Reed Warbler

An extremely pale Reed Warbler in the garden caused a bit of a headache, but it is just a Reed albeit a very pale one. Also on the patch today were 2 Spotted Flycatchers and a Chiffchaff. The Velvet Scoter in West Voe was showing a bit closer.

Reed Warbler

Spotted Flycatcher

Velvet Scoter

Even More Shrikes

More rain overnight and more migrants on my new temporary patch - 23 Hoopoes, 1 Great Reed Warbler, 4 Ortolan Bunting, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 25 Reed Warbler (none yesterday), 40 Barred Warbler, now 96 Red-backed Shrikes, 10 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Red-throated Pipit, 3 Citrine Wagtails, 15 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Lesser Grey Shrikes, 40 Isabelline Wheatear, 6 Lesser Whitethroat and 10 Common Whitethroat.
A Great Crested Grebe offshore was a bit of a surprise. Also 27 Black-winged Stilt flew over heading south mid morning.

Barred Warbler

Citrine Wagtail

Isabelline Wheatear

Lesser Grey Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Reed Warbler

Here they come...

Some migrants at last and no westerly wind (no wind at all in fact !), The first bird of the day was a Yellow-browed Warbler in the garden, quickly joined by a second bird and a Lesser Whitethroat, a Reed Warbler and another Lesser Whitethroat were in the private plantation along with a flyover Lapland Bunting, out around the Loch the Little Stint and Black-tailed Godwit remain.

Yellow-browed Warblers

Reed Warbler

Little Stint and Sanderling

Black-tailed Godwit

Reed

With south-easterlies blowing all night, checked the patch and got the first signs of proper autumn movement with a Reed Warbler in Stinky Geo. Other bits and bobs were a Common Sandpiper, 24 Knot and a Ruff.

Reed Warbler

Overdose.

Yesterday's Reed Warbler in the garden finally gave itself up properly, after hiding low down in the roses for most of the day, it finally came out into the sunshine late afternoon and posed on the 'grapefruits' (no apologies for the amount of photos as its only the third record for the garden in eight years). The rest of the patch was pretty much the same as yesterday, but with the addition of a Tree Pipit.

Close...but no cigar !

Spent most of the day preparing for a forthcoming Whimbrel survey, so birding consisted of what was in the Garden, for most of the day this consisted of a single Garden Warbler. However, at about 4.30 pm an Icterine Warbler was feeding in the roses in front of the living room window ! Went outside to photograph it and flushed a pale, rather grey looking Acro from the plantation, Marsh Warbler was eliminated pretty much straight away, but the bird still looked too grey and too pale for a typical Reed Warbler - the possibility of it being a Blyth's Reed was not ignored and with this in mind managed to get Roger to come round, complete with mist net, about 15 minutes after setting the net up the bird was trapped and turned out to be....... a Reed Warbler after all !!


Garden Warbler.

Reed Warbler.

Bluethroats Galore.

On Out Skerries from 12.00 - 4.00 pm, the Easterly wind continues, but now with some rain. Lots of migrants on Skerries - 7 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Whitethroat, 7 Redstart, 6 Tree Pipit, 10 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Redpoll, 3 Swallow, 1 Sand Martin, female Ring Ouzel, male Red-backed Shrike, 4 Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Whinchat, 3 Song Thrush, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Carrion Crow, a Marsh Harrier a Wryneck and 5 Bluethroats.In the Garden - 2 Willow Warbler, a Wood Warbler, a Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Whinchat.The day ended with a rather wet looking Nightjar at Sumburgh Quarry.

Wryneck.

Bluethroats.

Marsh Harrier.

Red-backed Shrike.

Reed Warbler.

Whinchat.

Nightjar.