Common Crane at Blithfield Res. Staffs.

Took a day off from the usual rounds to go and see the Common Crane in Tad Bay, Blithfield Reservoir. The bird remained on the far side of the bay while I was there. Duck numbers were clearly increasing but waders were represented by a lone Ruff, in Tad bay. My intention was to visit some Tame valley sites but as it got quite dark late afternoon and with things to do in Tamworth I decided the Crane would have to be it for the day.

Common Crane, Blithfield Res.

Common Crane

Common Crane

The Shetland Isles - good birds to the end

Days 8 & 9
Saturday was wet, we did go out to look for a Rose coloured Starling but gave up as the heavy rain continued. After lunch back in Lerwick we set off again as the rain eased. A Bluethroat showed very well in the same area we had explored in the morning and then news that the Pallid Harrier had returned to Tingwall had us jumping back in the cars for the short drive to Tingwall. The Harrier was sitting on a post near to the airfield and attracting the attention of a Merlin. So despite losing a good deal of the day to the weather we had ended up with 2 excellent birds for the day.

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Our final day

After packing up we went back for another look for the Rose coloured Starling. This time we were successful as the bird was seen flying into the same Sycamore 'hedge' the Bluethroat had been in.

Rose coloured Starling

A distant Rose coloured Starling

We drove back to the Sumburgh area to see what we could find before heading for the Airport. The 'boys' found a Lesser Whitethroat, while I amused myself trying to photograph another Yellow browed warbler,

Yellow browed Warbler, Sumburgh Head

Shetland Isles - Another one of those days

Day 7
Overnight gales continued into the morning so it was a slow start to the day. When the rain had eased a bit we headed off to Eswick for another search for the Little Bunting.The bird had been seen on the sheltered side of a small wood at it wasnt long before it appeared in a ditch.

Little Bunting, Eswick

I can't remember where we all went after that. I remember getting good views of Jack Snipe and looking for a reported Corncrake but I do have a vivid recollection of what happened after the Mega alert went off. All we knew from a corrupted message, was that a Mega had been found somewhere on the Shetland Isles. The sensible thing to do was to head for the main road and wait. We didnt get to the main road before the lead car came to a sudden halt and Julian jumped out in a state of great excitement. The exact words can't be repeated for legal reasons, probably, but the gist was Siberian Rubythroat - Levenwick. Yes, the one every Shetland birder wants. In the excitement we or rather the driver set off in the wrong direction. We travelled half a mile before we realised. We were so close to Levenwick it didnt really matter. We joined the throng trying to get a glimpse of the bird amongst the dense foliage of a garden. I managed to get a position where I could view a small open area between two bushes. A couple of times a bird dashed across the open ground but the views were poor. It was sometime before I got the view I wanted. The bird stopped to feed, front on, showing its distinctive throat pattern which stood out even in the dim light under the bushes. Yes, brilliant. Several other birder got the same view so there was alot of clenching of fists and hand shaking. Many thanks to the finder, Dan Pointon. Many birders went home very happy that evening.

The bird relocated to a familiar garden the next day and I managed to get a couple of images.

Siberian Rubythroat, Levenwick

Siberian Rubythroat

To celebrate Keith prepared a few nibbles (which didnt last long enough to photograph) to go with a few beers, a sample of which is shown here.

The Shetland Isles - Days 5 and 6

Day 5, 1st October 2014
We returned to Unst, as we had unfinished business. The Eastern sub Alpine warbler and the Barred warbler were soon in the bag, but the Rustic Bunting proved far more difficult and was seen by only one member of the team. At Norwick the Wryneck was still on the beach posing for photos in the warm sunshine. We also saw a Marsh warbler in a patch of nettles and got to grips with the female King Eider on the way back on Yell. For me though the bird of the day had been the Wryneck.

Barred warbler, Haroldswick, Unst

Wryneck, Norwick, Unst

Wryneck

Wryneck

Day6, 2nd October 2014
Target for the day was a Little Bunting at Eswick, we didnt find it so after lunch back at Lerwick we tried for the Pectoral Sandpiper at Clevigarth.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Clevigarth

Pectoral Sandpiper

We visited several likely spots but without success except near Spiggie where a Merlin complete with ready meal landed quite close to the car.

Merlin

Merlin

The Merlin was the Bird of the day, but the highlight of the day was the Chilli we had for dinner, lovingly cooked by 'Wimbo'.

The Shetlands, Days 3 and 4, The calm before a Mega day.

Monday 29th September 2014
A quiet day day both in terms of the weather and the birds. The plan was to head north and have a look for a reported Greenish warbler but when a message came through about another Yank, a  Myrtle warbler at Virkie we did a quick about turn. When we got to Virkie the news was not so good as the bird had been seen to fly off. We spent the rest of the day looking for birds around various sites in the South but only came up with regular Shetland wintering and passage species. However, late news that a White's Thrush had been found on the South Mainland made our plans for the following day pretty straightfoward.

Wheatear

Tuesday 30th September 2014
Day 4 turned out to be one of those 'special' birding days. News that the Whites Thrush was still present confirmed our intentions and we were soon peering into the garden it had bee seen in at Durigarth. The height of the wall proved quiet challenging for many birders and prime viewing spots were at a premium. Having seen the bird we decided it was a case of coming back later when it was less crowded. As we got back to the car news came through that the Myrtle warbler had been relocated in Grutness. Another Mega just down the road. Outstanding.

White's Thrush, Durigarth

Whites Thrush

Myrtle warbler, Grutness

Myrtle warbler

Myrtle warbler

Shetland 2014, Day 2 Unst

We drove up to Unst in the hope of connecting with Rustic Bunting, which one of the low listers in the party needed and as there were other bits and bobs it seemed the place to be. We saw Temminck's Stint briefly and had a look for the Eastern sub-Alpine warbler before stopping for a drink and a bit of lunch. Having just placed our order the message came through that a Swainson's Thrush had been found just up the road at Norwick. Having calmly finished our lunch we were on site in minutes. The bird was in a walled garden and it wasnt too long before it popped up on a wall.

Swainson's Thrush, Norwick, Unst

We also had rather distant views of a Wryneck on the beach but failed to see the Barred warbler, Common Rosefinch, Rustic Bunting in the area and the female King Eider at Yell on the way back. It had however been an excellent days birding and we would no doubt catch up with the birds we had missed later in the week. Bird of the day - Swainson's Thrush

The Shetland Isles - 2014, The Beginning

Saturday 27th September 2014
After our flights from B'ham to Sumburgh, Shetland, the team : Julian Allen, Tom Perrins, Pete Forbes, Keith (Wimbo) Wimbush and myself drove to our accommodation in the centre of Lerwick. Despite the Docklands location the spacious and comfortable flat was to prove an excellent base for our stay. We wasted no time in getting out, visiting several favoured sites in the South Mainland area. Wood warbler was a new 'Shetlands bird' for some of the group but the bird of the day was a Horneman's Arctic Redpoll at Veensgarth, with a very obliging Red breasted Flycatcher a close second at Cunningsburgh.

Horneman's Arctic Redpoll, Veensgarth

Hornemans Arctic Redpoll

Red breasted Flycatcher, Cunningsburgh

Red breasted Flycatcher

Red breasted Flycatcher