Shetland Mainland - 8th October

What a difference in a day after yesterdays almost un-birdable conditions, the wind had dropped there were just occasional showers and all in-all it was pleasant to be out. I started by heading to Lunna to try and see the Melodius Warbler that I had dipped few days ago, I thought that, if the bird was still around it wouldn't take too long to see. Arriving at 08:30, four hours later I had achieved a fairly brief view in the Sycamore hedgerow west of Lunna Kirk and a distant view in the hedgerow to the north of Lunna House. I headed back to the car for a snack determined to get a decent view before I left, in the car park I bumped into some people, not birders, who asked 'do you know anything about birds? we just saw this bright yellow little bird hoping around on the ground in the Kirk and then it went into the tree over there'! Oh dear, I was about five minutes late. I had a snack at the car and cursed my luck. Just then a lady birdwatcher who had been watching the garden of Lunna House began waving from the skyline and I legged it up a very steep hill to eventually get decent views of the bird as it fed in Willows, Sycamore and Fuchias. Good views in the bins but a little distant for the camera, still record shots and good memories.

Melodius Warbler - Lunna, Mainland Shetland

Melodius Warbler - Lunna, Mainland Shetland

Ominous storm approaching - Lunna, Mainland Shetland

Rock Dove with a dodgy bird watering down the genes of the 

pure birds - Lunna, Mainland Shetland

I had spent some time birding Lunna and had seen little, 15 Wigeon, five Snipe, a fly-over Red-throated Diver, two Wheatear and lots of Rock Dove including a worrying number of impure birds. As I headed off I birded a few of the gardens and Voes that line the road to Lunna but saw little. But, this is a beautiful part of Shetland and I enjoyed the simple fact of being there. I pulled into a lay-by over looking Laxo Voe, across the Voe there were a handful of Wigeon, Redshank and Ringed Plover. Hooded Crows were calling aggravated behind me and I turned to see them mobbing a large white, Buzzard sized falcon - a white phase Gyr Falcon. Bloody hell! Grab camera from car take some shots. I then watched the bird as it flew north-east. My mind then had flash backs, some birders I had met the other day had seen a Gyr with jesses and zooming into my images this was clearly the same bird - bells and all, an escaped falconers bird. A quick search on the internet indicated that such a bird may sell for in the region of £10,000, someone must be very unhappy that they had lost their bird.

Escaped Gyr Falcon - Laxo, Mainland Shetland

I then headed to Lerwick, grabbed a coffee and decided to bird the Seafield area of Lerwick. The foreshore produced a Purple Sandpiper and lots of Starling, Rock Pipit, Turnstone, Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull but the bushes produced nothing. I headed to Fladdabista for the last hour or so birding, it was deadly quite, two Redwing were the only birds worthy of note and a Minke Whale passing south fairly close to shore added some interest. At 17:30 the light was fading and the birding provided diminishing returns so I headed back to my hotel.

Adult Great Black-backed Gull - Lerwick, Mainland Shetland

1st winter Herring Gull - Lerwick, Mainland Shetland

2nd winter Herring Gull - Lerwick, Mainland Shetland

3rd winter Herring Gull - Lerwick, Mainland Shetland

Purple Sandpiper - Lerwick, Mainland Shetland

Rock Pipit - Lerwick, Mainland Shetland

Pennington Marsh - 20th April

The spring seems to be passing me by this year, already the 20th April and I have see but a handful of migrants and still no Wheatear. I dropped Tobias at school in Lymington and decided to spend a couple of hours at Pennington Marsh before work. At Lower Pennington Lane a handful of Wigeon were present on the floods and two distant House Martin added a spring feel as did a singing Willow Warbler. A lovely flock of eight Mediterranean Gull flew over head, two second-summer and the remainder adult.

Mediterranean Gull (six adult and two second-summer birds) - Pennington Marsh

As I pulled into the car park at Lower Pennington it was evident that the Whitethroat were in with at least five singing around the car park. A short walk out past Efford Lagoon produced two Swift, three Swallow, five House Martin, two Sand Martin and a Little Ringed Plover. So there are migrants around.

Whitethroat - Pennington Marsh

Wandering out towards the sea and past Shoveler Pools I quickly came across a pair of Garganey very close to the path. The male was giving a very bizarre frog-like song which I had never heard before. The song can be heard here. I watched these birds for some time at close range until they were flushed by a dog walker although they quickly settled again further away on the lagoon.

Male Garganey - Shoveler Pools, Pennington Marsh

Female Garganey - Shoveler Pools, Pennington Marsh

Pair of Garganey - Shoveler Pools, Pennington Marsh

Female Garganey - Shoveler Pools, Pennington Marsh

Male Garganey - Shoveler Pools, Pennington Marsh

Male Garganey - Shoveler Pools, Pennington Marsh

Male Garganey - Shoveler Pools, Pennington Marsh

I wandered out to the seawall and offshore were two Sandwich Tern plus small numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plover on the mudflats. The Turnstone are now well advanced into their summer plumage. From the reedbeds at Butts Lagoon sang good numbers of Reed Warbler and the Bearded Reedling are still present and showing well.

Turnstone - Pennington Marsh

Turnstone - Pennington Marsh

Grey Heron - Pennington Marsh

I spent the last of my time scanning Fishtail lagoon, here the Swift were buzzing overhead and three Spoonbill were present on the lagoon. Small numbers of duck were present with a lone male Pintail, 15 Wigeon and around 30 Teal plus three Ruff. I watched for some time a pair of Great Black-backed Gull consuming a freshly dead Black-tailed Godwit - something I had not seen before. The godwit was still relatively fresh and intact and while I did not see the gulls kill the bird, I suspect that this is what had happened, albeit likely that the godwit was probably on its last legs already. It looked to be a relatively healthy, full summer plumaged bird.

The distinctive scythe like shape of Common Swift, one of my favourite birds - Pennington Marsh

Reed Warbler - Pennington Marsh

Great Black-backed Gull feeding on Black-tailed Godwit - Pennington Marsh

Great Black-backed Gull feeding on Black-tailed Godwit - Pennington Marsh

Great Black-backed Gull feeding on Black-tailed Godwit - Pennington Marsh

Great Black-backed Gull feeding on Black-tailed Godwit - Pennington Marsh

Pennington Marsh - 23rd March

I was longing to get out birding as Spring is starting to feel like it is setting in and so after dropping Tobias at school in Lymington I headed to Pennington Marsh for a short walk. I stopped at the corner of Lower Pennington Lane where I had a coffee and scanned the marshes. There were a few Teal and Wigeon hanging on and small numbers of Brent Goose while singing from the willows were at least two Chiffchaff while overhead there were two House Martin, my first Hirundine of the year. Lapwing were displaying, what a fantastic sound they make, and I could see a few birds incubating within the grassland.

A wander to Efford Lagoon produced 15 Tufted Duck, a single Ruff and around 30 Pied Wagtail while gulls included Great Black-backed, Herring and around 75 Black-headed Gull.

A walk onto the seawall and there was a biting west wind blowing so I hurried towards Fishtail lagoon picking up a Slavonian Grebe, eight Pintail and small numbers of Turnstone, Dunlin, Grey Plover and Black-tailed Godwit. At Fishtail Lagoon a 1st summer male Marsh Harrier flew east and showed well flushing many of the Teal and Wigeon and at least three Snipe from the Lagoon. Best of all though were four Bearded Reedling busy nest building, two of the males showed very well along the reed edge and I spent some time enjoying these fabulous birds.

Bearded Reedling - Pennington Marsh

Bearded Reedling - Pennington Marsh

Bearded Reedling - Pennington Marsh

Bearded Reedling - Pennington Marsh

Lapwing - Pennington Marsh

Lapwing - Pennington Marsh

Lapwing - Pennington Marsh

Lapwing - Pennington Marsh

Lapwing - Pennington Marsh

Oystercatcher - Pennington Marsh

Oystercatcher - Pennington Marsh

Oystercatcher - Pennington Marsh

Oystercatcher - Pennington Marsh

Brent Goose - Pennington Marsh

Kestrel - Pennington Marsh

Meadow Pipit - Pennington Marsh

Great Black-backed Gull - Pennington Marsh

Great Black-backed Gull - Pennington Marsh

Turnstone, just entering summer plumage with some rufous appearing 

in the scapulars- Pennington Marsh

Marsh Harrier (1st summer male) - Pennington Marsh

Pennington Marsh - 6th May

Friday 6th May was a beautiful spring day and so I finished work a little early and headed down to Pennington Marsh for a few hours in the early evening. I covered Efford Lagoon and then out to the jetty past Shoveler Pools then along the seawall to Fishtail Lagoon and back to the car. I didn't see a great deal but it was a pleasure to be out and about. Highlights were 10 Brent Goose, 250 Dunlin, 15 Grey Plover, 10 Whimbrel, 2 Common Sandpiper, 30 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Spoonbill, 2 Greenshank, 1 Pintail, 1 Pochard (a male, quite a scarce species at Pennington) and 15 Reed Warbler.

Lapwing - Efford Lagoon

Greater Black-backed Gull (left bird, a 2nd summer bird) and two Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult summer to left and adult winter to right)

Great Black-backed Gull (2nd summer) - Efford Lagoon

Lesser Black-backed Gull (1st summer) - Efford Lagoon

Mediterranean Gull (1st summer) - Efford Lagoon

Whitethroat (female) - Efford Lagoon