UNST Autumn 2024: part 2 (06 to 10 October)

UNST Autumn 2024: part 2  (06 to 10 October) 

Sunday 06 October. Cloudy with very light southerly winds. We walked to Valyie Skaw seeing a Wheatear at Inner Skaw but little else. We made a return visit to Valyie and were successful in obtaining more/better views of both Paddyfield and Lanceolated Warblers that we’d not found in our earlier visit. Also at Valyie were a Merlin, up to 5 Yellow-browed Warblers, Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcaps, 3 Goldcrests and the Common Rosefinch.

Wheatear at Inner Skaw

Inner Skaw

Norwick

Paddyfield Warbler at Valyie

Lanceolated Warbler at Valyie

Monday 07 October. A moderate south-east wind and showers made birding difficult. We walked to Valyie seeing 3 Yellow-browed and the acredula type Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaffs (one looking like a Siberian), 3 Blackcaps, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, 30 Redwings, Ring Ouzel, 4 Bramblings and the Common Rosefinch. The 3 Twite were still at Skaw and the only notable sighting around Haroldswick was a presumed pair of Whooper Swans that dropped into in the bay for a few minutes at dusk before flying off north calling. A rather worrying direction and disappointing that they were alone as one always hopes they’ll bring youngsters.

birders looking for the Lanceolated and Paddyfield Warblers at Valyie, we saw neither

Tuesday 08 October. Dull with a very strong south-east wind which made birding in all the most sheltered places almost impossible. We walked down to Valyie where we saw Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Goldcrests, 60 Redwings, 2 Ring Ouzels, 2 Bramblings and the Common Rosefinch. A Tree Sparrow was trying hard to hang onto the bird feeder at Millfield on our return, Brenda having seen it the previous day. With no sign of the winds abating Dave decided to catch up on some BBRC work and I had a wander up onto East Hill seeing a single Snow Bunting that I could hardly keep my binoculars, let alone a camera on while being buffeted by the wind.

Rock Doves at Valyie

Snow Bunting on East Hill

Wednesday 09 October. Cold with a strong north-east wind and wintery showers. We walked down to Valyie then visited Skaw, Ungirsta and Burrafirth. Dave found a Greenish Warbler in the copse at Valyie, I was in my usual position two paces behind and almost immediately got onto it. Also at Valyie were a Water Rail, Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcaps, Goldcrest, 25 Redwings, 2 Ring Ouzels, 2 Bramblings and the Common Rosefinch. A Bluethroat was seen briefly in Norwick and the Tree Sparrow again visited Millfield. Two Twite were present at Skaw, Goldcrest at Ungirsta and Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap at Burrafirth with a Slavonian Grebe at that end of Loch of Cliff.

Blackcap at Leawart

Greenish Warbler at Valyie

Skaw

House and Tree Sparrow at Millfield

Thursday 10 October. Cloudy with a strong decidedly chilly north wind. We walked to Valyie where the Greenish Warbler was still present. It was good, though a bit unexpected, to see Pete Ellis who arrived with a Shetland Nature group. Also at Valyie were 4 Chiffchaffs (at least one a Siberian), 4 Blackcaps, 2 Goldcrests and 2 Bramblings but very few Redwings. We then visited Skaw where Pete had found a huge looking first-winter Glaucous Gull on the beach, unfortunately it soon flew off as two of his group were heading that way. We saw a Whinchat and a Snow Bunting in a small quarry beside the road. Sites around Haroldswick produced a Pink-footed Goose in a flock of Greylags and a Chaffinch adding to the day’s wintery feel. That evening a tip off from Robbie had us looking out at a decent aurora before the clouds came in.

Siberian Chiffchaff at Valyie

Greenish Warbler at Valyie

juvenile Glaucous Gull at Skaw

Snow Bunting near Inner Skaw

Aurora from Millfield, lights from Spaceport on Skaw in the distance, should have used a tripod