When that failed to show, the rest my time was spent looking around the rest of the island! Highlights for me were the many Lapland Buntings, including a flock of 11+ on the East side. Other birds included Redstart, NW Redpoll, Reed Bunting, Spotted Flycatcher and loads of common migrants...

Today was spent in South Yell. Still loads of common migrants around including hundreds of Redwing, many Goldcrests and Blackcaps etc, and a rather nice juv Peregrine which perched on an over head wire... My third in three days!

juv Peregrine;

Goldcrest... Great wee birds, but just too active for photography!

Another migrant that has unexpectedly hit Yell in vast numbers is the Raven! In one small area of moorland there was over a hundred today! No signs of any obvious food source to attract such a large gathering, and they weren't here yesterday.

Dirty little 'Twitcher'...

2010-10-09T18:03:00.012+01:00

Got dragged kicking and screaming to Lerwick today for my wife to go shopping!....... shopping...... BLOODY SHOPPING!!! She has obviously forgotten it's October, with Easterly winds, and anything can and will turn up in Shetland at this time of year. So as punishment for this 'crime', I decided to drag her off to twitch a few of the goodies that were hanging on doon Sooth.

First up was the Pallas's Warbler at Sumburgh Farm. A great little bird found hopping along a stone wall. While photographing this wee gem, I also heard a Richard's Pipit fly over! It was only 5 min later that I spotted it landing in the next field and managed a distant view of it sitting in the grass, before taking off again and flew North over the Hotel while calling all the time.... Nice!

Pallas's Warbler;

As my wife didn't seem too pissed off at this outing. Next up was the Dusky Warbler at Quendale. This bird was a total pain in the arse as it only showed on the deck for a few seconds, but it did call, and it did fly a lot.... a hell of a lot! No pics of the Dusky, as it just wouldn't cooperate, but the Red-breasted Fly at the rifle range did pose...

RB Fly;

Goldcrest looking cute!

Dunlin with a very long bill;

The one that got away?... On leaving Quendale I had brief views of a Tree Pipit which landed on the path for a couple of seconds before flying off into the bushes. Only a couple of hours later a Olive-backed Pipit was reported at the same place! On 'my' quick views it did just look like a Tree Pipit to me, with not enough colour in the mantle, but a good strong head pattern. Oh well, shit happens....

Two Peregrine were also good to see today. One carrying prey at Sumburgh Airport, and the other at Dales Voe being mobbed by the local 'Hoodies'

Look into my eyes...

2010-10-08T10:46:00.019+01:00

Nothing rare today, though 'another' Barred Warbler and the Jack Snipe at Littlester, wasn't too bad a way to start the day! The 'best of the rest', were made up of; Lesser Whitethroat (patch year tick!), Whinchat, Bramblings, Chaffinches, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff and loads of Goldcrests...

The Jack Snipe can be very confiding, but it can take quite a lot to find him in this large area!

What do you mean I'm not invisible! and looking a bit more relaxed

A very uncooperative Lesser Whitethroat; Male Brambling 'posing'

Lancy...

2010-10-07T13:58:00.008+01:00

With a few good birds about Shetland yesterday, I decided to head to the top of Yell, and see what was being missed up there. Only while driving there I received a text from Rob Brooks to ask if I was planning a visit to the Lanceolated Warler on Unst..... decision time!...... In the end I cracked and gave up and headed to Unst. The thought of a Lancy on the neighbouring island, was just too much for me to ignore! And what a wee stunner it was too. In complete contrast to the other 'locustella' warblers being found on Shetland this Autumn, this bird was happy doing it's stuff as we all watched a few meters away! I didn't want to hang around too long, as I knew lots of folk would be heading for this bird, so I only hung about for 15 min or so, and went back to birding Yell. Many thanks to Rob, Tim and Martin for this cracking bird...

'corax' karaoke?

2010-10-06T16:33:00.006+01:00

Recorded this Raven on Yell today. Now the unusual thing about this bird, is the fact he seems to be trying to do the corvid version of karaoke. All the clicks etc are coming from the same bird!

Apart from vocal corvids. Today had me checking various areas, and produced; 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, 18 Barnacle Geese, 1 Pied Flycatcher and lots of Siskin, Brambling, Chaffinch, Blackcaps etc... Not too bad, but there must be a good 'Yank' out there somewhere!

Birds on film...

2010-10-05T19:35:00.008+01:00

To a complete technophobe like myself, doing simple things like downloading a short video clip of the Unst Turtle Dove from the end of Sept, can take quite a while... It was filmed on my mobile from the car! so quality not great... (A few folk thought that the bird looked a bit 'unhealthy' from the pics I took, so this is just to show how active it really was!)

It's all gone a bit 'Brown'

2010-10-04T20:23:00.014+01:00

If ever there was a theme to today's birding, this title sums it up quite nicely!

The plan was for a birding raid on the mainland with Jase, to catch up with the reported 'PG Tips' at Levenwick, then perhaps mop up the other good birds that had been hanging around...

As we all know, plans never go to plan. So after a few hours of chasing the bird equivalent of a 'feathered' missile around a patch of Irises. The reported 'PG Tips' turned into a 'Gropper'. (it was a hard call though, and full marks to the lads for even finding it in the first place)

Not one of my best photos, but you can see all the identification features of a lump of shit about to hit a fan!

From there to the Farm at Sumburgh, where we were told the Radde's was showing beautifully. Which it duly did for us as well. In complete contrast to the above bird. (still a wee brown job though!)After that, it was decided to visit the Channerwick Booted/Sykes's. The bird did to show perched-up for all of about 2 seconds in the next 2 hours! It too was screaming about like a bird possessed in the windy conditions. (so no pics of this one either)

We decided the long staying Buff-bellied Pipit at Eshaness had to be showing better than these. So we took the long drive North, where after a few false starts with flighty pipits in horrendous light conditions, we finally locked onto the right bird. This bird was a total gem, and showed very well as we watched it from the car!

To finish off the 'Brown' theme, we then visited the 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers at the lighthouse, which performed fantastic as they usually do (why can't British waders be as tame as these?). We also had a c100+ Snow Bunting passing through on arrival, but they didn't hang about long...

Buff...

2010-10-03T19:17:00.005+01:00

These two Buff-breasted Sandpipers were showing well at Eshaness, so it only seemed polite to pay them a visit, and a small flock of c12 Snow Buntings there made it all the nicer too!

and I've no idea what that 'blob' is that it's eating? but it looks disgusting!

Jack!

2010-09-30T12:40:00.009+01:00

My local patch failed to turn up anything 'rare' today, but it made up for that with stunning views of this Jack Snipe (the 3rd this Autumn). This bird was watched bobbing along as it fed next to the waters edge, and then sat tight as I got closer for photos. I was even knee deep in the loch when these pics were taken! The weather today has not been good for photos, and I can only imagine how much better these shots could be with a bit of sun and less wind. The bird was still there when I left, so maybe tomorrow?...

The bird list for today stands at; 1 Jack Snipe, 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1Willow Warbler and 3 Goldcrest.

Island tour...

2010-09-29T08:01:00.015+01:00

The last two days have seen me cover what is essentially the whole of Yell (and a bloody big place it is too!). On Tuesday I covered my local patch and the Southern half of Yell, and today I decided to see what the Northern half had to offer, after working my patch in the morning. The two day totals are below;

2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 27 Brambling, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 NW Redpoll, 1 Knot, 2 Chiffchaff and 4 Goldcrest.

I've resisted the temptation of twitching the Buff-bellied Pipit at Eshaness so far, although when I look at the fantastic photos of it, I'm left wondering if it was the right thing to do? I did get pics of the Fair Isle bird, though they are probably best left off the Internet, due to them being total crap!

NW Redpoll;

Female Brambling;

A 'windy' recording of a very vocal Wood Warbler;

On a positive note... Fair Isle did get another Wood Duck today (sound like a young bird too)! So can it be long before the BOU have to accept this onto the 'British list'? Everyone who seen the Shetland bird in April 2009 should have fingers crossed!

A very 'wild' looking Wood Duck on Shetland 2009!

My 'bogey' bites the dust

2010-09-27T19:57:00.013+01:00

Every birder has their 'bogey' bird, but I reckon mine was taking the piss 'big time'. I've dipped Rustic Bunting on at least a dozen attempts so far, and I didn't think this afternoon was going to be any different. How wrong I was.... thankfully!

The total of today's sightings were made up of; Rustic Bunting, Arctic Redpoll, Melodious Warbler, Common Rosefinch, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, Turtle Dove, Wood Warbler, Merlin, Kestrel, 5 Bramblings and a Song Thrush.

A ridiculously tame Turtle Dove;

A 'snowball' of an Arctic Redpoll

and a 'stripey' NW Redpoll;

This is getting silly!

2010-09-26T12:34:00.009+01:00

Every year I tend to get a few Barred Warblers in the South of Yell, but with a conservative estimate of numbers this year, I'd reckon I 'might' be on number 9 now!!! Also recently on Yell there has been; Lapland Bunting, Yellow-Browed Warbler, Wood Warbler, 2 Garden Warblers and a few Willow Warblers, Brambling, Chaffinch etc... All this and the weather for next week looks fantastic too!

Poss Barred No.9; and another Wood;

and a happy looking Common Seal;

PG Tips...

2010-09-24T20:10:00.021+01:00

A rather manic couple of days, with plans made, and plans canceled. Then more plans made in haste, and a good dose of hard work and a bit of luck thrown in as well!

I'll not bore you all with the details just now, but it all started with Dave F. finding a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler on Fair Isle, and lots of other good birds were managed on the way! I've listed the better birds seen in the last two days below, with a few pics of some of the more accommodating ones;

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler
Buff-bellied Pipit
Citrine Wagtail
Arctic Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Lapland Bunting
Barred Warbler
Curlew Sandpiper
Jack Snipe
Peregrine
NW Redpoll
Tree Pipit
Snow Bunting
Brambling

PG Tips 'posing' as a good bird should;

My customary head shot;

and a few nice profile shots;

'voyeuristic' shot
This Arctic Warbler was photographed 'almost' in the dark at Sumburgh Head!;

Yellow-Browed Warbler on Fair Isle was quite 'showy';

Rather 'grumpy' looking Barred Warbler;

Local ssp of the 'Fair Isle' Wren;
and surprise of the day was this local ssp of the 'Fair Isle' Field Mouse;
A big thanks to all the wardens and ranger on Fair Isle, Direct Flights and of course 'Crazy' Dave...

24 hours...

2010-09-20T15:11:00.012+01:00

The last 24 hours in South Yell have been quite enjoyable! Before I describe it, I must apologise to anyone who is hoping for good photos... this is not the right website for you!

Got a call late last night about a 'horny' Arctic Redpoll in West Yell, so a mad car dash, seen me catch a few minutes with this lovely bird just as it was getting dark. The pics were taken at iso 1600 and 100th sec, so basically crap!

Arctic Redpoll (looking more 'sleepy' than 'horny')

This morning seen me out before 7 o'clock, and by 7am I had a Barred Warbler on my 'patch', and it wasn't even fully light yet! Then within 15 minuites I flushed a Citrine Wagtail from a muddy pool at the local farm yard. This bird called a few times as it flew across the road and into some muddy tractor tracks. This is where I managed a few really crap record shots, before it decided to fly to the other side of Burravoe and vanish!.... Only to turn up again very briefly this evening!

Lack of light, and distance were never a good combination for photos!

The rest of the birds seen today include; Yellow-browed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whinchat and a poss Jack Snipe flushed while looking for the Cit Wag again!

Yellow-browed Warbler trying to hide;

Why can't all birds 'pose' like this Whinchat?

'Nice'

2010-09-18T16:00:00.017+01:00

The last two days have seen me busy with aspects of life other than birding... Yes I know it sucks, but life does seem get in the way of having a good time, even in Shetland during Autumn!

Still, I've managed to find a few 'nice', but nothing 'rare'. The totals for the last two days include; 15 Red Grouse (anyone had a bigger group in Shetland?), 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Redstart, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Willow Warbler (very pale bird), 2 Knot and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits.

Wood Warbler giving good head!;

Fat, dumpy brown bird on the moor;

A brace of Knot;

Feeling playful?

2010-09-17T11:17:00.010+01:00

With the 'pants' weather we're having just now, and the fact there are very few birds in South Yell as a consequence. Otter watching was an enjoyable alternative this morning! I watched this one feeding just off shore for about 15 minutes. Then when it had finished 'fishing', it decided to clean itself by playing and sliding along in the seaweed! The light was very bad this morning, so the shutter speed was pathetic at best, but the pics still turned out not too bad...

Seemed like a good idea!

2010-09-16T15:03:00.007+01:00

With gale force Northerly winds and heavy rain, I thought maybe a wee bit of sea watching might be the best idea today... After 30 min getting soaked and wind blown at Lamba Ness on Unst, me and my dog, decided to sack it off for a bit of 'passerine' birding instead. This proved slightly more profitable than the seabirds, with Lapland Buntings, Snow Bunting and Pied Flycatcher among other small birds seen on Unst...

Lapland Bunting, one of about 20 'ish' today;

Shetland Council road clean up squad;
A windy day on Unst;

On Reflection.

2010-09-15T15:32:00.019+01:00

Definitely a watery theme today. We are getting very strong Northerly winds at the moment, but I managed to find a very sheltered bay, and when the sun came out the reflections in the water were quite beautiful!

Cormorant;

Shag just off shore;

A successful hunt!

A 'monster' of a bull Grey Seal;Dinner for two!

Oi... 'Fat boy'

and you can't have a watery theme without the obligatory Otter shot;

Bird wise there was nothing spectacular, but a few common migrants were around including Pied Flycatcher and Garden Warbler etc, and a Kestrel was at Kergord! Things might be looking up though, as Fair Isle scored the 'first' American passerine of the Autumn today in the shape of a Swanson's Thrush!

Variety.

2010-09-14T15:33:00.009+01:00

Still quite a few migrants about despite the fact we're now getting Westerly winds up here. The last couple of days have seen a good variety of species, though only in ones and twos. The numbers of birds and species I've found on South Yell included; 1 Rosefinch, 1 Redstart, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Whinchat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Ruff and various Blackcaps and Willow Warblers. Also had the briefest of views of a probable fly over Yellow Wag too... Mammals sightings recently have included the now expected Polecats and Hares.

Blackcap showing uncharacteristically well; and the usual crappy pic of a Rosefinch. These all seem extremely flighty this year;

EOW...

2010-09-12T22:01:00.012+01:00

Highlight of the day was the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler at Ireland. This bird refused to show well in the three hours I was able to be there, but I did get a couple of record shots (really bad too!) but a special thanks to AW (garden owner) who couldn't have been more helpful. Also found a Common Rosefinch while looking for the EOW. (the rosefinch had been present the day before, but as nobody released the news! and under the 'Punk Birder' rules... "I'm 'avin' it as self found"!) and a fly over Whimbrel was nice too...
This Yellow Wagtail was found while I was parked and talking on my mobile. This bird just appeared next to the car, and happily posed for all of 30 secs or so, before flying off. (pics a bit better than the EOW as well) Below is a list of all today's sightings;

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Common Rosefinch
Yellow Wagtail
Common Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Spotted Flycatcher

also; 3 Polecats and a Mountain Hare.

Lazy!

2010-09-11T15:19:00.006+01:00

Only out for about 1 hour today, due to being knackered after working last night. Still did not bad on my local patch though, with; 1 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Barred Warbler, 2 Willow Warblers and a Chaffinch. Still got to wonder what else I'm missing, by not being able to be out looking...

Unfortunately not a 'Brown Flycatcher'...

And still they come!

2010-09-10T15:36:00.004+01:00

Only out for a 2 hours today due to being on Night shift, but well worth it! The totals today for South Yell are;

3 Common Rosefinch
2 Spotted Flycatchers
1 Redstart (first of year)
1 Garden Warbler
1 Ruff
1 Goldcrest (first of year)
Blackcap (quite a few)
Willow Warblers (quite a few)

And a Greenshank, 2 Polecats and 2 Otters from yesterday also!

Full of 'flava'?

2010-09-08T10:19:00.019+01:00

The American Goldie was still hanging about this morning, though he had moved about a mile closer to Burravoe (still not close enough for the garden list though!), and was a lot closer to the road as well, so helping nicely with the photography...

The real interest for me today though, were the 2 Yellow Wagtails in the field in front of my house. I managed to photograph one of them, but in these winds the views were very brief indeed. The juv/Fem individual was very mono chrome indeed, and the head looked 'capped' neatly with dark grey! Is anyone brave enough to guess ssp from this one crappy pic? For me it looks like a Continental 'flava'...

Also around my 'patch' today were 18 Bar-tailed Godwits (could be a record count for me on Yell!) and a few Willow Warblers. The weather is now closing in and starting to rain, so it'll all have to wait for tomorrow now!

The winds are getting up, and it's all good from the SE....

AGP.

2010-09-07T10:12:00.021+01:00

All the hours working the South of Yell, finally payed off this morning. This good looking American Goldie, was found at Hamnavoe on the South coast of Yell an hour after setting out on my 'patch'. Being aware of how fussy the records committee can be, I thought I'd better get as many pics as possible to make sure it was accepted! I was told a while back by a very respected birder, that to get an AGP accepted, you have to "see the underwing colour"! and that "every 10 minutes or so, Goldies always lift their wings and stretch"... an hour later, and this bird hadn't, even though lot's of it's friends were doing this. Thankfully shortly after this, the birds then decided to fly the short distance to the shore for a quick wash, and it was then that I managed to grab a couple of flight shots (more luck than anything else!)...

Brownish underwing, compared to the Goldie;

And a pic of a Goldie too; just a shame the AGP didn't pose like this!

The rest of my area was checked after I'd enjoyed this bird. This proved that a lot was still arriving, even in the 60mph winds...

Totals today inc; 1 Common Rosefinch (new), 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 1 Knot, 3 Willow Warblers and a poss Barred Warbler that refused to show for me.

One of the Spotted Flys 'fresh in';

Stop Press...

2010-09-06T21:21:00.008+01:00

A bit of late evening entertainment was had in Unst tonight, thanks to Mike P. who found this cracking Citrine Wagtail at Baltasound School. The light was truly awful, and the bird favoured the reed bed in which it seemed to go to roost just before 1900hrs. Still managed a few dodgy shots though... Just wish I had my sound recording equipment with me, as it was a very vocal individual!

The ferry back to Yell went via Fetlar, where I took a few pics of the sun setting...

On Tour

2010-09-06T10:39:00.006+01:00

Did a full tour of South Yell, as I promised myself I would find a good bird today! Unfortunately the 'good bird' didn't want to be found, so I had to make do with 1 Greenshank, 1 Merlin, 15 Bartailed Godwits, 1 Willow Warbler and 2 Otters. So with few migrants about it was quite hard work keeping the momentum up to keep checking. The best bird today was the Greenshank, as it was only the second I've seen on Yell in about 5 years!

(Another handheld shot at 100th/sec shutter... not bad!)

An added bonus today, was the fact that I didn't try for the Brown Flycatcher! As it looks like it's done a runner... I also reckon it's a possible 'escape' anyway! My reasoning for this is;

1, Too early for a 'Sibe' mega!

2, It's not on Shetland!

3, Not a hope in hell of me actually seeing it!

4, Makes me feel better about the whole incident!

'Basking' in Sunshine...

2010-09-05T15:02:00.007+01:00

After finding nothing of interest on my morning tour of the 'patch', I decided to use the unseasonably sunny weather to waterproof my garage roof (all 36 square meters of it!). It was while in the process of doing this (and covered head to foot in tar!) that Ian T, a neighbour and fellow wildlife enthusiast dropped by to let me know of a Basking Shark down at the pier. Being less than 100yds away from my house, and a tick as well, it seemed rude not to pay it a visit. The beast was quite far out by the time I got there and with a choppy sea and high wind, it wasn't an easy watch. But it was still well worth it for the experience, especially as it seemed quite a large individual. With bins and camera now covered in tar (no time to clean myself up first), I headed home to finish my work a happy man!....

At least I was happy until someone went and found a Brown Flycatcher in NE Englandshire.... (I missed out on the Fair Isle bird a few years back!) I can feel a plan coming together, involving another mega bash about in South Yell early tomorrow to find my own! As there is no way I'm leaving Shetland at this time of year!!!

Nightmare!

2010-09-04T19:31:00.004+01:00

Total nightmare today! The day started well with a Barred Warbler on my morning dog walk, but then a lot of leg work for little reward! With a daily total of 3 Barred Warblers and a Common Rosefinch this might sound ungrateful, but when it seems that every one else is finding Arctic Warblers, and I covered what seemed like the whole of South Yell! Still there is always tomorrow as they say...

Update...

2010-09-03T21:09:00.007+01:00

There are now a few young Kittiwakes joining the adults at the post breeding flock at Toft. These are always a welcome sight, but especially this year, as they have had yet another very bad breeding season in Shetland. (Got to be the most pretty juv/1st win Gull of all!)

The only other sightings of note lately, have been two very unseasonal Fieldfares (31 August!), and 3 Moorhens at one of the few breeding site for this species in the North of Shetland. I've also had lots of Otters as usual on my commute to work, but I've taken enough pics of them recently! With all these Easterly winds lately, I'm hoping Burravoe will produce the goods on my days off, and produce a nice Wryneck or similar for me! I also feel I must be the only birder in Britain who hasn't found a Lap Bunt recently!

Same sh*t, different day!

2010-08-29T15:57:00.005+01:00

In gale force Northerly winds, birding isn't going to be at all easy. All the bushes on my patch are blowing about so violently, that small passerines were always going to be hard to see. Trips along the coast showed that 5 Bar-tailed Godwits were still hanging about, and the Ruff puts in an appearance occasionally, along with more Otter sightings, but not a lot else...

One small bird that did show today, was the now 'resident' Pied Fly. This bird is definitely a different bird to the one I photographed on the 19th. As this one has a stonking primary covert bar (on both sides), as opposed to the earlier bird, though unfortunately not large or extensive enough to get too excited over! ..... but the Autumn has only just started!

Too close for comfort!

2010-08-27T08:36:00.018+01:00

To get decent photos of wildlife, sometimes means you have to sacrifice personal comfort! This includes lying on sharp rocks and having your boots fill up with seawater... just fantastic!

It was while watching a distant group of 4 Otters early this morning, that one of these (a large dog), decided to 'home in' on the patch of seaweed covered rocks that I was hiding in! He proceeded to patrol the edge of the rocks and was calling loudly too, but he still seemed totally oblivious to my presence. He got so close at one point that I couldn't even focus (9' min focal distance on my lens!). I got the impression he was calling the rest of the group over, as I have witnessed him do before. It was only when he headed downwind of me (the last pic) that he must have sensed me. Still, I was quietly quite glad the encounter was almost over, as I had some body parts that had given up on me by this point!!! It was well worth it though for the experience and the pics, even though the light wasn't all that great for photos. Shetland has to be one of the best places in Britain for getting the 'full on' Otter experience!...

finally he detected me, and photographed into direct sunlight too!

On the birding front, only 1 Ruff and 2 groups of Bar-tailed Godwits to report this morning (8 birds and 5 birds), looks like a complete clear out of migrants last night...

Perplexing migrant passerines!

2010-08-26T12:47:00.013+01:00

The title refers not to the 'identification' of migrant birds, but to the fact that there are migrant birds at all! The fact that we are getting NW winds, and have been for a while now, should mean that very few if any European migrants should be present! So the Common Rosefinch, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Willow Warblers I found on Yell this morning, were all a bit of a surprise...

Wood Warbler
Pied Flycatcher (a different bird to last week);

The 2 Ruff and 9 Bar-tailed Godwits also in Burravoe today, are probably the ones present now for a few days, though they are very mobile and well away from where they had been!

Twite numbers are still increasing around my patch too.

Twite;

Commuting with wildlife

2010-08-24T15:50:00.006+01:00

The ferry terminals up here are some of the best places of all to get close encounters with Otters. These mammals are now so used to the ferries and cars, that they take little notice of people! This is of course as long as you stay in your car, and stay reasonably quiet!

This Otter was photographed on the way back home from a night shift, so it's still pretty dark, and the iso was set at 1600! This means the pics ain't of the highest quality, but I'm always happy just to see these beautiful creatures... and photos are just a bonus. This animal caught 2 Butterfish in a matter of 5 min, and was hunting only 20 feet or so from the small line of cars waiting to board the ferry! Not a bad commute to work eh?

The Vanishing Warbler Trick!

2010-08-21T15:08:00.008+01:00

Highlight of the last few days goes to the Paddyfield Warbler found on Unst (where else!), and found by Rory (again!)... This bird was present in a relatively small patch of Rose bushes, but was able to disappear and go undetected for ages! I tried my best for an hour before I even got a glimpse of it! Not an easy bird by any means, but well worth the effort!

I've also had a few waders in Burravoe recently, with different flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Ruff passing through.

Otters, Hares and Polecats have also been logged locally, but that's enough of them for now. I may also post a few more Otter pics, as soon as I can get them sorted out...

Gone fishing...

2010-08-20T09:41:00.007+01:00

This Otter was just off shore, and was too busy fishing to notice me sitting on the rocks! even though I was making lots of animated hand gestures thanks to the midges!

Early mornings can be Ruff!

2010-08-20T08:20:00.013+01:00

An early check of my patch produced a pair of Ruff in a newly cut silage field at 0630hrs. Unfortunately the sun was behind them, which made conditions for photography pretty tricky.

but thankfully they were still about later in the day for another attempt;
Else where in Burravoe, large numbers of Twite are gathering, and seem to have had a good breeding season locally.

and at least a few Arctic terns seem to have fledged this year, and are providing 'sport' for the local Skuas!

Back on 'patch'

2010-08-19T12:57:00.005+01:00

It's been good to be out on my local patch again. Due to a combination of work and other commitments, I've spent precious little time birding my own area! I just hope that today's good birds weren't a sign of what I've been missing?...

It started off with 2 Otters on my dog walk this morning, and progressed to 1 Barred Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher and a Willow Warbler on my first round of the patch! Not bad, but I wanted to see what the rest of South Yell had to offer. The following were found at various stages of my tour; 1 Common Rosefinch, 1 Merlin, another Pied Flycatcher and another 7 Willow Warblers too! Quite a decent haul for a mornings work...

Afternoon update; In Burravoe there seems to have been a clear out of migrants, with just a new Garden Warbler on show during my afternoon patch workout.

Common Rosefinch; (distant and very flighty!)

Pied Flycatcher; (taken at 100th/sec shutter and hand held too!)

Willow Warbler; (The only bird that wanted it's pic taken today!)

Waders, Warblers.....and Wet!

2010-08-18T17:57:00.006+01:00

After dropping my wife in Lerwick this morning, I decided to kill a few hours by trying to find a few birds in the South Mainland.

The weather was truly awful, and heavy rain and mist tried to spoil my best efforts. I still managed a few goodies, though not as good as the three lads on Unst (who found another 'rare' in the form of an Arctic Warbler today!)

2 Green Sandpipers were the best I could manage today. These were on the small pool at Garthsness. Also seen today were 1 Summer plumage Sanderling, 3 Shoveler and 9 Willow Warblers. These were all at various points between Lerwick and Sumburgh, and along with Garry Bell's Wood Warbler at Sumburgh Head that was about it. The fog at Sumburgh Head was awesome, and the pic below of the Wood Warbler shows just how bad it was!

Willow Warbler;

Wood Warbler (in the mist);

Eastern Promise...

2010-08-16T19:47:00.008+01:00

As if this morning wasn't good enough (see previous post!). Rory and Will scored large with this stunning Sykes's Warbler this afternoon at Burrafirth! A most accommodating bird, as can be seen below...

And a rear view, to show more 'features', such as outer tail feathers, tertials etc...

Midnight Magic

2010-08-16T07:59:00.015+01:00

After hearing "rumours" of some Petrel ringing going on in Shetland, I thought I'd make some inquiries! All it took was just one phone call, and one text, and I was all set for my first ever bird ringing session. And what a session it was too!!!

I arrived at the destination at 2300hrs, and as I got out the car, the sound of tape lure was already in the air. After a quick hello, I was immediately shown a Leach's Petrel 'in the hand'... One that had just been caught as I arrived! What a fantastic start, to a great few hours.

After I'd recovered from this initial shock! The Petrels came in thick and fast, with a total of just over 20 Stormies and 2 Leach's caught in the 4 hours. (Some of the Leach's were even calling as they flew over head!). It was a great privilege to see these nocturnal seabirds at such close quarters, and to be able to photograph and study them too, while being given lots of info on plumage, brood patches and habits etc. I was even allowed to release some of the processed birds back into the dark.... Fantastic night, and many thanks to all involved, but esp. Rory and Will! This was a night that will be remembered for a long long time...

Leach's Petrel

and of course, a Stormie.

After an hours sleep in the car, it was time for migrant hunting... Although the migrants had other ideas! So with only a couple of Willow Warblers, and not a lot else, I decided to head home. I did manage to record this young Chiffchaff though.

Bloody Midges...

2010-08-15T17:14:00.005+01:00

Well I'm still here (no thanks to AOL), and the proud owner of a new email address too!

Bird wise, the highlights lately have been Merlin, Common Tern and a small flock of Siskins. Nothing too earth shattering I know, but with the dreaded midge plague we are experiencing just now, being in the 'field' is quite a pain at times!

Mammal wise, the best has been a few Otters and a bull Killer Whale. The pic of the Killer Whale is distant and fuzzy, but I think you can get the idea... It was feeding in the Yell Sound, and many thanks to Brydon for the tip off.....again! (I've got to get a job on the ferry!)

Common Tern fishing off Busta

(I did tell you the Orca pic was crap!)

Breeding failure?

2010-08-11T20:30:00.007+01:00

For the first time since I moved to Shetland about 5 years ago, the usual 'late Summer' post breeding congregation of Kittiwake at Toft ferry terminal, is noticeable in it's complete lack of juvenile birds this year! does this mean a total failure of local birds? this is a shame indeed, as I reckon this is one species where the juv/first winter birds actually look nicer than the adults!

The local Arctic Skuas were still in attendance, and always ready for a free meal though. Which in turn made for some very interesting and fast photography...

On a separate note. I'm in the process of swapping my broadband from AOL to BT. So if I'm off line for a while then you know it's not gone to plan...

Oh no!.... not more Crossbills!

2010-08-08T17:18:00.011+01:00

Spent today on the Mainland of Shetland, with the hope that there might be some good birds about! but the only ones I managed to find were a couple of flocks of Crossbills, and a very scruffy Redpoll...

The Crossbills were found at Sullom and at Kergord, with the three birds at Sullom proving to be the usual '4E' vocal type that seems to be the norm up here lately... but the Kergord birds were the scarcer '1B's that I've only found 3 times before in Shetland!

The pic and sound clip are of the '4E' birds...

The sound clip also contains Siskin and Curlew calls;

Now we do get quite a few different species and sub-species of Redpoll up here! but this rather scruffy looking individual seems to be in heavy moult, and even has only two fully grown tail feathers. Does anyone care to comment on race?

The weekend starts here...

2010-08-05T07:55:00.009+01:00

Another day... another falcon! (and at about the same ridiculous time in the morning too!)

This time it was a female Merlin at about 0600 hrs. The sun hadn't even risen fully yet, and so the slow shutter speed was far from ideal, especially as it was a hand held shot! Not a bad start to a weekends birding... Also more Polecats and Hedgehogs were seen this morning as well! lets just hope it doesn't all end here!

and a Kittiwake at the ferry terminal too...

Update

2010-08-04T14:34:00.004+01:00

I've been quite busy at work since I came back, but I'm looking forward to a few days birding over the coming weekend! The only bird of note lately came in the form of a very large (poss fem) Peregrine, flying over my car at 0530 hrs this morning (It came as quite a surprise too!). Apart from that, the wildlife sightings lately have been of mammals. With multiple sightings of Otter, Hare, Polecat and not forgetting Hedgehog, but none have been while I had my camera to hand (typical eh!).

For anyone interested in sounds, I've posted a recording of a Nuthatch taken in the New Forest (see link in sidebar----------> ). It's not a fantastic recording, but in my defence, I was trying to record this, and xbills, and watch Goshawks all simultaneously.

and for anyone interested in sonograms, I've posted a new one at the base of the relevant Crossbill page.(see link in sidebar---------> )

and there's more...

2010-07-30T17:14:00.007+01:00

A few more from my travels;

Fallow Deer in the New Forrest;

Six-spot Burnet. (more insect photos in the 'bugs' page. Link in the side bar ---------> )
And I caught up with a sub-species I've been looking for up here for a while now, but with no success so far!

'sinensis' Cormorant; (crap pic I know, but it shows the features required)
I've not even got round to posting about the xbill sonograms! (just be thankful for small mercies eh!)

It's all good...

2010-07-30T08:18:00.015+01:00

Well the fog managed to lift long enough for the 'long' flight to Southampton (via Edinburgh), and then it was a maniacal 750 mile drive along the over crowded, tourist infested roads of the South coast! and all in the space of 3 days too... The reason for this self inflicted torture, was the lure of a few 'easy' ticks...

Living in Shetland, and never having been down to the SW of Britain, species like Cirl Bunting are never going to find their way onto my list. So a plan was hatched (and went to pot very quickly on arrival!) The 'planned' on birds didn't show at the expected times or locations, and so lots of last minute changes, and many, many more miles covered than I'd expected too! but the birds did eventually fall to my persistence, and no less than 4 lifers were scored and many more very nice 'extras' were also had!

The best looking bird, and the most photographic too, was the Cirl Buntings. 2 were seen at Berry Head, and performed beautifully.

Stunning adult Male.

and a rather scruffy looking juv.

Next bird 'bagged' was 2 Balearic Shearwaters off Portland Bill. These birds were passing the Bill with 32 Manx, so a nice chance to compare the two species.

adult Med Gull just chilling on the beach at Portland (nice but not a 'tick')

Roseate Tern was also ticked off at Titchfield Haven as it hung about with the Common Terns on the wee island on the River Meon.

Crap 'digiscoped' photo of a very beautiful bird! Bird was ringed on both legs (does this mean an Irish or an English bird?)

The last bird ticked off was Yellow-legged Gull! These birds were being reported everywhere along the South coast, but never where I was! Not having access to tide tables never helped either, but many thanks to the lads at Portland Bill obs (esp. Dennis) for helping me sort out my juv gulls... I eventually got 8 adult birds minimum at Pagham Harbour. Though due to distance and light the photos were crap (but identifiable!) so I'm not posting them here.

Other good birds seen included; Nightjar, Greenshank, Goshawk, Crossbill (more sonograms too!), Hobby, Little Egret, Grey Plover, Whimbrel, Common Scoter, Tree Pipit, Redstart and many more.

I'm also sorting out a few pics of Fallow Deer and various insects. This is as well as lots of sound recordings of the Crossbills. More to follow!

Birders Guide to 'Burravoe'

2010-07-25T10:13:00.003+01:00

There ain't any, so don't bother...

The only birds of note lately, have been three Common Terns on my 'commute' to work! These were 2 ad and 1 juv, so at least some terns are successfully breeding in Shetland this Summer. Common Terns aren't all that common in Shetland either, with Arctic Terns being the normal breeding tern.

So with nothing much up here just now, I'm heading off down to deepest darkest Englandshire in the hope of a few long standing 'tarts' ticks. That's presuming the mist and fog up here lets me go!.... fingers crossed eh!

Bugs and eggs!

2010-07-18T12:28:00.011+01:00

Well, as if the 'bug' thing wasn't bad enough, I'm now getting into the finer details of their life's as well. This female Large White Butterfly (I now know what species it is thanks to a text received yesterday) decided to lay her eggs on the Nasturtiums in my back garden, so it seemed rude not to photograph such an accommodating subject! and I'm pretty happy just to get a half decent pic of her as well...

and a new generation of leaf munching bird food is brought into the world.

and a nice comparison of the two common bees around Burravoe (Whitetailed and Shetland)

I also managed to fire up my second barbecue of the year! even though the weather ain't exactly great for eating alfresco (I'm just determined to salvage something of this crappy summer)...

Help...

2010-07-17T14:02:00.010+01:00

Well It's been said before that "I need help" (along with I should "get a grip", "a life" etc...) but this time I'll admit it!

With it being a bit quiet bird wise in Shetland just now, this has found me focusing my attention on other aspects of our wildlife, mainly bugs. Now although I'm interested in various aspects of nature, 'bugs' have never captured my attention till lately! and I'm not afraid to admit that I know sod all about their names. So please help out if your able...

This first one I recon is the 'Shetland' Bee.

The second individual I'd confidently say is a Red Admiral.

Now the Third one I seem to have photographed both sexes (due to the spots), although are they 'Large' or 'Small' Whites?

And lastly this wee fella seems to be impersonating a Bee of some sort... any guesses? as I really wouldn't know where to start with this one!

Who knows where this road will take me, I might even end up with a moth trap, god help me! (sorry Steve ;) ) http://www.shetlandmisfit.blogspot.com/ Though well done on your 'first' for Shetland!

'Fieldcraft' No.2...

2010-07-13T12:46:00.012+01:00

Don't let it ever be said that birders don't use fieldcraft anymore!

As I had to use all my skill and cunning to photograph this beautiful RT Diver today... I spotted the target bird at about 100yds range, and with my right foot I slowly brought the car to a complete standstill, while simultaneously lowering the passenger side window, and getting my camera off the back seat!..... I even reckon this might count as multitasking too! (something we men are pants at, seemingly?)

The hard part was then trying to keep the Diver in focus, while not getting too intimate with the handbrake lever! The bird didn't even seem to notice all this, as it kept bathing and shaking itself much to my enjoyment!

Unfortunately all the 'fieldcraft' couldn't stop the wind up here, but I reckon I still managed a pretty good recording of this Whimbrel...

Crossbills and Orcas!

2010-07-12T13:27:00.020+01:00

A trip to Brae for building materials provided a good mornings entertainment!

Now anyone who knows me well, will know of my love of Crossbills. So finding 5 birds feeding in the plantation at Sullom, provided more than enough interest to keep me busy for a hour or so (photos & recordings). Then on the way back home, the ferry journey was made far more enjoyable than normal by the sighting of 4 Orcas. To my eyes they looked to be 1 Bull, 2 Cows and a Calf.

Most of the Crossbill recordings proved to be 'Glip' or '4E' depending what classification you want to use!

With one of what looks like the 'Parakeet' or '1B' variety showing up in the sonogram. (If this is the case, then it's only the third record for Shetland, with the other two being recorded by myself on Unst last year! ) any comments on these recordings are most welcome!

And can anyone guess what this is meant to be?

answers;

a, Shed. or b, Digger.

Sunshine on a rainy day...

2010-07-11T15:27:00.013+01:00

Today was a mix of thick fog and heavy rain, without much to be cheery about weather wise! which is a good job that the wildlife was providing the highlights.

First up was a family group of Whooper Swans. These rare breeders couldn't have been more co-operative and even came closer to me as I parked. Which is a good job too, as the light conditions were awful, with high iso required...

Altogether now... ahhhh!

A Common Tern at Toft provided a slight distraction...

and an Otter on Yell to finish off with...

Bring back the 'ashes'...

2010-07-09T10:17:00.010+01:00

No... nothing to do with cricket. More to do with natures finest!

Ok, so the ash clouds were a pain in the arse for everybody wanting to fly, but for a bit of piece and quiet they were a god send!

Trying to record the calling Black Guillemots high pitch whistle, when they are only a few meters away, should be easy. But with planes and helicopters buzzing around constantly this morning, I found myself wishing the Icelandic volcano with the unpronounceable name would cough back into life!

On second thoughts, that might mean a change to my holiday plans if it does...... hmmm, looks like I'll have to do without my recordings, or just get up even bloody earlier!

Good to see skuas attacking some thing other than me...

Sounds of Hermaness NNR, Unst.

2010-07-08T11:51:00.004+01:00

Here are a couple of recordings I made on yesterdays trip to Unst.

The Gannet colony was very noisy, and that's what the din in the background of the first recording is! This racket was made from the calls of hundreds of birds echoing around the cliffs. It's only a short 11 sec clip, but it conveys the noise the colony was making quite well! (just be glad I can't reproduce the smell also)...

Next up is the Great Skuas, with a particularly aggressive bird defending it's territory. There is also a Meadow Pipit trying to sing as well as a wee bit of wind noise (to say it was very windy would be an understatement!)

Sights, Sounds and Smells...

2010-07-07T19:50:00.020+01:00

Wednesday afternoon, and it was time for my yearly visit to Hermaness on Unst. Jase decided it was too good to miss, so decided to join me too. The birds didn't disappoint, with Puffins, Great Skuas and Gannets all showing well in the summer sun.

Star bird must go to the Puffins, which were so confiding they were walking past us at a range of 2 feet or so! Lots of these wee clowns were on the cliffs and seemed to be as interested in us as we were in them..

The Great Skuas were all over the place too, with many non-breeders forming 'clubs' and allowing very close approach. These brutes just don't seem to show any fear! and I also must have stumbled into a breeding territory, as one bird in particular was very interested in knocking my block off...

Jase about to get up close and personal with a Bonxie!

Now the 'smell' was probably the most impressive aspect of the Gannet colony! They covered almost every available cliff face, and the sound was great too.... but even in the strong wind (and we were up wind too!) the smell was pungent. A musty, fishy aroma...

More Orcas...

2010-07-07T12:21:00.011+01:00

Brydon strikes again with more Orca sightings, this time off Ulsta, Yell. (I'm going to have to get a job on the ferries!) So off I set again, but this time the sighting I had was brief, but a bit closer than yesterday, so a few long range 'dodgy' shots were obtained of what was at least 3 individuals. Not the best I agree, but you can tell what they are this time! They seemed to move quickly up the Yell Sound, and I lost them about a mile North of the initial sighting, as they headed back out to the deeper water. Some of the Orcas up here in Shetland, seem to feed close to shore, but these beauties always seem to be feeding far out, and not great for watching.

Orcas & Seabirds

2010-07-06T11:26:00.008+01:00

Thanks to a text from Brydon this morning at 08:30, I spent an enjoyable two and a half hours watching Orcas in the Yell Sound. Though mostly distant, they did provide decent scope views, but alas too far for the cameras (I'll not embarrass myself here by posting the pics I took as they were truly awful!)... The pod was made up of at least 4 individuals, with one bull and what looked like 2 cows and a fair sized calf. I even tried to get ahead of the traveling pod and position myself on a headland, but to no avail... Oh well maybe next time. But a great experience all the same, and it saved me from the house work too ;)

A visit to my local seabird city was done this afternoon, and a chance to record the barrage of sound echoing round the cliffs was too tempting, even in the Strong breeze! The birds breeding on the cliffs include; Puffin, Razorbill, guillemot, Shag, Fulmar, Kittiwake and Twite... and I've captured quite a few in the recording below... (just press play and shut your eyes, you could almost be there!)

Raven's

2010-07-02T20:50:00.007+01:00

After getting such close photos of adult Ravens a while back, I though I'd turn my hand to photographing the young (Though not the young of the previously photographed birds).

They look quite dopey compared to the fearsome look of the adult birds, which were hanging about in the background all the time... These birds are making the local rabbit population quite nervous...

Fetlar folly!

2010-06-29T14:59:00.019+01:00

Phalaropes 3, Dougie 1...

That's the score so far with my day trips to Fetlar (only one sighting out of 4 visits!). So what's happened to these wee birds this year? It has been quite a cold Summer with a lot of Northerly winds, so maybe they are indeed struggling? With a bit of luck they are just hiding out in the long vegetation...

So with no Phals, it was time for plan 'B'. I'd always wanted to get some decent sound recordings of the Arctic Skuas and Whimbrels, and with a good population of both on Fetlar, it seemed like a good opportunity. The only slight fly in the ointment was the strong breeze... Not ideal, but I did manage some recordings. scroll to the end of the post for the sounds...

Arctic Skua;

Whimbrel;

Moorland sounds;

Something to sing about...

2010-06-28T09:42:00.009+01:00

Up here the sun is out, and unlike the England football team! the Wheatears all seem to be full of joy! Although being 'Scottish' I know sod all about football (I believe we have a national team, we just don't I ever hear about them!)

For a more in depth review of what went wrong see here;

http://at2h.blogspot.com/2010/06/strange-brew.html

and here;

http://shetlandmisfit.blogspot.com/2010/06/early-winter.html

Oh well, they will just have to relive 1966....again.....and again.......and again......

Whole lotta bull...

2010-06-22T21:42:00.008+01:00

Well, the 'bull' in question refers to a male Killer Whale, and it was putting on a show around the South of Yell for most of the day on Tuesday, along with what looked like his 'family'! (4 Orca's in total). The following crappy pics were taken from the ferry on my way to work. A massive thanks to the ferry crew who decided to take us on an impromptu trip up the Yell sound to get a look at these beautiful animals. This turned the normal 15 minute ferry journey, into a 35 minute journey, but I didn't hear anyone complain!

The light and distance were n0t the best for taking pic's, but you can just about make out what they are!

Oi....Fat Bloke....

2010-06-19T16:02:00.007+01:00

A quick blast round what seemed like most of Britain! produced few rewards.... but a male King Eider at the Ythan, was looking good for the cameras.

and caught off guard letting it all hang out!... not pretty eh!

Move along.....

2010-06-12T05:31:00.005+01:00

Alright...... move along......... move along....... there's nothing to see here!

The above statement kind of sums it up in Shetland just now, but I can feel a 'cunning' plan coming together though! I'll let you know what happens...

BBS

2010-06-10T11:22:00.016+01:00

Done my BTO 'breeding bird survey' areas of East Yell this morning, and with lots of recently fledged birds about, it looks to have been a good season for passerines anyway. Lots of young Starlings about, which seem to be forming a major part of the local Herring Gull diet at present...

Only migrant bird of note being a Whimbrel at Burravoe this afternoon. Either a very late migrant? or failed breeder?

Young Blackbird;

Young Meadow Pipit;

Herring Gull snack;

And the local Pheasant;

Blast from the past; Just to prove that because it's all gone quiet just now for migrants, doesn't mean it's all over just yet! Seen my first and only (so far...) Red-footed Falcon on this day in 2006. The bird showed quite well both perched and hunting, at Brow Marsh, for about 5 min before heading off. The same day I also had a singing Turtle Dove in my Garden at Burravoe, and a Marsh Harrier at Loch of Hillwell.... So never say never!

LBJ's rule ok...

2010-06-08T18:04:00.008+01:00

Back onto Fetlar again this morning with Jase, only to find a complete lack of the Phalaropes again! This is getting to be quite repetitive, with only my first visit a few weeks back being successful... Still, a very active Marsh Warbler at Everland made up for it, but refused to pose for pics.

The rest of today's birds were made up of; 3 Chiffchaffs (singing), 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 1 Chaffinch (singing), 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Blackcap and a Whitethroat (also singing).

Summer Time!

2010-06-06T08:17:00.016+01:00

Well it felt decidedly like Summer today, with temperatures up to 14 degrees and sunny weather (and about time too!). Had to visit Lerwick today, so afterwards we decided to head to Sumburgh Head to pat a few Puffins. Only we didn't find many Puffins (presume they are on eggs just now?) So no Puffin pics....

A general look about down South proved not a lot was happening, but on getting home I did score the first singing Collared Dove for Burravoe (looks like the colonisation of this species continues).

Poss. Male 'Northern' Eider?

The 'Skua'...

2010-06-05T15:21:00.010+01:00

Don't often get a chance to photograph these beauties very often in the UK, especially in adult plumage, and as for getting a sound file too....

And a sound file (inc a background Skylark) with a very quiet chattering in the middle of all the louder calls! http://www.xeno-canto.org/europe/recording.php?XC=54467#

2nd Iberian Chiffchaff in under a Month!

2010-06-05T00:55:00.013+01:00

Iberian Chiffchaff on Unst, was by far the highlight of the day. This wee cracker (if you can call a Yellowish Chiff that!) was performing to the five or so birders present this afternoon. The fact that it was almost constantly singing was a good thing (no iPod help either!), but due to technical problems with sound equipment, my recordings are a bit pants to say the least! If this bird hangs about, I reckon I'll be back to try again. Did manage a couple of half decent pics though...

Pretty crap recording here; http://www.xeno-canto.org/recording.php?XC=54465

Another big thanks to Stef and Ash, I reckon between them, they have pretty much saved the 'Shetland Spring' from being a complete washout bird wise!

Stork Update; Looks like the Unst Black Stork was the same bird as recently seen on the Western Isles, and was ringed in 2007 in Hungary! see here; http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=uk&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=101316630794054239130.000488246aa2b5bd05f74&ll=58.596887,-3.977051&spn=4.07122,9.876709&z=7

Tasty Foreign Bird Offers 'Stress Relief'...

2010-06-03T19:58:00.010+01:00

Hearing the news that a Black Stork was found on Unst, just when on your way to night shift, is never going to make for an easy night, especially when you have already dipped on this species in Shetland only a couple of years before (rare as hen's teeth up here!)

So after a frantic wait, I was finally on my way to Unst, straight from work! A good look around for the whole morning proved useless, so at midday I cut my losses and headed home to bed. Only to be woken after less than an hour by RT calling to tell me the bird had reappeared back where we had been earlier, but had since been flushed....bollocks!

So a very weary Dougie drove at speed back to Unst, and on arrival was meet by many happy faces which were watching the bird at distance. After a good look, and chat to the finders and others, I was off back to work again. (Is there a limit to the amount of caffeine you can have before it causes side effects?... I'll let you know! ), a very nice Shetland bird was added to my list...AT LAST! A lot of stress, but well worth the effort!

Cheers to the following people; The two brothers Stef and Ash for finding this gem, and Jim and Jase for the use of their cameras and lenses (I did use my card, and it was my finger on the shutter button though! so I'm claiming the pics as mine!), as my setup was just not up to the task at such long range! and of course Rory who kept me up to date on the sightings.

Kick ass bear!

2010-06-02T15:08:00.004+01:00

Glad the wildlife up here ain't got round to self defence yet!..... like this bear...

and I thought bears were dangerous enough without martial arts....

Warning; best viewed without sound, as the sound track is 'pants'...you have been warned!

The day that didn't happen!

2010-05-31T18:13:00.007+01:00

Well it was back to Fetlar today, and it just goes to show what a difference a couple of days can make!

Best bird on Fetlar this morning was........... wait of it......................................A Chiffchaff............... you can stop laughing now!

The Phalaropes that performed so amicably a few days back, decided they had other things to do today, than perform for the visitors! We did find a Black-tailed Godwit and a Merlin too, but that was about it.

From there we hit the South, for a bit more birding, but enough of that for now...

Black and White.....and Red!

2010-05-30T09:52:00.012+01:00

Me and my camera haven't been seeing eye to eye recently! I've been trying to photograph fast flying seabirds and Skuas, and my camera has been trying to take nice scenic photos of moorlands and sea!... (must try to sort out my autofocus settings, or is it my reaction times are slowing down?) and to top it all off my nose seems to keep changing the iso settings too! (now I do know I've got a big nose, but come on!)

Still, this Black Guillemot was happy to pose with it's arse firmly planted on a rock, in the 'very' bright morning light.

A female Brambling was the only migrant seen in Yell today, and even that spent the whole time trying to hide from me!

A Large White at Aywick today.

Something Special.

2010-05-27T18:48:00.024+01:00

Today was time for something special. The first visit of the year to Fetlar, to look for the returning Phalaropes... and they didn't disappoint!

The idea seemed like a bad one, when at 7am the rain was lashing down and the wind was getting up, but I boarded the ferry from Yell to Fetlar anyway (I was having serious second thoughts...)

By the time we arrived, the sun was out, and the wind had all but gone, so down to the serious business of tracking down some of Fetlars good birds. Within minutes of arriving at Loch of Funzie (RSPB), the Phals were found right beside the road, and were performing to about 6 or 7 feet! In good sunshine, I couldn't fail to get good pics, and even managed to do a bit of sound recording too...

The sound clip is of a singing Skylark with a Black-tailed Godwit calling twice in the background.

Of course it wasn't just about Phalaropes. Fetlar also has some of the best numbers of other Shetland specialities too;

I also tried to photograph 'drumming' Snipe too... though not very well! (but you can get the idea though)

Migrants were also found today, and include; singing Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Whitethroat, and also singles of Whinchat and Swallow. There were 2 Common Terns in Burravoe in the late evening.

Bloody Migrants...

2010-05-26T20:07:00.008+01:00

Tree Pipit was the best migrant bird in Burravoe today... Who am I kidding.... It was the ONLY BLOODY MIGRANT! (and even that was a quick view).

The wind is slowly changing to a more favorable direction though, so I'll be hoping for better things shortly! (I'm also hatching a cunning plan for a good days birding tomorrow, time will tell!!!)

On the plus side, the Arctic Terns are now on eggs, and the adults seem to be finding plenty of fish.... Fingers crossed for a decent breeding season!

'Scarecrow' watch update; There is now a record count of 51 Rock Doves in that field (that's about 20 more than the last record count!)...

If Carlsberg made scarecrows...

2010-05-26T05:27:00.004+01:00

This was a recent local addition to the patch, and a welcome one at that!

Now since this 'scarecrow' has been in place, I've seen Linnet, Collared Dove and LBB Gulls, all in this field (all scarce birds in Burravoe area!).... and is that a Gull standing on it's head???

Although in all fairness, I haven't seen a crow anywhere near it!

I'm already constructing my own for the back garden....

Mountain Hare

2010-05-23T19:47:00.003+01:00

An obliging Mountain Hare was the highlight of today...

Nice, but it just ain't a bird is it!

There's always one...

2010-05-22T20:06:00.003+01:00

Another one bites the dust...

2010-05-21T20:05:00.006+01:00

The Plan; Fly to Fair Isle with Jase, for a day trip to see a White-throated Sparrow and a Rustic Bunting.

The Reality; Day trip by ferry, to Out Skerries after all flights were fogged out this morning...

Me and Jase decided to make the most of the situation today, and find our own birds on the Out Skerries. Only the birds had other ideas! and only a few Willow Warblers, a Siskin and a Common Sandpiper were found hanging around around on these wee islands.

The main interest was not till I arrived home, to receive a text telling me of a White-throated Sparrow down in the South Mainland that had been photographed today... This was a different bird to the Fair Isle bird due to it being a White striped bird, as opposed to the Tan striped individual at the obs on Fair Isle. Then the text came through that it had just been taken by the neighbours cat!

Harbour mouth of Skerries;
Some of the 'hot migrant' action today;

Sweet song...

2010-05-20T09:38:00.009+01:00

Not much happening on patch today, with just a male Linnet singing his heart out, and a flyby Wood Pigeon to Show for all the effort!

Done the second of my Breeding Bird Surveys this morning. It was a bit foggy, but with a warmth in the air and no breeze, the birds were all singing, and most of the usual suspects were noted.

Friday will hopefully bring a few more rewards though, as a change of Island is planned for my birding tomorrow! (Fingers crossed)

This Wren got the award for 'grumpy' bird of the day

On Tour...

2010-05-19T10:30:00.030+01:00

A three day mega twitch to catch up with a few of the goodies that were still hanging around in Eastern England was hastily organised, and Jase and I were on our way South on the Northlink Ferry on a beautifully calm Saturday night.

The object of this mission was to bag the Oriental Pratincole that had taken up residence at an RSPB reserve in Linconshire. This involved a straight eight hour drive from Aberdeen, getting us to Frampton Marsh reserve in the early evening. Thankfully the bird was still there, though it was resting up on a wee island with the sun directly behind it! Not ideal viewing conditions... After a couple of hours wait, we gave up on waiting for the bird to do it's ariel acrobatics, and went looking for the other good birds present on the reserve before it got too dark. These involved Temmink's Stint and Wood Sandpipers as well as a few good birds we don't get very often up in Shetland. Then just before the sun went down the Pratincole was spotted flying and hawking insects over the back of the reserve. So after a fast charge back round the reserve to try and get a bit closer, and we enjoyed great views of this beautiful bird as it hunted right in front of us. Though with light fading and the bird so active these photos don't do it justice at all...

Then after dark we drove to Straws Bridge NR near Ilkeston (including a bit of boy racing in Boston on the way, much to the disgust of Jase!... I did win though!), This was for a dawn look for the Great Reed Warbler that had taken up territory in the smallest of reed beds, and been singing it's heart out for the last few days. So after a complete lack of sleep and a midnight visit from the 'rozza's' (at least they didn't want to strip search us this time, like the ones outside Sandringham wanted too...) we found the warbler performing beautifully in it's chosen patch of reeds. Two great birds in less than 24 hours and it was only going to get better...

Next target species was the Iberian Chiffchaff at Potteric Carr NR in Sth Yorkshire... This was duly found and sound recorded and photographed, but only after a long and confusing walk right round the reserve. Why did the bird have to stake a territory in the trees at the far end of the biggest reserve it could find? The sound recordings were always going to be a bit crap though, as the bird was singing next to the M18 motorway... but the photos weren't too bad though.

We weren't quite sure what to do next, as we had heard about a Purple Heron or two at a place near Spurn. but so far today there was no news... So a quick request to RBA produced a report that it was still in the ditches at Wellwick. Nothing else for it but to let Jase drive me all the way there while I got the first decent bit of sleep in days. After a bit of confusion as to the actual location of the bird, we found the ditch and found the flightiest bird I've ever seen. This was a beautiful looking bird, but it would flush at 100 yards range. Still I did manage a dodgy flight shot though, as a souvenir.

The next morning seen us heading back up North via Musselburgh for the Surf Scoters (2 Drakes) and the Ythan for the King Eider. The Eider was distant but not as distant as the Surf Scoters, so I did manage a fuzzy record shot!

Other birds photographed on the trip include;

and a female Eider in stealth mode...

A trip list of what I would call the best birds we seen include;

Oriental Pratincole

Iberian Chiffchaff

Purple Heron

Great Reed Warbler

Temmink's Stint

King Eider

Surf Scoter

Wood Sandpiper

Turtle Dove

Barn Owl

Hobby

Little Gull

Cuckoo

Tree Sparrow

Little Tern

Little Ringed Plover

Whimbrel

ON A BIRDING MISSION....

2010-05-15T14:13:00.001+01:00

back home soon (I hope!)