birding never sleeps: UNST Autumn 2023: part 3 Late autumn comes early on Unst (14-19 October)

Saturday 14 October. Gale force NW winds with intermittent heavy showers restricted birding. A couple of hours watching the sea produced a handful of Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Gannets. An afternoon walk to Valyie was more successful with 2-3 Waxwings, Blackcap, 20 Redwings, Fieldfare, Robin, Chaffinch, 50 Bramblings, Hawfinch, Lesser and the Horneman’s Arctic Redpoll and Siskin.

Waxwing at Leawart

Hawfinch at Leawart

Norwick providing shelter from the storm

Sunday 15 October. The gale force NW winds had moderated by dawn although were still strong and we felt watching the sea was our best option. In five cold hours, at times being sleeted on, we witnessed a very impressive northerly movement of 15,000+ Fulmars. A mesmerizing sight as they passed on a wide front at a rate estimated to be about 50/minute (3000/hour). Amongst them Dave picked out 3 ‘Blue’ Fulmars and I managed one. I also saw 14 Long-tailed Duck, 20 Kittiwakes, adult Iceland Gull, 30+ auks (those identified were 9 Razorbills and a Black Guillemot), 2 Great Northern Divers, 3 Sooty Shearwaters (Dave saw more), 250+ Gannets and about 65 Snow Buntings (2 singles and flocks appearing from below the cliff edge of about 15, 50 and presumably the same 15). An afternoon walk to Valyie showed little change with 2 Waxwings, 10 Redwings, Fieldfare, Robin, Chaffinch, 30 Bramblings, Hawfinch, Lesser Redpoll and Siskin. Walking back we also caught up with the juvenile Hen Harrier that had been seen irregularly in north Unst since before I arrived.

Starling and Redwing at Leawart

Fieldfare at Leawart

Waxwing at Leawart

Common Snipe in Norwick

Monday 16 October. The wind had lessened a bit and switched to SW overnight. We walked down to Valyie and spent a couple of hours there, partly sheltering in the shed and bus stop. It was soon obvious that most of the migrants there had moved on with no winter thrushes or Bramblings in evidence. We saw a Waxwing (flying from Leawart to Norwick), Robin, 4 Greenland Redpoll and Siskin. In the afternoon I spent 3 hours on East Hill looking unsuccessfully for Snow Buntings and anything else notable. I saw 30 Golden Plover, 14 Curlew, 4 Hooded Crows and a Raven. It was wetter than expected and an old bread bag didn’t do a very good job at keeping my camera dry. It stopped working, not that there was much to photograph.

Tuesday 17 October. My camera was more or less working again after a night on a radiator. although the viewfinder was rather cloudy. We walked to Valyie seeing the ring-tail Hen Harrier, 5 Blackcaps, 5 Redwings, Robin, Wheatear, 3 Brambling, 4 Lesser and 3 Greenland Redpolls and a Siskin. We were back at Millfield at about 10:30 and after tea and toast drove to Uyeasound. There were 21 Whooper and 29 Mute Swans, 24 Tufted Duck, a Long-tailed Duck, 5 Goldeneye and a Whinchat at Easter Loch. We walked SW along the coast seeing 2 Otters, 40 Wigeon, 30 Eider, 120 Long-tailed Duck, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, a 2CY Glaucous Gull, 2 Black Guillemots, 2 Red-throated Divers and 2 Twite. Dave received news that his father’s health was deteriorating and we headed back so he would be ready to leave (on same ferry/flight as me) if it was serious. A Hornemann’s Arctic Redpoll had just been found at Setter's Hill Estate and Dave dropped me there as we were passing. Three Tyneside birders were watching it near the pines but soon after I arrived it and the 10 or so other redpolls that it was with (Mealy, Greenland and a probable Coues’s Arcrtic) flew off high east. I'd had identifiable views of the Hornemann’s and a couple of Greenland and Mealy Redpolls but didn’t see the Coues’s. I wandered around the pines and after about 20 minutes some redpolls reappeared at the far end before flying to the original corner and then off high in the direction of the Health Centre. I counted 9 birds flying away both times but probably identified no more than 6, none being either Arctic. I walked west, past a small estate where 2 calling redpolls flew back towards Setter's Hill. I continued to Hunter's Wood, the rough ground by the Football pitch where I could see the Tyneside birders were looking. There I came across the Hornamann’s Arctic Redpoll with 3 Greenland Redpolls feeding in sallows and on the ground. The Hornemann's had very unstreaked underparts, unusually so in Dave's experience and very similar to the long-staying Valyie bird. Three hundred photos later they flew east a short distance. The Tyneside birders had been watching them nearer the football pitch before they flew in my direction, and later they flew high towards the Health Centre. I walked over but failed to see them again although they were seen in the same area on subsequent days. Despite being a very mobile group of birds, and acting very much as if they were newly arrived, Dave took some detailed images on a later date showing identical feather anomalies to the Valyie bird.

Hen Harrier over Norwick

Brambling at Valyie

Greenland Redpoll at Valyie

Rock Doves at Valyie

Blackcap at Norwick

Waxwing at Norwick

Bobby's Bus Shelter, honouring Bobby Macaulay who used to cycle to the shelter in the mornings to catch the bus to school. The council planed to remove the bus shelter in 1996 but seven-year-old Bobby sent them a letter asking them not to as it was where he kept his bike while at school.

Whooper Swans on Easter Loch

Otter at Uyeasound

a second Otter

Otter's breakfast

Greenland Redpoll at Setter's Hill

Greenland Redpoll at Hunter's Wood

Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll at Hunter's Wood

a striking bird

Wednesday 18 October. My very enjoyable visit to Unst was at an end. Brenda and Dave were excellent hosts and I’d seen a good haul of unusual birds, many of which we (mostly Dave) had found. The long journey home began just before 07:30 when Dave took me to the Saxa Vord bus stop. It was then bus, ferry, bus, ferry, bus to Lerwick where I arrived just before 10:30. Highlights were 4 Whoopers identified amongst the 50 swans on Easter Lock as we drove past (I’d seen 21 there a few days before), 2 Eider, 3 Black Guillemots and 2 Red-throated Diver. I dumped my bag, confirmed the early 14:00 departure to reach Aberdeen ahead of the worst of Storm Babet and walked to Clickimin and Hellendale. There I saw Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Collared Doves, 10 Hooded Crows, 4 Ravens, Blackcap, 3 Goldcrests and 3 Redwings. The Hjaltland departed promptly and I stayed on deck until we docked in Orkney at dusk. Highlights were 34 Eider, 6 Long-tailed Duck, 6 Black Guillemots, Sumburgh Head, 400 Fulmars, rugged Fair Isle and very flat North Ronaldsay (the contrast between the two quite stark). I slept a bit between Orkney and Aberdeen although an uncomfortable seat (the ferry was quite full with it being the last crossing for at least two days) and heavy swell. Dave and Brenda hadn't managed to get a space on the ferry for their car and with John stabilised and no longer critical in hospital had provisionally booked on the next sailing (on Saturday).

Black Guillemot in Bluemull Sound

Eider in Lerwick Harbour

passing Sumburgh

Fair Isle

Fair Isle South Light

North Ronaldsay

Thursday 19 October. We arrived at Aberdeen at 03:00 and I dozed until they started letting people off at 07:00. I walked to Girdleness into the teeth of the storm, not helped by not being able to leave my bag at the Ferry Terminal. Very impressive seas were breaking over the harbour breakwaters making me very pleased we’d arrived before the worst of Storm Babet. In a couple of hours I saw Wigeon, 2 Eider, Goldeneye, Arctic Tern, 3 Kittiwakes, 3 Redwings and a Rock Pipit. The seas were far too rough to see any birds moving and the foghorn provided very little shelter with the winds whipping around both sides of it. I walked back into town and caught a bus to the airport, arriving at14:15. My flight had been put back from 16:10 to 17:30 and then 19:50 although I was instructed to check in at the original time. Several changes later and after a long wait at the gate for our plane to be prepared we boarded at about 18:40. Take off was as bumpy as I can remember, probably more so, but we soon climbed out of the extreme turbulence. We landed at Gatwick soon after 20:00 but then had to wait almost 30 minutes for a gate to become free. Almost home but there was a sting in the tail. Signaling problems between Three Bridges and Balcombe had caused cancellation of all Littlehampton trains which now started at Haywards Heath, clear of the defective signals. It was recommended I catch a Brighton train but those were running late and then taking much longer to reach Haywards Heath. The train was jam packed, more like rush hour Underground. Standing room only and very hot. I fainted approaching Haywards Heath, the continual travelling proving too much. Several nearby passengers got me and my bags off at Haywards Heath and helped me to the Littlehampton train which was fortunately on the adjoining platform. Fortunately there was a guard on the train who put me into First Class and checked to see I was OK. Sitting down in a cooler environment I soon recovered and was very pleased to see Megan and Cookie at Shoreham Station. I was home about 22:15, almost 39 hours since I’d left Millfield. Despite that I’m very keen to go back next year.