Shetland Divers

Over recent weeks we have had 4 species of Diver in Shetland. Black, Red, Gt Northern and White Billed

I did see the Black Throated Diver in west voe but it was very distant so I was unable to photograph it. Black Throated are rare visitors to Shetland. It stayed about a week and may have been the same one that stayed in the same place last year
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 Red Throated Diver

 Red Throated Diver are not common in winter and tend to spend time around Eastern Scotland or Northern England.

 The look smart both in winter and summer plumage and easily distinguished between the Black Throated with its checked back and white face

 This bird at Grutness did a circuit as most birds do and it took about an hour for it to return to the beach end where I waited

 Long Tailed Duck

 A flock of 10 Long Tailed Duck flew in but all stayed distant except this male

 This Gt Northern Diver flew in from West Voe and managed to catch three fish while feeding off the jetty

 Looks like a Scorpion fish which it downed in a couple of minutes 

Gt N Diver

A White Billed Diver has again been off  Kirkabister, these divers tend to keep well off shore.

Other birds of note during this past week included a couple of Bewick Swans (First since 2011), the Pied Billed Grebe at Spiggie and a Little Egret at Lower Voe, Black Redstart at Hillwell and a Brent Goose at Sumburgh Farm

White Billed Diver

Since last August a White Billed Diver has been in Mousa bay, just a few minutes away from home. I have seen it a few times but it has been very distant and the weather dull. Last Sunday the weather couldn't have been more perfect, sunny and still (yes no wind)

                                                                                                  White Billed Diver

Earlier in the day it had been seen under the large layby at the top end of Sandwick but by the time we arrived, about 1pm I located it further south, just north of Mousa and about mid way between the island and Sandsayre.

When it dived I was surprised how far it moved and how long it dived for, White Bills prefer the deeper waters unlike the Gt Northern Diver which come closer inshore.

The first record for Scotland was a dead bird at Whiteness Voe, Shetland 21 January 1946, but the first live bird was in June 1947 when a bird came close inshore at Weisdale Voe, Shetland.(Scott and Shaw). Most birds occur on spring passage with a few over wintering.

These birds may well be from the eastern Russian population, with birds usually wintering off the Norwegian coast

The Mousa Sound bird is one of two / three present in Shetland with another regularly seen at Kirkabister and in Bluemull sound.  Birds tend to start to gather at Skogsoy Norway late April so it will be interesting to see how late this bird stays in Shetland.

Throughout the following week I managed another three visit but failed to see the bird. Two other local birders who have spent a lot of time watching have also only seen it occasionally. Whether the bird moves out of the area or just goes to the east of Mousa is a  mystery.

Today no sign of the bird again even though the sea was calm

                                                                                               Gt Northern Diver

                                                                                                      Black Guillemot

                                                                                                      Long Tailed Duck

                                                                                                                     Shag

                                                                                                        Purple Sandpiper

Other birds at Sandsayre :
White Billed Diver, Gt Northern Diver, Red Throated Diver, Long Tailed Duck (46) Eider (58) Goldeneye (M& F) ,Shag (28+) Fulmar, Black Guillemot (32) Red Breasted Merganser (3) Common Scoter,  Purple Sandpiper (38) Turnstone (22) Oystercatcher (2),  Redshank (8) Curlew (4) Greylag (6) Rock Pipit, Starling, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Wren, Twite

Elsewhere the Pied Billed grebe is still at Spiggie, Glaucous Gulls(4) Lerwick, Blue and Gt Tit Hillwell