📖 🍂Shetland 24 - Part Three

 Wednesday October 9th 2024...

Dazza is arriving this afternoon to stay for the rest of the week, so I needed to be in the south of the island at Sumburgh Airport to pick her up by mid-afternoon.

Today's initial destination was to see a Pallas's Warbler at Swining, near Vidlin in the north-west of the mainland, approximately a 40-minute drive away. The previous night's extreme winds persisted upon my arrival, presenting less than ideal conditions for locating such a diminutive warbler. Fortunately, several other birders were present, including the 'Brandon boys', and it wasn't long before I spotted the bird. Despite the conditions, it showed quite well at times.

Pallas's Leaf Warbler - A magical sight seeing this stunning Siberian visitor.

*The Pallas's Leaf Warbler is a bird species that breeds in the mountainous forests stretching from southern Siberia to northern Mongolia and northeastern China. Known for its strong migratory patterns, it primarily winters in southern China and the neighboring regions of Southeast Asia. However, recent decades have seen a rise in their presence in Europe during autumn, with these tiny birds journeying over 3,000 miles.

Pallas's Warbler - Out in the open, displaying it's prominent head pattern.

Having enjoyed observing the Pallas's Warbler, I made my way to Brae Community Woodland, a renowned spot for discovering rare species. My visit in 2021 rewarded me with my first sighting of a Red-eyed Vireo in Scotland. Upon arrival, I noticed numerous Redwings foraging in the leaf litter, accompanied by several Blackbirds. Unexpectedly, a Ring Ouzel burst into flight, disappearing into the distance before I could even raise the camera. 

Redwing - A recent arrival.

As I continued  my walk a Yellow-browed Warbler called, making a fleeting appearance before I noticed three Mealy Redpolls. In a significant taxonomic overhaul, Redpolls will now be consolidated into one species, which means Lesser, Mealy, and Arctic will all be known simply as Redpolls. Consequently, a birders life lists diminishes by two! It likely won't be long before all Crossbills are grouped together as well, effectively removing the controversial Scottish Crossbill from the debate.

Mealy Redpoll - REDPOLL,  Enjoying a a rest & seemingly not bothered by my presence. 

The mid-morning news announced a possible Common Nighthawk sighting on Yell, but I opted to wait, drawing on lessons from past experiences. Subsequently, the bird was found again and accurately identified as a European Nightjar, which was still a delightful find. Unfortunately, because I had to pick up Dazza, I couldn't take the chance of getting stuck on Yell, so I chose to forgo the opportunity.

Wheatear - My only sighting of this years trip.

I spent the afternoon by the airport at Virkie and Grutness, where the tide was against me. At the Ness Boating Club, I had a short walk around the ruins and noted a Wheatear, which was, surprisingly, my first sighting this trip. A Ring-Ouzel flew from the small beach onto the sheep nearby fields, but I lost sight of it. Offshore, numerous Gannets dove while a Red-throated Diver, Black Guillemot, and several Kittiwakes were also noted. Along the shoreline, Ringed Plovers, Sanderlings, Bar-tailed Godwits, Turnstones, and Redshanks before I went to pick up Dazza from the terminal.

Thursday October 10th 2024...

Siberian Chiffchaff - One of two at Maywick.

It was Dazza's first full day, so we dedicated most of our time to walking and exploring her favourite spots, all while attempting to expand her year list. As a working girl, her list typically grows on weekends and holidays, yet it remains an impressive one. We ended up back at Maywick and although there was no sign of Saturdays Red-breasted Flycatcher we enjoyed a nice walk and did manage a couple of Siberian Chiffchaffs and a Yellow-browed Warbler. 

Yellow-browed Warbler - A nice spot by Dazza.

We had just settled into our accommodation for the day when news of a Lapland Bunting sighting at Mossy Hill reached us, only a 15-minute trip away. As we hadn't seen one since relocating to Scotland, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to add to our Scottish Lists, so we opted to try our luck. Mossy Hill serves as a communication array, and the bird was spotted about halfway up the access road. We were fortunate that a car on its way down stopped to inform us of the bird's location. No sooner had we stopped than Dazza spotted the bird along the roadside. A quite confiding bird and I managed to obtain a number of photos in the now fading light. 

Lapland Bunting - Likely passing through from its Arctic breeding grounds en route to its wintering grounds in France.

Friday October 11th 2024...

On our final full day, as the rarity scene settled, we began a short distance from our accomodation in Sandwick, where a Cattle Egret was seen grazing in a field among sheep. After parking near the church there was initially no sign until we spotted the bird emerging from behind, yes you guessed it, a sheep.

Cattle Egret - Our second for Shetland.

From here we decided to check out the hide at Loch Spiggie. Historically, Loch of Spiggie was a voe (a Shetland term for a fjord or inlet) that became isolated by a forming sandbar. It's known as "the only moderately large loch" in Shetland's South Mainland and is the fourth longest loch in the archipelago. The day was fairly calm and sunny, yet the position of the hide caused issues with sun glare. Despite this, we managed to spot a Greater Scaup and a couple of Slavonian Grebes on the loch, along with a few Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, Tufted Duck, Whooper Swans and a single female Pintail. We also noted Dunlin and Snipe on the periphery. We spent the remainder of the morning in Lerwick, the only town in Shetland. Although its population stands at around 7,500, nearly half of the island's 22,000 residents live within a 10-mile radius of the town.

After lunch, we strolled along the cobblestones at Grutness, hoping to spot Snow Buntings. As we neared the small pool adjacent to the access road, we inadvertently startled a Grey Phalarope that was spinning in its distinctive way just off the road. I slammed on the brakes, yet the bird flew off before I could photograph it. Despite a thorough search, it remained elusive. Indeed, it was the one that got away!

Snow Bunting

Our final walk was around Hoswick where, after dipping a couple of times we finally managed to catch up with an apparent Siberian Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca blythi at the visitor centre car park. Time will ultimately reveal whether this is confirmed.

Lesser Whitethroat - An apparent Siberian Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca blythi.

Another fantastic week on Shetland, complete with a couple of 'lifers'! The winds dictated the experience, leading to no sightings of North American species this time. But that's the beauty of Shetland; it's all about the whims of the wind! See you next year!!