birding never sleeps: UNST Autumn 2023: part 1 Arctic & Dusky Warblers and American Golden Plover (04-08 October)

Introduction. In June I booked tickets to Shetland to visit Dave Cooper and Brenda Kay on Unst. It would by my fourth visit in five years (Covid disallowed a clean sweep) and I was most grateful to be able to take advantage of their wonderful hospitality again this year. I was leaving home on 4 October following a route I’d done twice before with no real issues (train to Gatwick, EasyJet to Aberdeen and Northlink overnight to Lerwick). The first year I’d travelled to Aberdeen and back by overnight National Express bus, a much cheaper but more gruelling option that wasn’t available subsequently. Probably just as well as that time I'd caught a nasty cold on the way up.

I hardly gave the impending journey much thought until a week before departing when I realized that the rail strikes called to coincide with the start and end of the Tory Party Conference included 4 October. Annoying for me but I thought their timing was rather fitting, hopefully causing some inconvenience to those recalcitrant to try and settle a long-running dispute. The first strike coincided with Megan going to Chichester Theatre so I drove her over and Cookie and I went on to West Dean Woods while she was there. She offered to take me to Gatwick but I found a National Express bus from Shoreham to Gatwick that would get me there and quickly booked it.

Tuesday 03 October. Following a half hour plus session struggling with Southern Rail’s on-line refund form attempting to reclaim back my rail fare (I was successful) I received an email from National Express. It informed me that the bus I’d booked wouldn’t be stopping between Worthing (where it started) and Brighton due to roadworks in Shoreham! I had two options, the quicker more frequent 700 Coastway service which stopped a 20 minute walk away or the local, less frequent route 2 Brighton bus that stopped at the bottom of our road. Both were likely to be disrupted by the roadworks. My blood pressure readings that evening were unsurprisingly higher than usual!

Wednesday 04 October. After a disturbed night’s sleep worrying about my travel connections I was up before 6am and after a quick shower and breakfast left home to catch the local bus into Brighton having checked on their live bus tracker that one was on its way. I arrived about 8 to find a crowd of 30-40 people standing by a temporary bus stop but no sign of the National Express bus before mine that was due to depart imminently. I found a seat in view of them and waited. The earlier bus arrived about 20 minutes later and most of the passengers boarded it. I returned to join the greatly reduced number left and after 10 minutes or so a dispatcher with a clip board and high viz jacket arrived, soon followed by an empty National Express bus. This we were told was not ours but the following (10am) bus. Ours was coming although at that stage hadn’t left Worthing (it was due at 9am which was fast approaching). A substitute bus arrived, apparently the 11am, but with still no sign of our bus by 09:30 those of us with a booked ticket were put on the substitute bus and we departed. It was completely full and I was very pleased/relieved to be on it. Everything then went as planned, the flight was on time and there was a bus waiting to go into Aberdeen. I checked in at Northlink and bought some food for the journey in Tesco and Greggs in Union Street. The sailing was a little earlier than scheduled and I didn’t feel I had the time or inclination to walk to the River Dee before we sailed. On board the Hjaltland I saw 3 Eider and a Kittiwake as we were leaving Aberdeen Harbour in the half light. I sorted my stuff out around my reclining seat, ate some food and at 10pm settled down on a more comfortable cushioned bench. New of a White's Thrush seen at dusk on Bressay was slightly tempting, although I had made a tentative arrangement to meet Matt Eade at Toft as he was considering a day trip to Unst and had offered to take me. He was staying in West Mainland with no internet or mobile signal.

approaching Aberdeen

Thursday 05 October. After a reasonable night’s sleep, having to get up and wander around a couple of times with cramp, I was on deck soon after dawn as we cruised into Lerwick Sound. The only birds noted before we docked were 32 Eider and a Raven. I disembarked and made for the bus stop. With no news on the Bressay White’s Thrush, and Matt uncontactable at his signal-less accommodation, I decided not to try for it, a decision made easier by not being sure where the copse it was in was and the bird being described as elusive the previous evening when it was found. I boarded the bus to Toft seeing Hooded Crow but little else through rain covered windows although my mind was partly on whether I was meeting up with Matt there. News that the White’s hadn’t been seen first thing and as a result Matt was still intending on visiting Unst and our plan to meet at Toft was on but as is often the case birding plans can quickly change. The White’s was still present and understandably Matt decided to go. I'd seen two in Britain and continued to Unst seeing 14 Black Guillemots, 2 Red-throated Divers from the Toft-Ulsta ferry, Hooded Crow on Yell and 2 Black Guillemots from the Gutcher-Belmont ferry. Jimmy was driving the Unst bus and took me to the end of the route (Saxa Vord) and on to Millfield passing 7+ Whooper Swans on Easter Loch on the way. Great to see Dave and Brenda again. After fleeting views of a Siberian Chiffchaff in their garden (Dave’s first of the autumn), 2 Twite and an early lunch Dave and I walked down to Norwick and up onto and along the road towards Skaw. We cut down to the Great Wall and along the coast to Skaw seeing 4 of the large-looking dark rufous Common Snipe on the way. There was a Long-tailed Duck in the bay and after some wandering around, including an excursion around a couple of Geos, we had excellent views of the Arctic Warbler found the previous day by Scott and Angela. My first in the UK since 1988! Also present were 2 greyish looking Whinchats, typical of most on Shetland at this time of year, but unlike the brighter buffier birds I’m used to seeing in autumn in Sussex. Apparently they are clinal with eastern birds being greyer which seems to fit with several other passerine migrants that range west to east. We returned via Valyie seeing 4 Swallows, Yellow-browed Warbler, 3 Blackcaps, Goldcrest, Pied Flycatcher, Brambling, Common Rosefinch (3 were present), Twite, 3 Lesser Redpolls and a Siskin.

Black Guillemot from the Toft-Ultsa ferry

The only Puffin I saw from this year's Unstfest trail was behind Dave and Brenda's house. It had been removed when we next went past.

Lamba Ness from Inner Skaw

just two new Space Port structures since last time, the building was a window-less shell

Arctic Warbler at Skaw, initially ellusive

patience was rewarded

my first in Britain since 1988 made for a great start to my visit

Friday 06 October. After an excellent night’s sleep, so solid I’d not heard heavy overnight rain, I was up just before 7am to find it (still) raining heavily and blowing a gale. It very slowly improved and we ventured our late morning when the rain finally stopped. We saw a Barred Warbler along the road as we were walking down to Valyie where we spent several hours. Best there were another Barred Warbler, 5 Goldcrests, 100 Icelandic Redwings, 2 Pied Flycatchers, Redstart, 2 Wheatears, 2 Bramblings, 3 Common Rosefinches and a Siskin.

Wheatear at Leawart

Common Rosefinch at Valyie

a very upright finch

Brambling at Valyie

Barred Warbler at Valyie

Saturday 07 October. Dave and I were out soon after 07:30 and walked down to Valyie where we spent a couple of hours before continuing on to Skaw, via the Great Wall. We then walked out onto the headland and around a couple of geos before cutting across to the burn, back south along the coast and up along the edge of the Space Port at Inner Skaw. We then returned to Valyie and Norwick for afternoon tea followed by a visit to Burrafirth where we birded to dusk. A long day in the field (24k steps for me) in reasonable weather (mainly dry, sometimes sunny, moderate easterly breeze) without much being seen. Highlights were Yellow-browed Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, 2 Tree Pipits, 4 Bramblings and 2 (of 3) Common Rosefinches at Valyie, Pink-footed Goose, Peregrine and Snow Bunting at Skaw and a blythi Lesser Whitethroat at Burrafirth.

Brambling at Valyie

Skaw

Out Stack (off Muckle Flugga) from Skaw

Pintail at Skaw

Pink-footed Goose at Inner Skaw

Snow Bunting at Inner Skaw

Sunday 08 October. Dave and I were out just before 07:30 and walked down to Valyie where Dave found a calling Dusky Warbler in the small wood. It was mobile and typically hard to see but we had several decent, if brief, views. Too brief for me to attempt photography although Dave managed some identifiable images. Others arrived and most saw the bird although it didn't become any easier. After over two hours we left having seen Yellow-browed Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, 40 Redwings, Wheatear, 4 Bramblings, Hawfinch and a Mealy and 4 Lesser Redpolls. No Common Rosefinches which appeared to have departed. We returned to Millfield along the coast seeing Long-tailed Duck and 2 Razorbills in the bay. Sheepdog Nine with an old deflated football following us all the way. We had an early lunch and headed out to Burrafirth seeing yesterday’s blythi Lesser Whitethroat along the burn, 5 Redwings in the bracken, 25 Common Snipe but no wagtails in the wet area by the road (a possible Eastern Yellow had been seen there) and Robin at the Shore Station. The fields around Haroldswick failed to produce anything other than a few more Redwings while 53 Golden Plover and a Wheatear were our best in the fields and along the walls at Clibberswick. What was intended as a brief stop before spending the last hour or so of daylight at Valyie stalled when we parked at Millfield and Dave spotted a putative moulting adult summer American Golden Plover with 20 or so Golden Plovers feeding in the field above their house. Although fairly distant it looked very good to me too. More so when I took a photo and zoomed in to see its big white supercilium and thick white-breast sides. Dave set up his scope and we confirmed the identification and took more distant photos. After about 10 minutes they and many more plovers that had been hidden over the brow of the hill flew up and around before dropping out of sight. The flock, numbering about 150, flew a couple of times but always landed out of sight. We and newly arrived Rob tried walking up along a fence-line to try and see into the area where we thought the birds had landed but inadvertently flushed them again. This time they landed on a more distant hillside and Dave picked out the bird again although I only saw it back on.