Red-necked Phalaropes (inc video)

Lately, these wee birds are certainly proving harder to see!  They were seen by myself on almost every visit a few years back, but now they only seem to show every two or three visits!  Still plenty to see on Fetlar including Summer plumage GN Divers, Whimbrel, Arctic/Great Skuas etc, so always enjoyable even without the star performers! 

Not a fantastic video, but my first decent attempt at it!

The day that didn't happen!

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...

Something Special.

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.