Pod 27's - Orca

 The weather in the morning was not really good enough to consider going out photographing with rain and strong winds, over night reaching a recorded 73mph in the south mainland.

News came in the Pod 27's had worked their way down the east coast and had appeared in Sandwick and then continued to move south

With the sun coming out i decided to chance it and went down to Levenwick just as the pod moved through the bay and round the headland.

The male was quite close in as i reached the top of the cliffs out of breath. I managed to get a couple of photos before it dived and was lost for a while before surfacing well past the few observers.

I managed to catch up with the pod briefly before they motored south it heavy swell.

Quickly i returned to the car and headed down to Dalsetter and up onto a blustery cliff top. News came in that they were in the bay at Troswick just up from us.

With several pairs of eyes watching we managed to catch a glimpse as they appeared opposite us, then disappearing underwater.

They were not hanging about and ploughed through the sea heading towards Boddam. It was here i saw them for the last time, far out near the point.

It was good to see the Orcas again after a long absence from the south mainland, they had spent at least a month feeding around the Faroe's and then a week around the north  mainland and Yell

Shetland Long stayers

Although the main season for migration in Shetland is over for the season, its still happening with several more Siberian Chiffchaff, including one in the garden. There has been a good number of Jack Snipe, Common Crossbill and various Redpoll

Rarer birds including a Raddes warbler at Clickimin, Little Bunting Fetlar, White Billed Diver at Nesting, American Golden Plover in Unst and a Black Bellied dipper at Walls.

Autumn migration is much slower than Spring, all breeding is finished and many birds need to feed up for a long migration.

The Siberian Chiffchaff, see last blog, appears to be ringed somewhere outside Shetland, pity photos didn't give more information. Experts also think it is a `flavescens' race, which is used to describe the birds are intermediate between tristis and abientinus

A few birds have stayed a long time, a Kingfisher at Voe,(May have been the one on Skerries (3 October) Blackpoll warbler at East Burra firth (Since 16 October) and a Great White Egret since the 12 October at Spiggie,

The GWE has now moved more or less permanently to the NW side of Spiggie making it easier to see.

It seems to be well settled and feeding well. At 3.5 feet high they can easily be seen and to avoid confusion with the smaller Little Egret which has yellow feet and black feet, the GWE has the opposite, a long yellow beak and black feet

The UK's first breeding record was down at the Summerset Levels back in 2012

Also just a bit further out in the loch 5 Scaup fed. A total of 88 swans both Whooper and a few Mute swans, at least 55 Goldeneye, 120 Wigeon, 1 Shoveler (m), Teal (50+) Mallard (30+) Moorhen, Coot and Slavonian Grebe(1), Graylag (150)

A few 100 Fieldfare and Redwing down in the NE corner but little else except flocks of Curlew flying over with numerous Skylark and Meadow Pipit.

Siberian Chiffchaff

Most birders have now left Shetland so its down to a few local birder to come up with the goods. The Blackpoll Warbler remains up at East Burrafirth and on Sunday a Whites Thrush made an appearance in Gulberwick, may be the same one from last week which appeared in nearby Lerwick

A number of Arctic Redpolls are still getting reported, most from Unst and several Siberian Chiffchaff from various parts including two from the south mainland.

I went down to the Blyth Reed Warbler site at Spiggie, a place i intend to keep an eye on. As soon as i arrived the Sib Chiffchaff was seen on nettles just a few feet away.

A Blue Tit made a couple of fleeting appearances then moved back into  dense nettles, a rare bird in Shetland.

It flew over the narrow burn and landed near the cattle feeding rings and started to feed. It posed a few time then dropped to the ground where it caught a Crane fly

This was a ringed bird

It then moving further into cover in the corner near the fence. I spent some time here and a flock of Brambling moved in, 6 birds with a couple landing on the fence. A Chaffinch soon joined them and they flew and landed in a field on the opposite side of the road.

Two Robin and three Wren fed close by, a Wood pigeon flew passed and then a couple of Goldcrest appeared in front of me feeding before moving up the burn

Flocks of Fieldfare (50) and Redwing (20) were joined by Blackbird (20) but were very wary. From the nettles further in flocks of Meadow pipit (40) and Skylark (22) took to the air.

No sign of the Great White Egret but plenty of swan with Whooper (64) and Mute (12) with lots of wigeon, goldeneye, Tufted, Mallard, Teal and a few coot on the loch.