4th October 2017: Day 9:
The machine gun rattle
of rain ensured that we were up bright and very breezy this morning and out of
the door before sun up to ensure we were at Kergord Plantation by 0730 to give
us the best chance of locating last night's Olive-backed Pipit. Our first
belated Merlin cruised over high and freaked out a couple of Wood Pigeons and the Rooks. The
wood was quiet and I unfortunately put up what was undoubtedly the OBP but it
flew straight up into the canopy and was not seen again despite giving it time
to return to the grassy hollow is erupted from.
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| Kergord Plantation |
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| Kergord Plantation from the upper plot |
Three YBWs called and there were a few Blackcaps, Goldcrests and Robins and a
female Sparrowhawk was harried by Hoodies. We ventured up to the higher
plantation which was far better on the inside than it looks but a good look
round only produced a few Chaffinches until l three of us independently heard
the jooping of Parrot Crossbills as at least two birds flew above us invisibly.
On returning to the road I picked up a female bird heading into the wood
calling and two males and a female were seen stripping spruce cones shortly
afterwards. Five Siskins, two Brambling and four Mealy Redpolls completed a
good little haul.
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| Parrot Crossbills |
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| Parrot Crossbills |
News of a Rustic Bunting at Lower Voe had us leaping in the
car as it was on route to our ferry connection and it was seen immediately on arrival
grovelling in the verge. If anything a better marked one than the Melby
individual. With roadside viewing on a blind bend becoming the only option and not wishing to see splattered birders, we
soon moved on to catch the ferry from Toft to Yell.
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| Rustic Bunting |
A large Stoat carrying a damp and deceased
Starling dashed across the car park at Toft and a single Bar-tailed Godwit was with
Curlews.
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| Stoat with dinner - Peter Moore |
The Yell Rally then unused to get us to the terminal at Gotcher. Bob spotted an
Otter as we pulled up and after a short wait this chunky lad was seen swimming
back to shore with lunch but dived and was not seen again.
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| Otter - Peter Moore |
Once on Unst we headed straight for Skaw in the hope that the Red-throated
Pipit would still be around and despite mixed news, the double braced beauty
popped up right next to the car on a post. We all raised bins and only twigged
when it dropped down! Excellent views were had in the grass before it zoomed
off over the house. It took about an hour to refind it when it returned to the
same spot and in giving us the run around it led to us inadvertently finding a
Tree Pipit too. It even came down onto the beach and ran around with a
Whinchat.
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| Skaw- remember the White's Thrush rocks? |
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| Pipit stalking - Skaw |
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| Red-throated Pipit |
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| Red-throated Pipit |
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| Red-throated Pipit - Peter Moore |
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| Tree Pipit - Peter Moore |
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| Whinchat |
Blackcaps, Lesser Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs flicked around the sheep pens and Rock Pipits fed with Starlings, White Wagtails, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Redshanks on the tideline.
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| Ringed Plover |
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| White Wagtail |
A thick carpet of Shags were piled up on the grassy clifftop until a
couple of passing Bonxies spooked them and the rough sea was alive with
sheering Gannets and Fulmars.
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| Best Axminster... |
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| Thanks to Peter Moore for this fetching picture of me in full
Shetland mode, complete with wet gear, ginger winter pie catcher beard,
the actual pie to be caught, appropriate optics, fingerless gloves (to
aid holding of said steak pie) and never-been-there-but-it-is-a-real-one
Fair Isle hat |
We retraced our steps to Norwick (passing the Popemobile) and some poking about only dug out a few
Redstarts, Robins, Blackcaps, a Reed Warbler and Swallow so we moved onto Halligarth
which was a bit too windy and only gave us a Pied Flycatcher and a timely phone
call from Dave Fairhurst had us walking briskly to the car as he was watching a
perched White-tailed Eagle just up the road.
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| Popemobile - it even says it on the side... |
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| Redstart - Norwick |
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| Redstart at Saxavord |
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| Wheatear at Saxavord |
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| Halligarth |
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| And a roadside Curlew |
Dave and his group kindly stayed
with the bird till we arrived and his bus made a handy windbreak for us to
scope this magnificent full adult at great range on the far side of Loch of
Watlee. What a bird and even at such distance the full yellow bill, pale head
and white tail stood out. What a superb bonus.
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| Notice the landslip... |
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| Zoom a bit closer... |
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| Keep going.... what a beast! |
Some searching around the Nettle Bed of Lund gave us spectacular views in some
brief sunshine across the deserted beach and we added Cryptic Mallard to the
list as Peter and I managed to walk right past a drake on a small pool that
suddenly erupted into flight without us seeing it. If we could not see that how
were we going to find LBJ’s?
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| Lund |
Uyeasound added four Goldeneye to the trip list with a flotilla of 19 Tufted
Ducks and it was nice to reminisce at the spot of last year’s Siberian Thrush
triumph...
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| Uyeasound- Happy Sibe palpitations... |
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| And the Hoodies on the quay were entertaining |
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| Along with a few Ravens |
Two ferries later were we sitting down to see fine haddock and chips in Frenchie’s
of Brae before chasing the full moon all the way back to Hoswick...
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