My diary from Shetland and Fair Isle - September 2015

I was intending to update my blog on a daily basis whilst up on Shetland and Fair Isle, but a combination of slow internet access and evening socialising meant it just did not happen. Instead, below is a summary of my trip, with some of my better images, and some record shots. 

My trip involved four nights of Shetland, one before and three after visiting Fair Isle and six nights on Fair Isle. The group included mainly a team from the BTO, Andy Clements, Paul Stancliffe, Nick Moran, John Marchant and Stephen McAvoy with Miranda Gomperts, Andy Mason, Rick Goater and me. For me, it was only my second visit to Shetland and Fair Isle and that was many years ago, so I had been eagerly anticipating the trip for a while.

17th September - Shetland
I flew into Sumburgh around mid afternoon and immediately headed up to the lighthouse where I met up with Hugh Harrop and Junt Hunt, both of who I knew from previous trips guiding across the Bay of Biscay for Company of Whales. The target bird here was Western Bonelli's Warbler, which was difficult to say the least, but ultimately gave some reasonable views. Other species included Common Swift (3), Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler and Robin. At Sumburgh Quarry there was little of note, with Blackcap and Wheatear the only birds.

I spent a productive couple of hours are Grutness, where I picked up a Pied Flycatcher, another Willow Warbler and my first Yellow-Browed Warbler of the trip in the gardens.  

Pied Flycatcher - Sumburgh, Shetland

On the freshwater pools by the Quay two very confiding Little Stints were present, one of which was much darker than the other. This bird had me thinking for a while, but despite being darker, all the features pointed to Little Stint.

Little Stint - Grutness, Shetland

Little Stint - Grutness, Shetland

Little Stints - Grutness, Shetland

18th September - Fair Isle
I met the rest of the team in Lerwick Harbour, as they had got the overnight boat from Aberdeen, then Paul and I headed to Tingwall for our flight. Given the size of our group we could not all get on at once and so the remainder of the team were planning to get the afternoon flight.

On arriving we walked to the Bird Observatory, birding on the way. After a quick cup or tea and welcome we set off again. The species of note included Hen Harrier, Reed Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Barred Warbler, Chiffchaff, Wigeon, Snow Bunting, Ruff, Wheatear, Whinchat and Red-breasted Merganser. A lingering juvenile Pallid Harrier was obviously one of our target birds, and despite other birders saying how easy it was to see, we did not connect with it until about 4pm, so after six hours birding.

Pallid Harrier (Juvenile) - Fair Isle

Pallid Harrier (Juvenile) - Fair Isle

Species such as Rock Dove, Black Guillemot, Hooded Crow, Twite and Bonxie were clearly good birds for someone based on the south coast of England, but since they are common up here I have not mentioned them. After dinner we headed down to the Havens, just by the Obs as one of the wardens had found a Red-breasted Flycatcher their. Initially it was a bit flighty but eventually settled down to give some good views.

Red-brested Flycatcher - Fair Isle

19th September - Fair Isle
Today was mainly about cetaceans, with a pod of Orcas found by Nick before breakfast and then Risso's Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises recorded throughout the day in good numbers. Bird wise the notable species were Yellow-browed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Ruff, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Rosefinch, Whinchat, Robin, Sparrowhawk, Snow Bunting and Purple Sandpiper.

Spotted Flycatcher - Fair Isle

Common Rosefinch - Fair Isle

Snow Bunting - Fair Isle

20th September - Fair Isle
I did the pre-breakfast trap round in the morning and was rewarded with a Pied Flycatcher, Blackcap, Song Thrush and a couple of Goldcrests. As we had birded the south of the Island for the last few days we decided to head north today, but were soon heading back south when news of a Blyth's Reed Warbler broke. This was a new species for me and one I have often imagined catching at Titchfield Haven so it was really good to catch up with one and also get to see it close up in the hand.

Blyth's Reed Warbler - Fair Isle

Blyth's Reed Warbler - Fair Isle

Blyth's Reed Warbler - Fair Isle

Other highlights included Merlin, Common Rosefinch, Pallid and Hen Harrier, Barred Warbler, Willow Warbler, Golden Plover, and Whinchat.

21st September - Fair Isle
Today was the day of our bird race. We split into three teams, Andy C, Rick and Miranda; Nick, John and Stephen and Paul, Andy M and me. It was just a bit of fun really, but we were all desperate to win, and at times it was like watching a scene from Dad's Army as Nick blew his whistle to get his team back into line. In the end Andy C's team won with 61 species, my team came second with 61 also, but one of ours was a fly over Redpoll, which didn't count as we couldn't ID it to species (we weren't bitter at all) and Nick's team got 60 species. 

As we were working our way around the island it became apparent that we were experiencing a massive fall of Yellow-browed Warbler's; they were just everywhere. The official total was 53 which was a Fair Isle record in one day, but we all felt it could have been many more than that. Subsequently that total has been surpassed with a day total of over 70 birds.

Yellow-browed Warbler - Fair Isle

Yellow-browed Warbler - Fair Isle

Species highlights included Common Rosefinch, Fieldfare, Greenshank, Pallid and Hen Harrier, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Jack Snipe, Merlin, Kittiwake, Goldcrest and Whinchat.

22nd September - Fair Isle
The pre-breakfast trap round produced Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed and Robin with others caught throughout the day. Yellow-broweds were still abundant today, and the most notable species. Others included Jack Snipe, Ruff, Hen Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Willow Warbler and Blackcap.

(Fair Isle) Wren Troglodytes troglodytes fridariensis - Fair Isle

23rd September - Fair Isle
A pre-breakfast wander produced Ringed Plover, Dunlin, House Martin and a Collared Dove. After breakfast we headed south again; Yellow-broweds were still everywhere but there was a bit more variety and the notable species included Jack Snipe, Redwing, Goldcrest, Grey Wagtail, Slavonian Grebe, Grey Plover, Redshank, Purple Sandpiper, Knot, Merlin, Hen Harrier and a very obliging Lesser Whitethroat.

Lesser Whitethroat - Fair Isle

Merlin - Fair Isle

The most notable thing about today was the discovery of a long dead bird in the Gilly Burn. It was a small passerine that was very decomposed but had orangey underwing coverts which lead us to believe it was a Redstart. Closer inspection revealed that the bird was wearing a ring which turned out to be Dutch (Arhiem NL, Holland - V626386). We left all the details, and the ring with the Obs and hope to receive the details at some point in the future.

24th September - Fair Isle and Shetland
It was departure day for us today, and once again we had to split up as we could not all get off on the same plane, Stephen chose the Good Shepherd as his preferred means of transport. Paul, Andy, John and I had the afternoon flight and spent our remaining tome in the south. We didn't add any new bird species but did pick up a Painted Lady butterfly, our first of the trip. Yellow-broweds were still the most numerous migrant. Other notable species included Common Rosefinch, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Collared Dove, Redwing, Robin and Lesser Whitethroat. 

Common Rosefinch - Fair Isle

Great Skuas (Bonxie) - Fair isle

After spending the rest of the day birding mainland Shetland we all met up in Lerwick and ordered some food. We had a bit of a tight schedule as Andy C and Nick had to give a talk at the Shetland Bird Club and needed to be there for 7pm, it was now 5:35pm. My phone rang just as we sat down to eat: it was Hugh Harrop telling me to get to Quendale Mill now at a Thick-billed Warbler had just been found. We could have been there in half an hour, but that would have not given enough time get back to Lerwick for the talk, so we chose to stick together and hope it it was still there in the morning.....alas it was not.

25th September - Shetland
We spent much of the morning at Quendale, working the area where the Thick-billed had been and with nothing to show for our efforts than more Yellow-browed's, a Merlin, a Reed Warbler and a couple of Blackcaps, we eventually headed off. We stopped at a few other places afterwards, but by mid afternoon we had to head back to the port at Lerwick so the team could catch the overnight boat to Aberdeen.

Greenland Wheatear 

I was staying on Shetland until Sunday and so spent the remaining hours of daylight birding Ness of Sound, and the area near to my B&B.

26th September - Shetland
It was a dreary start today but I decided to head to the northern part of mainland Shetland as I had not done this area yet. Yellow-browed's were present in virtually every bit of cover I stopped at, but otherwise there was little of note. I headed to the village of Melby but recorded little of note. Species included Blackbird, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Ringed Plover, Common Gull and Raven.

Whooper Swan - Shetland

Whooper Swans - Shetland

I stopped briefly at Weisdale Voe and picked up an adult Little Gull in the gull flock and then got a text from Hugh, Lanceolated Warbler at Dale of Walls. I had just come past there and knew exactly where it was. As it turned out, the whole experience was grim, with this poor bird being flushed from pillar to post, and not being given a chance to settle. I did eventually get some ok views, but most of the time it was flight views as it flitted from one bit of cover to the next. My final stop of the day was The Wart, Sandwick to see an American Golden Plover in with the European Goldies. A small flock of Pink-footed Geese heading south were the final species of the day.

27th September - Shetland
My final day started with some birding around my B&B and some still very common Yellow-broweds and then I headed back south. I called into Sandwick on the way to see the American GP in better light, then to Quendale and finished up at Grutness, and within in easy reach of my flight. Yellow-browed's were numerous throughout the rest of the day and other final day highlights included Sedge Warbler, Merlin, White Wagtail, Yellow wagtail species, Sanderling, Willow Warbler and Goldcrest.

American Golden Plover (left) with European Golden Plover - Shetland

All in all a cracking trip, some great birds, great company and superb whiskey. The trip was only slightly soured by the actions of some at the Lancy.

An Arctic Adventure 19th - 24th March (Day 5)

Today was to be our last full day in Norway and we were back on the road again. This time we were heading south past Kirkenes and to the Pasvik Valley, where we would spend the night at BIRK Husky. Our reasoning behind choosing this site was because it was a guaranteed location for Pine Grosbeak, one of Si's target birds, and other forest specialities. As with many of the sites we were visiting, they were often better later in the spring, when waders and other migrant passerines were passing through, the recent snow had made accessing many sites difficult, so we didn't know what to expect.

We set off early again as we were keen to get into the Pasvik Valley when there was still time to bird. A scan of the harbour before we set off produced a flock of Purple Sandpipers, Glaucous, Herring, Common, Black-headed and the dodgy Thayer's type gull, and the usual selection of eiders and Long-tailed Ducks. A distant White-tailed Eagle drifted over whilst we were scanning. We started to travel west along the E75, had a brief stop at Nesseby, but there was little to report, and pressed on, but no sooner had we got going a White-tailed Eagle came in off the fjord and flew right over our car. Si was the quickest out of the car and got some amazing photos as it drifted overhead. We continued east and before long had stopped two more times, both times for Hawk Owls, two at one site and one at another.

Hawk Owl - Nyborg Area

Hawk Owl - Nyborg Area

We continued east along the E75 and turned south on the E6 at Varangerbotn. We made good time on our journey, adding a couple more Hawk Owls on the way, before heading south on the 885. Heavy overnight snow combined with a fairly narrow and winding road, made driving conditions interesting, and didn't give much opportunity for stopping and we hence made better time than expected. 

Our first stop in the Pasvik Valley was the National Park Centre where we had good views of both Common (Mealy) and Arctic Redpoll on the feeders, but that was about it. We had been advised that the old birch woodlands were a good site for Three-toed Woodpecker, but the snow was knee deep and none of the trails were open. We decided to move on and continued south through Svanvik and then took a detour along a minor road towards Skrotnes. This road was apparently another good site for Three-toed Woodpecker and we stopped several times, but only saw Willow Tits, Greenfinchs and Ravens. Further along the road, and just as we were about to rejoin the 885, Si picked up a Goshawk; the views were unfortunately distant and the bird was flying away at all times.

We arrived at BIRK Husky and after dropping our stuff off in our room we headed out exploring. Our first stop was the feeders in search of Pine Grosbeak, and we didn't have to wait too long. There were four birds coming in, and when not feeding they tended to sit around on the tops of the pines, occasionally coming lower. Whilst waiting for good photo opportunities we also picked up Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Willow Tit, Bullfinch and Greenfinch.

Male Pine Grosbeak

Female Pine Grosbeak

Siberian Jay

Siberian Tit

Willow Tit

The most common birds on the feeders were redpolls, and they were present in their tens. We spent a long time working our way through them and considering their ID and I have to say that I came away from the experience feeling more confused than when I started. That confusion was not helped when I started doing a bit of research back home. I initially worked my way through the various images and tried to sort out the ID of each bird, but have also sort the advice of Simon Rix (Oslo Birder) who is far more experienced with Common (Mealy) and Arctic Redpolls than I.   

Bird 1 - I initially put this bird down as a Mealy, but deliberated over the ID for a while before doing that. However, Simon Rix thinks this birds probably an Arctic, it has a generally frosty appearance and a small bill with a pinched culmen. The undertail coverts are predominantly white, with the dark central feather, although he is concerned this maybe a bit too broad. Unfortunately I don't have any images that show all of the rump, but what is shown again is predominantly white with a small amount of streaking.

Bird 1 - Probably an Arctic Redpoll

Bird 2 - Common (Mealy) Redpoll

Bird 3 - I initially thought this bird was a Mealy Redpoll, but again there is a suggestion it maybe an Arctic. Unfortunately I don't have any images of the undertail coverts, and only one image showing a very small amount of rump, which is unstreaked. 

Bird 4 - Common (Mealy) Redpoll

Bird 5 - Common (Mealy) Redpoll

Bird 5 - Common (Mealy) Redpoll

Bird 6 - Common (Mealy) Redpoll

Bird 6 - Common (Mealy) Redpoll

Bird 7 - Coues' Arctic Redpoll

After a fair while at the feeders we decided to go and have a wander and followed a track through a patch of woodland to a frozen lake. It was very quite bird wise and the only birds of note were Willow Tit, Siberian Tit and a few more redpolls. After our stroll we nipped down to the river that bordered BIRK Husky. We were right on the Russian border at this location, with the boundary running down the middle of the river. Neither of us have ever been to Russia so we scanned the landscape looking for any birds for our Russian list. Si quickly picked up a Dipper (Black-bellied) that was feeding along the edge of the river, on the Russian side and then a Whooper Swan flew downstream, landing in front of us before swimming to the Russian side of the river.

Dipper (Black-bellied) in Russia

Whooper Swan in Russia

With the light now fading we headed back to our room, briefly popping out to pick up a couple of beers. Later in the evening a couple of other guess who were staying came in and told us that the aurora borealis were showing outside, we quickly grabbed our cameras and ran out but had missed the best of the display.

A faint Aurora Borealis display

An Arctic Adventure 19th - 24th March (Day 1)

Back in 1999 I did a trip with a group of mates to Finland and Varanger Fjord, Norway in search of owls, seabirds and sea ducks. The trip ran from 29th May through to 6th June and there are certain experiences from that remain as vivid memories. When I was asked by my good friend Simon Colenutt (The Deskbound Birder) if I fancied a winter trip to north Norway, I jumped at the chance. My trip in 1999 was a whistle-stop tour that focussed on key sites for key birds, and this trip was no different. It was primarily designed to get Simon two key species, Steller's Eider and Pine Grosbeak, both of which would be new for him. I was not expecting to get any new birds.

Our trip began on 19th March with a flight from London Heathrow to Oslo and then an onward flight to Kirkenes in the north. There was a 4.5 hour gap between flights and so we had arranged to meet Simon Rix (Oslo Birder) a British birder now based in Oslo. There wasn't much around but a spot of birding was infinitely better than sitting in the airport for four hours. After checking in our baggage for our onward flight we met up with Simon and headed out. Our first stop was scheduled to be Nikevegan, which was the staging site for a flock of 'Taiga' Bean Geese. Our trip got off to a good start as en-route to the Bean Goose site we bumped into a Great Grey Shrike, which performed well for a while and whilst watching it we also had Bullfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Greenfinch.

Great Grey Shrike

After a few minutes enjoying the shrike we pressed on to the Bean Geese and picked up a couple of Goldeneye on a small stream, before arriving at the site. There were around 50 birds on show and Simon reckoned that the the rest of the flock, which normally numbered around 150 were there but just out of view. There is an interesting story to these birds in that they winter in Scotland, and have been the subject of a study by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust to establish where they breed. The birds were initially fitted with neck collars and then satellite transmitters and it is now known where they breed, winter and the route they use for their migration. Details of the study can be found on Angus' Bean Goose Blog.

'Taiga' Bean Geese - note the silver neck collar on the bird in the foreground

Whilst we were watching the Bean geese one thing that was very apparent was the number of Yellowhammers around, a species that is increasingly more uncommon on the south coast of Hampshire. A flock of nine Whooper Swans and a Common Crane were nice additions to our species list.

Six of the flock of nine Whooper Swans

Our next stop was the Glomma River at Udenes, which is apparently a good spot for migrants. It was still a little early in the season for good migration and we were there in the early afternoon, so not the ideal time, but it was worth a shot. We were once again very fortunate in that two Moose were out in a field feeding on the young spring growth of grass. I have seen Moose in Canada on numerous occasions, but this was a new mammal species in the Western Pale-arctic for me.

Two Moose Grazing on the young spring grass

The Glomma River was quite low and there was very little to see, but we did see a couple more Common Cranes, another Whooper Swan, two Greylag Geese, some Mallards and a couple of Herring Gulls. With our time now running out we headed back for another look at the Bean Geese and the Great Grey Shrike and then back to the airport.

We said our farewell to Simon and worked our way through passport control to our onward flight to Kirkenes, all was going well until that is, we tried to land. A change in the weather, and a heavy blizzard meant that visibility was too poor to land and the pilot aborted our landing. We circled for a while before it was announced that we were being diverted to Laksalv Airport, to the west. We had planned to pick up our hire car at Kirkenes and had booked a night in the Scandic Hotel, but unfortunately that plan went out the window. A five hour overnight coach journey meant we arrived at our hotel and 04:50 in the morning.

In search of winter birds, Day 4 - Norfolk 2015

Day four of our winter trip was more about the journey home and getting around the M25 whilst it was flowing freely. That said, there were still a couple of sites that we intended to visit in order to boost the trip list by a few more species.

Flitcham

This is a site that we have visited on many occasions in the past, as it is a site where Tree Sparrow is almost guaranteed. It is also usually a good site for Little Owl, but we have only ever seen them there once, so it is by no means guaranteed. It has to be said that this site was the best site for finches and buntings that we had been to all weekend. It was heaving with Chaffinches, Reed Buntings, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Bramblings and Tree Sparrows. There were also good numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings and around the small pond loads of Teal and Greylag Geese. The only disappointment with this site was the lack of any Yellowhammers, a species that has eluded us this year.

Welney

The final stop of our trip was to the Wildfowl and Wetland Trusts reserve at Welney. We haven't been here for a couple of years, but were tempted by the possibility of a Green-winged Teal, that had been seen the day before, and Bean Geese. Of course there was also a guarantee of Whooper and Bewick's Swan, and other wildfowl that had eluded us so far.

We quickly ticked off Whooper Swan, Pochard and Tufted Duck but there was no sign of our other quarry. 

Whooper Swan - Welney

Whooper Swans - Welney

Pochard - Welney

After Welney we started our journey home scanning the fields looking for flocks of Swans. It was not long before we picked up a large one, and after a quick scan we picked up a handful of Bewick's Swans.

By this time it was early afternoon and we decided to head home. It had been another successful trip and we had recorded 120 species during our four day trip. There had been many highlights but the best as always was the company. We had been blessed with good weather, albeit a bit cold at times, and had seen some cracking birds.