UNST Autumn 2024: part 1 - 30 September to 05 October

UNST Autumn 2024: part 1 - 30 September to 05 October

Monday 30 September. Megan dropped me by the bus stop in Shoreham-by-Sea and I caught the 08:25 National Express coach to Gatwick North Terminal. From there I flew EasyJet to Aberdeen, 13:20-15:00. It was cheaper to take a 15kg bag in the hold than a smaller one in the overhead locker. The flight was on time and I soon collected my bag and after a short wait caught a bus into Union Square, a short walk from the NorthLink ferry terminal. Bag dropped, I had time to walk out to Torry Battery.  I was back at the Ferry terminal and boarded the Hjaltland at 18:10 for its 19:00 sailing. Birds seen: Swallow from the bus into Aberdeen and 5 Eider, 4 Oystercatchers, Curlew, 400 Kittiwakes and 6 Shags around the harbor mouth.

arriving at Aberdeen Ferry terminal I made a silent wish for some magic to come my way while I was on Unst...

Tuesday 01 October. After an uncomfortable night, the floor being more comfortable than my reclining seat, we docked in Lerwick on time at 07:30, seeing 45 Eider but little else in the harbor. I was at the Shetland Hotel bus stop opposite the Ferry Terminal soon after 07:45 waiting for the 07:58 connecting bus service north. Three others arrived at the bus stop and I became distracted by a crow flying away from me. It was almost certainly my first Hooded Crow of the year but try as hard as I could I wasn’t able to see any colour on it. Putting my binoculars down the bus rocketed past without stopping, the others at the stop hadn’t been waiting for it. The day’s only other connecting bus was not for over six hours which left me somewhat freaked out. Looking at the bus timetable there was a bus to Toft and the Yell Ferry in three hours or one to Brae, half way there and a nicer place to be. I decided to try and hitch for an hour (not the best place or time but I didn’t fancy carrying my bag very far) and catch the Brae bus if unsuccessful. The only car that stopped did so to drop someone at the bus stop so I caught the Brae bus (and saw Hooded Crows within  ten minutes of being on i. It was only when passing Voe that I realized it was probably a more sensible pace to hitch north from but too late to disembark I continued to Bray and after a short while with my thumb out gave up and spent the next two hours in the Community Woodland seeing little. The Toft bus was on time but with only five cars on the ferry I wasn’t hopeful of getting a lift across Yell. Fortunately the first couple I asked were going to Unst and were happy to oblige. They were on holiday on Shetland day tripping Yell and Unst and were happy to visit Unst first. They were keen on seeing the Spaceport construction and would be passing Norwick so I messaged Dave to say I was getting a lift all the way. We hurried across Yell only to find the Unst ferry didn’t depart for another 85 minutes (an extended lunch hour). The very kind couple realized they didn’t have time to visit Unst and get back to Lerwick for a Shetland Pony sale and headed back to see some of Yell. I was very grateful for the lift they’d given me across Yell as it was several hours before the next bus. I messaged Dave to say there had been a change of plan but phone and internet were down. Sitting on the quay I watched a few vehices arrive wondering if it was best to chat drivers up there, on the ferry or hop off and stick my thumb out when we reached Unst. I was still assessing my options, or delaying having to approach anyone when a well dressed gentleman, probably a little older than me started a conversation. I told him I was heading to North Unst having earlier missed the connecting bus. He looked at me and the rucksack near my feet and asked if it was mine. Yes it was. Pity he said as otherwise he could give me a lift. Looking around I realized his was the open topped sports car waiting in the queue. I’m sure I could fit my bag on my lap was my reply and he looked at me and my bag again and said words along the lines of ‘that it might work, we should try it’. And that is how I came to arrive at Norwick with Sandy, a retired Muckle Flugga Lighthouse Keeper taking advantage of what might be the last nice day before spring for a drive to Burrafirth, in his racing green Morgan. Dave was in Norwick and a bit surprised to see a green sports car turn up to Millfield and disappearing into the churchyard car park. He didn’t think it could be me as my last message was that a couple were giving me a lift but he wandered up to investigate.

Cruise ship off Lerwick

arriving at Norwick in style

   Sandy departing for Burrafirth, Millfield in the background

It was great to be back with Dave and Brenda and despite the intervening stress I was glad I’d missed the bus, thanks to the kindness of the couple from Thirsk and Sandy. I’d seen a pair of Whooper Swans with a juvenile from the bus across Mainland, 2 Black Guillemots at Gutcher and several Hooded Crows. After tea and toast with Brenda Dave and I walked down to Valyie seeing an acredula type Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaffs including a Siberian, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers (one tail-less), 6 Blackcaps, 6 Goldcrests and a Common Rosefinch (the only finch present in the very nice looking weedy fields).

Common Rosefinch at Valyie

Wednesday 02 October. Overcast with light north-west winds, we walked down to Valyie (Great Skua, 2 Yellow-browed and the acredula Willow Warbler and 2 Goldcrests), along the mires (ridiculous views of Jack Snipe and a Whinchat) to NorthDale, up to the Brewery Marsh (Little Bunting, a nice find for us on my first day), across to Haroldswick and up to Feall and Ungirsta (Yellow-browed Warbler and Goldcrest) where Brenda picked us up. She had been helping with Wool Week at the Heritage Centre. An excellent first day although 21,000 steps, mostly off road and including sections of mire and tussock grass was quite tiring!

Yellow-browed Warbler at Valyie

Jack Snipe at Norwick

Yellow-browed Warbler at Ungirsta

Little Bunting NW of Haroldswick (photos: Dave Cooper)

Thursday 03 October. Sunny with light south-west winds but rather quiet for birds. We walked to Skaw via Valyie (2 Yellow-browed Warblers) and back to Norwick. In the afternoon we visited Haroldswick (2 Yellow-browed Warblers) and Brewery Marsh but couldn’t refind yesterday’s Little Bunting. We ended up back at Valyie late afternoon chasing an unidentified locustella warbler which had been seen briefly in flight and running across the track to the ditch below the conifer plantation. None of the six observers present had had views sufficient for a firm identification although Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler was mooted. All rather frustrating for everyone present. Other birds seen today included 6 Blackcaps, 3 Goldcrests, 5 Redwing and 7 Twite. Redpoll and Snow Bunting were heard flying over.

Saxavord Spaceport on Lamba Ness

Twite at Skaw

   

Friday 04 October. Cloudy with moderate to strong southerly winds making birds hard to find. We visited Skaw (3 Twite), Clibberswick (15 Skylarks and 3 Chaffinches) and Valyie where the/another locustella warbler had been found in the pine plantation very close to yesterday’s sighting. A small crowd had gathered including Scott, Roger and Geoff with thermal imagers who were able to keep track, of a sort, as the bird moved around in the plantation, mostly on the ground but sometimes flying up into low confer branches. My first views were of it running quite quickly on the ground, too quick for me to see through binoculars, my next running head on before veering off, its breast appearing streaked. I was struggling to reconcile the bird with a Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, even locustella was a bit of a stretch from my views, when observers on the opposite side of the wood had better views and identified it as a Lanceolated Warbler. That made sense and reminded me of my previous British encounter when a small locustella was found in a crop on Fair Isle in September 1977. As birders gathered around the field the late, great Mark Chapman exclaimed ‘it’s running like a mouse, it must be a Lancy’. It was trapped and he was spot on. Happy with its identity it still took me most of the hour before dusk to obtain a satisfactory view, again thanks to running commentary from those with thermals.

Saxavord Spaceport launch platform after the third test firing exploded

Lanceolated Warbler in the pines below Valyie (photos: Dave Cooper)

Saturday 05 October. Very light southerly winds and intermittent drizzle, we covered a number of sites down to Haroldswick. We started as we usually did, walking to Valyie and up the edge of the burn. Coming back down Dave found a Paddyfield Warbler in the top of a sycamore in front of us. It dropped before I could see it but then flew into the top conifer where I had good views too, although I was too slow for photographs. It disappeared down the burn before appearing infront of us in a sycamore at the bottom before moving into the adjacent weedy field. There it remained, usually hidden from view, for the remainder of my stay although I was only to see it once more. Also at Valyie were 3 Yellow-browed Warblers, 6 Blackcaps, 4 Goldcrests and a Common Rosefinch. Skaw produced a Chiffchaff, Whinchat and 3 Twite, Burrafirth a fairly normal looking Lesser Whitethroat beside the burn and a Yellow-browed Warbler in the bracken, Ungirsta 3 Goldcrests and Haroldswick a late Sand Martin and 3 Yellow-browed Warblers.

Paddyfield Warbler at Valyie (photos: Dave Cooper)