Showing posts with label Shetland rare migrant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shetland rare migrant. Show all posts

Monday, 30 September 2019

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Saturday 28 9 19

I was only saying the day before that Saturday would be a good day for migrants and so it was.

 Larger Dunlin behind


Up at Sumburgh Head a Little Bunting and also one at Sumburgh gardens. No Yellow Browed Warblers but plenty of common migrants.



Around Sumburgh/ Grutness lots of Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher , Wheatear and Willow Warblers with the odd Robin, Chaffinch, Whitethroat and Garden Warbler


A large bird of prey disappeared over the ridge just above the quarry and this turned out to be a Short Eared Owl


Arriving back at Grutness a large number of birds gathered at the beach, a nice Semipalmated Sandpiper showed well in a mixed flock of waders which included Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Redshank


The Semi P is an American wader and a rare visitor to Uk shores and only the 4th to be seen in Shetland.


The Semi P was getting picked on and had to run out of the way several times. It looked very small with the others and was actively feeding along the shoreline.


It took off after about 30 mins and landed at Grutness pool before leaving shortly after in an easterly direction





The wader has been back again to the same spot, the three day on the trot.


Friday, 14 October 2016

More migrants

When the Siberian Accentor turned up at Mossy Hill last week it was a first for Britain and when i went the second day around 30 people viewed the bird. Yesterday around 1000 birders turned up at a car park in Easington, East Yorkshire to view possibly the same bird. Many arrived well before daylight then had to queue to see the Accentor through a fence, each person getting 10 mins.

Although this week has seen a lot of rare migrants arriving in Shetland its good to see common ones as well. Redwing started to appear last weekend in small numbers but by the end of the week small flocks had started to gather with 20- 30 in a couple of south mainland locations






This year has seen a massive number of Yellow Browed Warblers arrive in the UK and Shetland has had it fair share with multiple numbers at Hoswick, Quendale, Sumburgh and many other locations. This was once a very rare warbler but in recent years it has increased dramatically.


                                                                                    Yellow Browed Warbler




 This is one of my favourite warblers and this Autumn alone i have already seen more than 30 birds


 For the last few weeks a good number of Blackcap have arrived in the south mainland, both male and female present. Along with these a few Brambling,Robin, Blue Tit and many Goldcrest




Still in Quendale bay at least 15 Porpoise with a few people seeing pods of Humpback, Killer and Minke Whales


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