Shiteland - Day 2

So, day two on Shetland.  We had grand plans.  We were going to get up early, thrash out new patch, find the biggie, bask in the glory for a few hours, then go twitching in the afternoon.

It didn't really play out like that.  We had our alarms set for 06:30.  They went off, most of us stayed in bed, mostly because it was blowing a hoolie and lashing with rain.  Si got up and started writing a report for work!  Mark and I eventually surfaced and enjoyed a good mug of tea.  Several hours later, and after adding a Skua sp (and seeing the Pied Fly again in our 'scrub') and nothing else to our window list, Si made a delicious breakfast - scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, and lovely bread.  It was only after then, and the showing of some blue sky that we ventured out to systematically work the patch.

Si headed up, Mark headed down, and I wandered along the road.  Skylarks were on the move, and there were more Mipits zipping around.  Si flushed a few Snipe from his moist patches, Mark found more Mipits, and Redshank, and my highlight was seven twanging Twite.  I met Mark wandering along a burn and just as we lent over the bridge a small brown thing flew a short distance low over the water.  We decided to have a second look.  We both took a side and wandered along the burn edge.  It flew again and round a corner.  Bugger.  Small and brown is as good as it got.  Must have been a Wren.  Three more Twite at the same spot were as good as it got.  It was time for lunch.

View from the patch over Bressay

We headed back to the digs.  Si then made some sarnies and wrapped them in tin foil for him and Mark, I ate my sarnies as it was lunchtime.

We couldn't yet go birding as we needed to get to Tescos before it shut.  We shot up to Lerwick only to find that Tescos didn't shut until 11pm on a Sunday.  Si and Mark bought more wine and quilted bog roll, while I bought bird seed and migrane tablets.  We checked out the loch nearby to find ten Whoopers, 46 Wigeon, and lots of Tufties.

Now on to some proper birding.  Hoswick was our next destination and a delightful Sibe Stonechat.  After a few phone calls to work out where going (Thanks Ben!) we (Mark!) eventually found the sweet little bird sat on a fence.  Lovely.

By now we had found out about a Buff-bellied Pipit.  We had to slip down there for a look.  By the time we'd reached Rerwick and got down to the beach the bugger had slipped away.  We all trundled round the headland where it been seen to fly.  Then back to the beach again.  Apparently it had came back to the beach while we were stomping round the headland, then flown off again.  This wasn't looking good.  Mark went back to the car when the rain hit.  Si and I headed to the beach to chew the fat with big Hugh.  After an hour and a half we decided to go.

Next on the menu was the Little Bunt at Sumburgh.  As we passed the lovely looking beach at Scousburgh we all remarked that it looked perfect for a BBP.  We should have gone and looked but a rampaging dog put us off.

The Sumburgh Little Bunt was ridiculously showy but went to roost just after we left.  We then tried to see the Issy Shrike in Toab again, but apart from hundreds of other birders (OK, perhaps 40) there was no birds to see in Toab.

Little Bunting!

Little Beauty!

Little twitch - quite literally!

Dinner was now beckoning, but now the blooming Buff-bellied Pipit has been refound on the beach where we said looked good for it.  We decided a quick dash was in order.  We dashed, we arrived, we dipped.  Again.  B0llocks.  Dinner was looking much, MUCH better now.  As we stood on the empty beach a flock of 45 Twite flew over, scant reward.

So, this evenings highlight so far - the Sjolmet Stout! With Pechora Pipit found this evening on Unst , who knows what delights we have in store for tomorrow. Good night all.

Shetland! The Arrival

So we arrived!

A 7 am flight from Birmingham, hour stopover in Aberdeen (Carrion Crow was the first bird of the trip!) and then a 10:50 arrival on Shetland - first impressions - Windy!

We decided that as we could see Toab from the car hire place, we really should call in and see the OBP (Olive Backed Pipit) that had been seen earlier, on arrival there was a lot (Shetland lot - about 20!)  of people milling about and no sign of any Pipits .. over the next hour or so it was glimpsed in flight and seen occasionally in the back garden's around the small hamlet, but only at distance and naked eye by any of us, we waited exactly 25 seconds after arrival before getting bored and headed off down to Quendale Beach.

6 Northern Wheatears were in the fields leading down to the beach, along with an Alba Wagtail, Ravens, Rock Doves and Common Gulls were all over the place, as were Hooded Crows.

Steve walked back to join the people milling about pretending to look in gardens for the Pipit while Mark and I decided to walk around some good looking Pools and the beach, expecting to find stuff at every turn ...... We didn't ;-) 3 Rock Pipit were the highlights

Upon our return 20 minutes later, Steve was "Resting" in the Bus Stop out of the relentless westerly wind!, we decided to have a little look in the gardens for about 20 seconds before deciding to head back to the car and move north, however we started to see people move in a purposeful direction, so we followed in the car, one birder had seen the OBP drop back in to a garden near the top end of the village, no further sign, but we did find a beast of a Redpoll! It was showing well with a small group of House Sparrows on rooftops, this bird was the same size as the House Sparrow (or as Steve described it - the size of a dog!) and showed a range of features consistent with "Greenland (Rostrata) Redpoll"including very heavy flank Streaking , large pale rump and strong white wing bars - Just looked a beast! see a similar bird photographed by the Punks below Ref: http://punkbirder.webs.com/rolloverview.htm

Not the bird we saw today at all , but looks a bit like it! 

After a few minutes it flew off behind a house and despite a postman and the owner wandering in the Garden, it didn't come back, We decided to cut our losses and head off, we were just driving down the main road in Toab when a small passerine taking off caused me to look up and see the ISABELLINE SHRIKE  taking off between two houses (the small passerine was apparently the OBP that had been on a wall!) , we parked (well, abandoned the car) and walked back up to the playground where the Shrike was seen to fly back to bushes in the garden where it had just come from, it showed well but briefly before flying over the houses again, a calling YELLOW BROWED WARBLER was in the bushes to the north of the play park, as well as a 1st Winter Spotted Flycatcher.

After a minute or so the Shrike flew back to the bushes behind the Play Park and perched in the Pine tree for about 2 minutes before dropping back into the bushes (Causing the Yellow Browed to go mental again)

We decided to head to our lodge, the lodge is fantastic http://www.gloverlodges.co.uk/oxna with views of the bay from our lounge.

Birds seen so far from the lodge include Black Guillemots , Fulmar and Curlew.

Our first 5 minutes birding the Garden produced 2 Goldcrest and Steve found a 1st year Pied Flycatcher. 

Steve is out of the Block on Gardens find 

Looking the other way now! 

A 30 minute walk around the area showed some promise for the next few days with 2 Snipe and 2 Redwing found, as well as a Meadow Pipit feeding in the garden.

We had decided to head off to Lerwick to stock up on Beer ..... I mean essential food items for the week, and an American Golden Plover had just been found a few miles to the north, bypassing Tesco's and heading straight to Veensgarth - Having no idea where the bird was, we promptly drove straight past it (!) and then proceeded to find a different Golden Plover flock, but it did contain this little beauty, which is probably much rarer then AGP ;-)

Whiter shade of pale 

Paler still   

We then drove back up the road that earlier had contained nothing , it now had 4 cars, and AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, a Ruff sharing the next field with 4 Snipe was pretty much overlooked by the masses.

With the light fading and Tesco's calling, we headed back (4 Whooper Swans on a roadside loch was nice)

We can't wait for tomorrow! (The Fruit Tree is set up!!!)

Simon, Mark and Steve

Some gratuitous people and landscape shots now!

A couple of young chaps having a chat 

When I'm Cleaning windows!

A beach.

Blogging

Half the weakest list team blogging and browsing in Shetland.

Kfish

Kingfisher on GLE this morning. My first of the year at Broom.

Ruff

Another decent bird on GLE