Shetland 26th September - 8th October 2017: Day 8

3rd October 2017: Day8:

Will the wind ever cease? It switched round overnight to an ever increasing westerly and the bay outside the window in Hoswick was peculiarly flat with the wind seemingly suppressing any movement and seemed to be pushing the water back out. Barely a wavelet broke on the Turnstone and Starling strewn beach and just offshore six red-head Mergansers and two Tysties bobbed around. A little further out two Red-throated Divers were seen – one a breeding plumaged adult and the other an obvious juvenile. I can’t remember seeing one up here before. 

The Hoswick sewatching hide...

So windy but no waves...

Mergansers

I headed to the Oli garden as usual and picked up two YBWs, two Brambling and eight Chaffinch and another two YBWs in the village along with singles of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. The Swinister Burn added one more YBW and Spot Fly but rain was imminent and the trees were thrashing around so we packed up and headed for Scalloway to check the Sunken Garden.

Swinister burn

and some lovely moss

Immaculate 1st winter male Blackbird

It was very quiet so we resorted to a raid on some quality Shetland pies from the shop before deserting the rest of the town’s habitat in favour of a dash to Da Gairdins of Sand for the chance of three Parrot Crossbills.
With several small parties being found over the last two days there had to be a chance of finding our own ones but in the meantime we were very grateful to connect with these three males in various shades of fetching red. A female was also around and after the three males flew off to the next plantation we heard several dropping back in but could not see them. Eight were later reported. 

Parrot Crossbills

Parrot Crossbill

 

 

 

Parrot Crossbill - Peter Moore

Anyway, these super chunky finches performed very well in the one fruiting spruce that they could find in the plantation and it was a privilege to watch them chose an unripened cone, snip it from the bough with secateur bill and then transfer it to a foot to be held in place while every seed was removed with due diligence. The called when they flew but did not seem as deep as I recalled but what monster front heavy beasts they were. Two each off YBW and Pied Flycatcher were noted and three Mealy Redpolls posed. 

Pied Flycatcher

 

Yellow-browed Warbler - Peter Moore

Hedgehog in Walls

Sand Voe

With a crowd gathering we departed for Dale of Walls, via a couple more each of YBW and Redstarts in a plantation at Walls before stopping at Watsness for some stunning views out across the Atlantic into the incoming face of the next squall with spume being thrown high over the cliffs to blow like mega snowflakes across the vista below. At this remotest of spots there was still enough cover around the only house to harbour shelter to a smart male Redstart.

Watsness

Spume...

Watsness with Redstart on the very last bush before the Atlantic

Redstart

Curlew against the swell

Greylags on the last lochan

The wooded cleft at Mid Dale very quickly gave up a most engaging Red-breasted Flycatcher that paraded to its admirers on a reliable circuit that brought it to within few feet at times all the while rattling at us. Spot Fly, Redstart, Blackcap and YBW were also present along with a super mobile Great Grey Shrike that completed several loops of the area and often dived for cover rather than perching in the open. The RBF rattled even harder any time it flew through.

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Red-breasted Flycatcher - Bob Vaughan

Dale of Walls

Great Grey Shrike

Great Grey Shrike - Peter Moore

With more rain imminent we made our way to Eastern Skeld where an OBP was non-existent but Bradders did find another dinky Red-breasted Flycatcher and a final YBW for the day.