Shetland Birding: Fine start then deeply dippy

On Sunday 28th September, after barely a couple of hours sleep we had breakfast on the ferry and we approached Lerwick harbour where the only bird seen ws a male Eider. Ravens and Hooded Crows were also seen and seen throughout the trip being reasonably common and seen several times daily. We then drove to Lock of Tingwall. Parking by the first part of the Loch, revealed little but as we stopped at various parking spaces, the penultimate (last but one space) just before the Golf course revealed the fine male Ring- necked Duck amongst all the Tufted Duck(around 80 birds), a female Goldeneye was also seen and Red Grouse heard calling in the moorland cliff expanse beyond. It started to rain heavily so we dived back into the car. We then drove just south of Lerwick and in a bay just south of Lerwick from a large layby we saw a our first Black Guillemot in winter plumage in the bay, an Otter was seen swimming our way in the bay too. Plus Cormorant and a Shag on a distant rock. Whilst a Fulmar and 10 Gannet flew right. Turnstone and a Curlew over were also seen. We then drove to the Loch of Spiggie, with all the cameras still packed in the boot, it was unfortunate we saw a group of 6 Twite on a fence wires really close and 1 Twite stayed and would have posed nicely for the camera. Earlier on we had seen a flock of 24 Twite fly over a left side field. There was a large hide on the left side of the road. We parked up and entered the hide. We failed to find the Blue- winged teal, but we did see a female Scaup, a male Pochard, there were groups of 5 Whoopers and 3 Whoopers, there were 6 Mute Swans, a Heron, 2+ Snipe by the Loch edge, there was also Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Mallard and Tufted Duck. Reports of a Little Bunting at Quendale Farm had us driving to the spot and our first encounted with Hugh H, who informed us we needed to park at Quendale Mill. We drove down to the Mill buildings and walked back to the Farm, no sign of the Little Bunting, but we walked right a little and other a field with vegetation a fine Wryneck flew and perched on the stone wall. We then walked back to the Quendale Farm near the Mill and a small group was gathered by a wall looking over a weedy area where a fine Willow Warbler was feeding. In the little tree copse surrounded by a stone wall, a Pied Flycatcher was feeding and perched up a few times. 2 Redwing were also seen and House Sparrows seen too. At Maywick Farm area, I spotted a fine Pied Flycatcher perched on a stonewall very briefly before flying into a copse. 8 Twite were seen in the wires and Starlings seen too, however there was no sign of Rustic Bunting. We should have stayed here longer. But instead we went onto another site down the road but there was no sign of the Dusky Warbler or YBW, just 2 Goldcrest seen here too and again no sign of Rustic Bunting. Again with hindsight we shoulf have stayed longer at this site. Back at Lerwick we saw around 15 Oystercatchers. In the evening in the back garden bushes, a male Blackcap was seen in bushes plus our first Shetland Wren of the trip, darker backed and larger, settled and posed briefly on the wall. Whilst down in the bay, c25 Golden Plover seen, a fine mother and calf Bottle- nosed Dolphins seen swimming and occasionally scything through the Loch showing a dorsal fin and their backs. The mother would surface and then the calf would surface.

Shetland birding: Musselborough and the ferry journey starts 26th- 28th September

On Friday 26th September, together with John H., Tony S. and Mick D. we travelled up by car to take the ferry to Lerwick, Shetland. We travelled overnight and by first light on Saturday 27th September, we were at Musselborough estuary, near Edinburgh. A really superb place for birds we saw a close Guillemot in the water below, and 3 Grey Wagtails seen bu the edge. we saw another 2 comprising 3 Guillemots in all. Whilst further out we saw 8 Razorbills. 30 female Red- breasted Merganser as a group on the estuary, c300 Eiders (80% were females). We saw 7+ Velvet Scoters, a male Common Scoter, but disappointingly no sign of the White-winged Scoter. We also saw Cormorant, Gannets flying past c30 (half adult, half juveniles). 8 Wigeon, an Oystercatcher, Curlew, Whimbrel, 200 Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlin . A Sandwich Tern flew around just offshore. A male Reed Bunting and male Stonechat seen. We later heard it was seen further along the bay near the Marsh Sandpiper site. This was to be my first trip to Shetland for over 40 years! It would prove to be an emotional one too as we would be revisiting some of the places I had visited over 40 years ago with my late mother, originally travelling over on the 5- 8 August in 1985. In 1985 (as now), we had travelled by the ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick and then there had been near storm force south-east winds in 1985 which has caused a lot of sickness on board. My strategy was to stand on the outside deck and seawatch and it still is the best seawatch I have ever witnessed (not difficult given my recent seawatches, as my late friend Ricky used to say when we hadn't been successful 'the worst seawatch ever!') in 1985, the near gale force winds produced an incredible tally of 2 Cory's Shearwaters (still the only ones I have seen in UK waters), 6 Manx Shearwaters, 20 Bonxies or Great Skua, 15 Arctic Skuas (inc. 3 light phase birds), Puffin, 10 Razorbills, c150 fulmars including 3 Blue Phase birds. Skeins of 300 Barnacle Geese and 500 Pink-footed Geese flew overhead. The next port of call was the Marsh Sandpiper site at Musselborough lagoons. We walked across a field and then through a wood to a concrete hide, looking out were 2 large pools. There were Teal, a Spotted Redshank, 4+ Ruff, 60 Candada Goose, Stock Dove, Mallard, 2 female Pheasant close in by the first pool. Whilst finally at the back pool on the left hand side the pale grey/ white super Marsh Sandpiper was busy feeding and it promptly walked left and out of sight! It went missing for 10 minutes before it was relocated at another large right hand pool, where it fed at the nearside but often obscured by vegetation before it walked around the right hand side to the back always feeding. Returning to 2025, we travelled by ferry standing on the stern of the ship looking back at Aberdeen harbour, we spotted a fantastic Bottlenose Dolphin swimming right of the habour entrance and its dorsal fin and back were seen several times when if 'furrowed' through the water. On the Ferry journey at the start we saw up to 8 Razorbills, I saw a fine Manx Shearwater shearing over the water over to the right (my first since 2021 and sightings at tenby). , Fulmar and 5 Kittiwake. We then had the ship's fish and chips meal which was OK and then we retired to our pods for the night in Cabin no 1. Big mistake, the pods are basically reclining chairs but I didn't get a lot of sleep maybe 3 hours tops and even less on the return journey, always book a cabin, more expensive but worth it. The sleep deprivation wasn't helped as we were situated 2nd row back from the entrance door to the cabin, which if the door not shut carefully slammed shut with some force guaranteed to wake up anyone fortunate enough to have drifted into sleep.

Very quiet at Corton

On Thursday 25th September before work, I saw a Song Thrush perched on a bush on the north side of the old Corton Sewage works compound. Walking back a Buzzard flew over the copse. Little else seen.

Back to the Winterton Lesser Grey

On Wednesday 24th September, leaving off work at 2.20pm, I went back to Winterton for a second visit to the Shrike this time with plenty of sunshine. As I parked up Mark and his wife drew up behind and we walked up to the Toad pools together, witnessing a family of Stonechats, an adult male and 1 youngster seen in bushes just north of the Totem Pole. A line of 4 people by the posts heralded the rough location of the fine Lesser Grey Shrike, this time perched on a bush. But by the time we reached them the Shrike was on the posts and then spent plenty of time hunting from a bush behind the posts where it caught several insects including a beetle. later on it even coughed up a pellet. It then flew south and behind, before it flew to a bush just north. I was able to sneak up to it using several bushes as cover and it spent some time perched in this bush before eventually flying west right by the western most track. Later it returned to the same bush for around 30 minutes where again I went back using the bushes as cover and I was able to get several pictures, most of which are pictured here. It spent some time hunting from this bush flying down to the ground often catching beetles and Odonata.

Andrew to the rescue (again) with a last gasp Lesser Grey Shrike

On Tuesday 23rd September after missing the Shrike early morning, I tried again after work but didn't park up at Winterton until 5.40pm, so just an hour and ten minutes before sunset. Time was ticking! Directions were vague for the Shrike stating it was just north of the Totem Pole but I couldn't even find the Totem Pole, the Shrike or any birders! Obviously I know the general vicinity of the Totem Pole but no boird or birders! I met a birder coming back from north of the Dunes who said he couldn't find it and he was trying the Southern valley, I then met 2 other birders and I checked Bird Guides which had a new message saying the Shrike was up by the Toad Pool bushes, so we had another mile to walk, we saw a line of 4 birders including Andrew E who had relocated the Shrike and I saw the fine Lesser Grey Shrike, perched on a fence post. I had 10 minutes of reasonable light left seeing the Shrike on fence posts, using them as vantage points to periodically hunt for the ground and was succesful at least several times catching prey and then it then flew slightly south hunting from bushes again catching prey. It was sunlite very briefly but as soon as we arrived the sun went in! A female Stonechat also seen and it appears there are some water in the pools too.

Finally a 2025 Ibis

Early evening on Sunday 21st September, I drove down Marsh Lane and walked up the Share Marsh Track and by the pool west of the track, Mark spotted the excellent Glossy Ibis feeding, it then flew back a little and and out of sight.

Kettle of Buzzards

On Saturday 20th September, a kettle of 6 Buzzards were soaring over the garden spiralling upwards and then drifting eastwards towards Parkhill. A separate Buzzard flew west. Later on at Link's Road car park, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls were present including old faithful Stumpy and another (2 legged bird).