Boost

   Birds started arriving yesterday afternoon starting with a Little Bunting at the top of one of the Geos before flying off towards the cow fields in a south-easterly gale, needless to say I couldn't relocate it, Whinchat, Barred Warbler and Jack Snipe were in among the docks.
    Today was most pleasant with virtually no wind and birds started showing themselves a bit better, in the garden there was 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest, 28 Pink-footed Geese flew south over the house with a Pale-bellied Brent in amongst them. In the docks there was a Lesser Whitethroat, another Yellow-browed and 2 Blackcaps with 2 flyover Grey Plovers. Around the Loch there were 5 Grey Herons, 3 Swallows and a Lapland Bunting. A Whinchat was by West Voe car park.

Yellow-browed Warblers

Brent Goose and Pink-footed Geese

Lapland Bunting

Whinchat

The Docks

Tonight's Sunset

Calmer.

A much calmer day, at least I could see the duck flock in West Voe, though all of them were on the Sumburgh side (King Eider still present), a rather showy Lapland Bunting and a Robin were the only other things of note.

Lapland Bunting

North Wind.

With a north wind now blowing, there's little change as to whats on the patch, apart from a few winter birds arriving. 75+ Long-tailed Ducks are in West Voe, up to 28 Lapland Buntings are still about, 14 Whooper Swans are on the Loch, 2 Robins and a Song Thrush are knocking around and 3 Common Redpolls are still here.


Lapland Bunting.

Long-tailed Ducks.

Tail less Meadow Pipit.

Merlin.

Common Redpoll.

Scaup.

10/10.

10/10/10 - and out on the patch by 10 past 10 ! Similar birds around the patch to yesterday, but less of them - 2 Blackcaps, 10 Robins, 13 Goldcrests, 3 Wood Pigeon, 14 Song Thrush, 15 Lapland Buntings, 12 Pink-footed Geese, 5 Wheatears (still hanging on), 2 Siskin, 1 Ring Ouzel (still on the cliffs), 40 Redwing, a Brambling and 3 late Bonxies.
Something of a surprise in the moth trap this morning - an extremely late Map-winged Swift, these normally finish flying in August and the last one in the trap was on August 21st.




Map-winged Swift.

Goldcrest.

Lapland Buntings.

Matter of Time.

More improvement on the patch, it's just a matter of time before something big turns up ! The usual stuff was still knocking around, with 5 Goldcrests, 2 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, 2 Siskin, 21 Song Thrushes, a Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Robins, 19 Lapland Buntings, 5 Wheatears (including the reappearance of the albino), a Whinchat and a Black Redstart. New birds were 10 Barnacle Geese,2 Linnets, 2 Grey Heron, a Peregrine and a Redstart.

Barnacle Geese.

Blackcap.

Lapland Bunting (no apologies for anothe Lap photo - they're smart birds, and while I've got these numbers on my patch I'm gonna enjoy them while I can).

Linnet.

Peregrine.

Redstart.

Wheatear.

Ain't it Strange.

After a night of south-easterlies, confidence for something interesting on the patch was high, and the were a few new birds around - a Black-tailed Godwit in one of the fields with the Redshank, a Wood Pigeon in Stinky Geo (of all places !), a Song Thrush in the thistles and a new Bluethroat in the garden (an 8 year wait, then 2 within a week or so), the perennial Lapland Bunting flock was still present, but down to 29 birds and 3 Wheatears are still lingering. I did manage to find something interesting during the day, but it was far from what I was expecting (see below).


Black-tailed Godwit.

Lapland Bunting.
And now the strange bit - this Sparrow spent most of the day in the garden, a mighty odd beast indeed, I find hard to believe that this is just a wacky looking House Sparrow, or has a Spanish Sparrow been having his wicked way on Shetland at some time ? (coming over here, shagging our Sparrows, eating our bird seed etc, etc).

Damage Inc.

A few new birds coming into the patch after the light south easterlies last night, the first being a Brambling (year ticked at last !) and a Lesser Whitethroat in the garden. Of 3 Wheatears that were out on the headland, at least one was definitely a new bird, as it was an albino ! At least 33 Lapland Buntings remain in the thistle field (the cause of much controversy today - see below).

Lesser Whitethroat.

Albino Wheatear.

Lapland Bunting (showing well to all).

Believe it or not, the group below are an organized tour visiting Shetland ! Presumably on their way back from seeing Lapland Buntings, you would think that a tour leader would be more responsible than to take a group of people over somebodies garden wall !!! Unfortunately I was too far away to say anything to them (probably just as well !), but the householder is far from happy with events like this, and as a straight talking Yorkshireman, if he witnesses something similar I can see a certain amount of spleen venting occurring ! Previous birds in Brian's' garden have been 2 Bluetails and several Subalpine Warblers and he has always been most helpful to both visiting birders and locals alike and has always shown a great interest in what all the fuss is about. Incidents like this give a bad name to all birders and will lead to access being refused or restricted, I think most locals at the moment think that we're all just a bit daft and harmless, but with things like this happening, most folk (quite rightly) will be worried about us causing damage (remember Scillies in the mid eighties ?!).

For those wishing to see the Laps - here's a map - as you can see there is no need to climb on anybodies wall, or go through anybodies garden.