Honey Buzzard.

At last got out and did some birding after the fog had cleared, went over the runway to Rob's to try for a singing Bluethroat, but with nearby workman making more noise than Cradle of Filth, not too surprised not to see it. Waited around there for a while, when loads of Gulls, Starlings and Oystercatchers started making a din over Toab, as I looked over that way all the birds were in a huge spiral mobbing a Buzzard sp ! As the bird started drifting towards me, got better views - Honey Buzzard ! Phoned Rob up (who was at work) but his phone was engaged, the bird then drifted south (straight above Rob's garden !) towards Sumburgh head and into a bank of fog.
Sparrowhawk over the House in the morning.

Honey Buzzard.

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.

Double Dip !

After having only brief flight views of the Laughing Gull yesterday, went back to Boddam at 8 am - no sign, only things of note were 4 Linnets and a Rat ! Tried again around lunchtime - still no sign.
Early evening went to Scousburgh for an Eastern Sub-alp that had just been trapped and ringed - no sign. Tried again for the Laugher - never going to Boddam again !!!
Greenshank on the Pool of Virkie was best bird of the day. Still some migrants in the Garden - 2 Willow Warbler, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Garden Warbler and a Whitethroat.


Brown Rat.

Greenshank.

Linnet.

Spotted Flycatcher.

Laugher.

Got to Boddam just in time to see the adult Laughing Gull flying off north over the hillside, despite searching the fields along the main road, couldn't re-locate the bird. Back at Scatness - 2 Yellow Wagtails, female Bluethroat, Reed Bunting, House Martin, Common Sandpiper and 4 Sanderling. Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat and 3 Willow Warblers still in the Garden.

Laughing Gull (photo - Gary Bell).

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.

Champions....again !

Easterly wind continues, but now more of a gale, still no rain to drop any numbers in. Two circuits of Scatness and a Common Sandpiper, Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Sanderling and 3 Whooper Swans the outcome. Quite a few birds still using the Garden for shelter - Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Redstart, Blackcap and 2 Willow Warblers.


Spotted Flycatcher.

Willow Warbler (in a Willow, no less !).

Redstart.

Blackcap.

The Highlight of the day came just before 3pm, when this happened......

New Arrivals.

At Scatness in the morning there were 3 Whooper Swan, 4 Greylags, a Shelduck, a Swallow, 3 Dunlin, a Sanderling, a Chiffchaff, 2 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Whinchat. The Garden year-list got a boost with 2 Whinchat, 2 flyover Swifts, a Whitethroat and a Spotted Flycatcher, also in the Garden - 2 Willow Warbler, a female Blackcap and a female Redstart.
Marbled Coronet in the moth trap last night.

Spotted Flycatcher.

Whinchat.

Willow Warbler (making good use of last years Christmas tree).

Greylag Goose.

Shelduck.

Whooper Swan.

Third Time Lucky.

Three visits to Scatness today, as it's still blowing a south-easterly.
Visit One - Nothing !
Visit Two - Still nothing, but Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and 2 Redstarts in the Garden.
Visit Three - At last - 3 Tree Pipits, 3 Swallows, 3 Whooper Swans, 2 Goosander (which kindly flew past the Garden at dusk, taking the House list up to 166), 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and a male Bluethroat !
Have just been informed, by the Missus, that there was a Turtle Dove in the Garden at 6am this morning !


Common Sandpiper.

Redstart.

Suicidal Wren.

Whooper Swans.

Garganey.

The wind continues to come from the east, but bringing very few migrants - I suspect that will remain the case until we get some rain with it, tho' shouldn't really complain about all this sunshine !! A drake Garganey on the small pool at Grutness was a fine sight, it's not often that you can get such close views of these smart little Ducks, 17 Sanderling and 11 Swallows at Scatness were the only other birds of note. The Arctic Skuas at Scatness continue to harass everything in sight (including me !).

Drake Garganey.

Arctic Skua.

Swallows.

Lapwing.