Interesting Shetland visitors

Shetland has been very quiet bird wise, only a few migrants around. The other day i did see a couple of Siberian Chiffchaff and a Blue tit down at Swinster

Whooper Swan numbers have now dropped as most have moved south, more by instinct rather than the weather which has been very mild with only a few gales

Whooper Swans

 

Oystercatcher with winter collar

Bobby Tullock & Bill Oddie

David Bellamy

These famous naturalists have promoted Shetland wildlife in the past. Bobby Tullock lived on Yell and was most remembered for discovering breeding Snowy Owls on Fetlar. We had a lucky trip in the late 1980's when we saw one of the last offspring at the back of the school in Fetlar.

Bill Oddie always liked to come up to Shetland and promoted Shetland after the Braer oil disaster , we meet him a few times, the one with Bobby Tullock on the island of Noss.

David Bellamy was up in Shetland promoting Conservation work, we met him at the Aith Lifeboat gala.

Happy Christmas to all my readers, back soon with more Shetland Blogs

Great White Egret meets the arctic

The long stay Great White egret has now moved to the north west end of Spiggie making it a lot easier to see from the road.

It seems settled and is catching a lot of fish. It doesn't seem to mind the Whooper Swans that rest up close by. 

It does seem odd seeing both of these species together with the GWE from the warm southern Europe and the whoopers the colder Greenland/ Iceland area.

Once it stops to preen it looks around to check on any intruders.

There is a maximum of 88 swans still around this north end, most are Whooper families, together with Lapwing, Snipe, Redshank and Curlew with Coot and Moorhen with a Water Rail on one occasion.

Lots of duck with Wigeon, Goldeneye, Mallard, Teal mixing in and feeding round the swans. Skeins of Greylag passed over and 100's of gulls washed on the loch before moving onto the hill to roost

Raven, Hoddie, Redwing, Fieldfare , Blackbird, Meadow Pipit a few Skylark, Starling and Sparrow roamed around the edge. 

Back home we have had Two Blackcap and a Goldcrest these last few days and a few Twite. In the field  today 14 Blackbirds fed with about 100 starlings

Wood Pigeon and Collard doves have become regular this year and are expanding their range in Shetland

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.