Blackburnian Warbler....it's all connected...

Now that the wind is firmly back in the west, it wasn’t really that much of a surprise to hear the news that there was a Blackburnian Warbler on St Kilda at the weekend. I have a bit of a connection with Blackburnian Warbler, no I didn’t see the one on Fair Isle in ‘88 (I was at Portland successfully twitching a Parula at the time) and I wasn’t even born in 1961 when the one was on Skomer, in fact, the only Blackburnians I’ve seen have been in the States. So, what’s the connection ? Jump back to when I started Birding in 1977, the first place I can remember doing regular was Orford Park in my home town of Warrington in Cheshire, turns out that this is the former site of a stately home, Orford Hall, which was demolished in the 1930’s and was the former home of the Blackburne Family. John Blackburne was a wealthy salt merchant and the father of two children - Anna and Ashton, and had studied natural history. Inspired by her father, Anna also studied natural history, in particular Insects (with Peter Pallas) and Birds (with her brother Ashton), Ashton moved to America and sent many bird skins from New York and Conneticut back to Anna at Orford Hall, one of these skins was of a bird never described before - Blackburnian Warbler - named in Anna’s honour by Thomas Pennant. Moving on, in 1979, I started high school and at dinner time a lot of the pupils would get pasties from the ‘out-sales’ of the nearby pub - the Blackburne Arms, this was the former stables of Orford Hall and is still there today. So, in conclusion, Blackburnian Warbler was named from a specimen in Warrington, and after the owner of the park where I started Birding - it’s all connected……


The Blackburne coat of arms in Bridge Street, Warrington.

The Blackburne Arms - seller of fine pasties in the early '80s.

Yellow Browed.

After another night of light north-easterlies, got out early and did a Basil Fawlty on Scatness and gave it 'a damn good thrashing', after more than 2 hours of bush kicking and thistle stomping - the reward - 3 Snipe and a Green Sandpiper !! Went back out mid-afternoon and did the same circuit again, this time things got a little better with 10 Swallows, a Whimbrel and a Lesser Whitethroat, a text from 'The Bell' stating that there was a Yellow-browed Warbler and an Icterine Warbler at Geosetter didn't help matters, so I gave up and went home. On opening the garden gate at home, justice was done - a Yellow-browed Warbler in the garden, along with a Willow Warbler (the garden was totally birdless all morning). The Yellow-browed took the garden year-list up to 119 - and the return of the 10 bird gap over the competition.

Yellow-browed Warbler.

Lesser Whitethroat.

Snipe.

Crossbills & Garden Tick.

After the wind went to a light NNE last night, I felt pretty sure there would be something kicking around today. It all looked good as I looked out of the kitchen window first thing, to find 9 Crossbills in the garden, munching on the rose-hips (looking at the state they were in, they must of been through some crappy weather to get here). Fired up, I then checked Scatness - nothing ! apart from a lot of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks moving south, again, with a Merlin having a pop at them every now and then. After the Italian Grand Prix, got a phone call from 'Mr Bentos' saying there was a Harrier heading my way, as I have not got any Harriers on the garden list, it didn't matter which species it was, it was going to be a garden tick. Pretty easily picked up, thanks to the Starlings going nuts, a Marsh Harrier, heading slowly back north towards the Pool of Virkie and eventually lost to view somewhere around Exnaboe. This now takes the garden list to 171, and to 118 for the year.

Crossbills.

Marsh Harrier.

Booted Warbler.

Eventually went up to Channerwick for the Booted Warbler, spent two and a half hours there and only got 3 good views ! The bird spent most of the time in the Japanese Knotweed, and not showing very well at all, but on occasion moved into the Angelica and Mint and showed a lot better (if only briefly). Also at Channerwick - 2 Swallows and a Common Sandpiper.
Yesterday's post seemed to upset a few people (tho' I suspect they're the sort who need a daily moan anyway) and most seemed to miss the point anyway. See -http://www.shetlink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8784&highlight
So, if there are no postings here in the next few days, it probably means that I've been burnt at the stake, by some Vikings in Lerwick !

Booted Warbler.

Remembering September 11th 2001.

The events of this day in 2001, will remain in the memory for a long time..... it was the day I managed to photograph the Pallid Harrier at Brow Marsh, as this was the first twitchable Pallid for ages, there was quite a bit of interest from 'down south' with a least 2 charter planes coming in to Sumburgh. I seem to remember standing ankle deep, out in the marsh for about 2 hours, before the bird came in to roost - got these shots just before it went dark. Also on this day in 2001, there was a Citrine Wagtail, also near Brow Marsh, wandering around on a small pool near a chicken pen.
Would it be wrong to refer to this day as 'A Blast from the Past' or ' A Towering Success' ? Hmmm......

Singles.

Hoping for a Buff-breasted Sand or AGP or something similar, spent the morning around the headland at Scatness, there were birds out on the cliff tops - but everything seemed to be in singles - i.e. one each of Golden Plover, Ruff, Knot, Sanderling and Arctic Tern, the only thing that wasn't in singles was Meadow Pipits, about 150+ per hour heading south and being harassed by a single Merlin. Curiously, late this afternoon, they were moving north at about 45 per hour. Alas, not a sniff of any Yanks.

Golden Plover - doing it's best to try and look rare by being on its own.

Merlin - in hot pursuit.

Sanderling.

Whimbrel - sadly with a white rump.

Sea-watch.

A couple of hours sea-watching off Sumburgh Head this afternoon - quite a bit of effort for 1 Sooty Shearwater and 1 Manx Shearwater. Gave up after a while and took some photos of birds in the stormy conditions etc.

Gannets.

Shags.

August's Moths.

August's Moth Counts -

alceris aspersana - 6
acleris sparsana - 1
ancylis unguicella - 3
Angle Shades -1
Antler - 157
Autumnal Rustic - 18
Beautiful Golden Y - 5
Brindled Ochre - 14
Brown House - 1
Common Rustic - 4
Confused - 2
Dark Arches - 302
Diamond Back - 24
eana penziana - 1
Flame Shoulder - 1
Garden Carpet - 3
Ingrailed Clay - 8
July Highflyer - 3
Large Yellow Underwing - 186
Lychnis - 4
Map-winged Swift - 2
Northern Rustic - 3
Platyptilia gonodactyla - 1
Red Carpet - 148
Rosy Rustic - 1035
Rush Veneer - 5
Setacious Hebrew Character - 1
Silver Y - 11
Small Wainscot - 14
Smoky Wainscot - 7
Square-spot Rustic - 565
Twin-spotted Carpet - 63
udea luealis - 199
White-line dart - 39
White-shouldered house - 1

Total - 2839

acleris sparsana

ancylis unguicella

Autumnal Rustic.

Setacious Hebrew Character.

Birdless.

Due to a total lack of birds around this end of the island, apart from a bit of a sea-watch from the living room, did very little birding at all. I did however come across this very funny article from the boys at 'The Daily Mash' - http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1662&Itemid=76

Wood Sand.

After Thursday's easterlies and yesterday's northerlies, the weather was finally calm enough to actually see what had turned up - not a lot as it happens. A few half decent bits 'n' pieces around Scatness - 3 Common Crossbills feeding on the thistles, a Wood Sandpiper on the small pool, one each of Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit in with the Redshanks, Redstart in the garden and Peregrine and Merlin both present.

Just what you'd expect to see among Meadow Pipits !!

Crossbill.

Peregrine.

Redstart.

Easterlies.

After the easterlies all last night and then today, with added rain, I was full of optimism of getting some migrants, after 2 hours around the patch - 5 Grey Herons and a Crossbill !!

Grey Herons.