After three days without any issues, on the morning of Tuesday the 7th, I noticed that my ankle was flaring up again, making it difficult for me to walk for extended periods. To prevent aggravating my injury and to handle the situation sensibly, I decided to take it easy for the rest of the week. I scaled back my activities and planned to do most of my birding from the car, which has always been my backup plan in case I encountered any challenges. It was either that or head home!
Dazza arrived, as usual, on Wednesday afternoon, the 8th. However, her flight was quite a nightmare; it was nearly three hours late, and by the time it finally landed, it was dark outside. Are the gods conspiring against us this year? To make matters worse, the weather for the remainder of the week was grim, with constant gales and heavy showers. This is not unusual for Shetland, but when combined with Storm Amy earlier, it felt never-ending. Typically, we would go on a few long walks while Dazza was here, and search for birds, but the poor conditions, along with my ankle injury, kept us from doing so.
We spent our time exploring the various harbours and inlets, taking Dazza to see a few birds I had seen earlier in the week. Notably, the rare Siberian Thrush was still present, along with other species such as Rustic Bunting, Barred Warbler, and Yellow-browed Warbler. However, the lack of easterly winds this autumn has created an unusually calm period for rarities, and indeed many common migrant species as well. I don’t think I’ve taken fewer photos on any of my trips.
My biggest disappointment was missing the Blackpoll Warbler on Unst, which we were unable to see. Nevertheless, we made the most of our time exploring this amazing island. In the five years I’ve been visiting during this same week, this trip was by far the quietest and, understandably, the most challenging. However, I plan to return next year at the same time as usual. For now, it's time to focus on dealing with this ankle stress fracture.
Now that I'm home, I've compiled a list of the species seen on this visit below and added or enhanced a few more photos.
Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Pink-Footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Greater Scaup, Tufted Duck, Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser, Red Grouse, Red-legged Partridge (heard-only), Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Little Grebe, Fulmar, European Storm Petrel, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Merlin, Greenshank, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Purple Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Gowit, Curlew, Snipe, Arctic Skua, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black Guillemot, Guillemot, Rock Dove, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Skylark, Swallow, Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Blackbird, SIBERIAN THRUSH!!, Robin, Northern Wheatear, Barred Warbler, Western Subalpine Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Goldcrest, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, Redpoll, Twite, Siskin, Ortolan Bunting, Rustic Bunting.
New for Shetland - LIFER!!
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| Ortolan Bunting |
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| Red-breasted Flycatcher |
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| Red-throated Diver |
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| Juvenile Red-throated Diver |
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| Northern Wheatear |
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| Common Rosefinch |
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| Guillemot |
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| Sanderling |
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| Northern Wheatear |
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| Sanderling |
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| Dunlin |
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| Northern Wheatear |
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| Brambling |
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| Long-tailed Duck |
Shetland 2025 Conclusion
