Good times for birds in Shetland

 Its always good to see some birds summering in Shetland. The other day found 3 Gt Northern Divers in West Voe with 4 Red Throated Diver and a distant LT Duck.

One GN diver was in non- breeding plumage while the other two nearly full breeding plumage. Most years 1-4 birds stop over in Shetland.

Good to see a Turnstone on the beach in full breeding plumage, this one must be over summering as well as all the others left to go north by end of May and too early for returning birds.

The Arctic terns at Grutness are well down in numbers with about 50- 60 birds seen from the road, quiet a few bring in large sand eels. Also reduced numbers of Common Gull

At West Voe it was good to see 4 broods of Eider with 17 young, best for a long time

Shetland wader numbers build up

The weather has not been too bad this weekend and we even had a bit of sun

With migration over, except for a few bit its now down to the locals to keep us entertained

Rock Pipit

The Robins will be around until Spring and i found 3 down at Quendale

Wrens are very vocal as usual and although i only got glimpses of this Perrie bird it was its song that attracted me to it 

Gt Northern Divers are now regulars in the south mainland with over 30 in Quendale bay with a dozen Long Tailed Duck

Flocks of Starling have moved into the dunes and this one held more than  100 birds, they could be migrant rather than the sedentary Shetland starling

Wader numbers have built up, in Sandwick a flock of 800 Golden Plover was impressive these were joined by 250 Turnstone, 50 Lapwing, 200 Curlew and 20 Redshank on farmland while an Iceland gull briefly visited Sandsayre

Purple Sandpiper numbers at West Voe, Sumburgh was 78, while Sandsayre held 18 and Grutness 12

The tide was just receding as this Purple Sandpiper flock came into West Voe , joined by Turnstone 23, Dunlin 6, Redshank 12 and lots of gulls

The high tides at Sumburgh allowed several Grey Seals to make a close approach to the beach