Shetland - 12th October

I awoke at 06:15 after a good nights sleep and after breakfast I decided to head to the west coast of Shetland for an American Golden Plover and Bluethroat as well as some general birding. I started at Aith and birded the area just north of the village at North Gardie. There was a large flock of c.250 Golden Plover and it was not long before I located the American Golden Plover in the flock. The flock gave me the run around but eventually I had good views of the bird feeding alongside the road that runs north from Aith. The bird was in partial summer plumage and this, along with the grey plumage and large pale supercilium, made the bird fairly conspicuous amongst its commoner cousins. I then birded the village area seeing four Blackcap and two Brambling but little else.

Brambling (male) - Aith, Mainland Shetland

Brambling (female) - Aith, Mainland Shetland

American Golden Plover - Aith, Mainland Shetland

American Golden Plover - Aith, Mainland Shetland

Aith, Mainland Shetland

News broke of a Lesser Grey Shrike on Unst and having only seen one fairly poorly in the UK (a female at Corfe River Meadows, Middlebere, 14th August 2008) I decided to go for it. The bird had been found yesterday morning but had vanished for the rest of the day resulting in many birders missing it, but today the news services suggested it was settled and showing well and so the game was on.

I headed for the ferry terminal at Toft and arrived at around 11:45, I was standing around chatting when a stunning dark morph Honey Buzzard flew over head being mobbed by Gulls. The bird was almost black and its yellow cere and legs were prominent against such a dark plumage, the flight feathers were a little paler but essentially the entire bird was black; a stunning bird. I crossed to Yell and raced across the island. At the Gutcher ferry terminal on Yell I scanned across to the small island of Linga and picked up an Otter on the grass, it was playing on the clifftop before sliding into the water. After a short wait I was on the ferry and landed on Unst at around 12:45. After a 15 minute drive across the island I arrived at Burnside at Halligarth on the east coast of the island with six other birders. The Lesser Grey Shrike showed almost immediately and over the next hour I enjoyed fantastic views, as the bird fed from walls, posts and pylons often sallying to some height in pursuit of White-tailed Bumblebees. This was a fantastic adult bird with full black forehead and a lovely apricot wash to the underparts. At the end of my stay I was alone and had the bird down to around 15m as it fed along a fence line - this was a stunning bird and well worth the trip.

Dark Phase Honey Buzzard - Toft, Mainland Shetland

Ferry crossing to Yell, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

Lesser Grey Shrike (adult) - Burnside, Halligarth, Unst, Shetland

I headed off from Unst at 14:30 and was back on the mainland at around 15:30. I contemplated heading to Ronas Hill for the Snowy Owl but thought better of it as I doubted that I would get back to the car with any daylight. Instead I stopped at Loch of Voe for a Red-breasted Flycatcher which showed well in the fading light. Heading to Lerwick I stopped at the docks where I had my first Wheatear of the trip and enjoyed good views of Black Guillemot. I retired to the Lerwick Hotel at 18:00. Maybe I will try for the Snowy Owl tomorrow afternoon if its a little slow elsewhere.

Rainbow over Loch of Voe, Mainland Shetland 

Red-breasted Flycatcher - Loch of Voe, Mainland Shetland

Red-breasted Flycatcher - Loch of Voe, Mainland Shetland

Black Guillemot - Lerwick, Mainland Shetland