Scouring Scalloway (21st of December 2013)

So this is probably my last blog post up to Christmas and until then I wish everybody a Happy Christmas.

This weekend I went with my Dad to Scalloway, while I was there I had a look round the streets (most of them!) for birds.

I started off at 11.55 and I headed to Ladysmith road, I had a look for some Goldfinches which had been seen in a garden a few weeks ago, but alas there was no Goldfinches and instead I got to watch a young Blackbird with a worm.

The young Blackbird was happily eating while I took some photos of it a mere three or four metres away

I watched the Blackbird, a few Starlings and twenty House Sparrows feeding in the garden for five minutes before a walker-by scared them all off, it was time for me to head off anyway so I went to have a look round the next street.

In the next street I found a garden with some feeders that were covered in Starlings some of them were feeding on the ground.

This individuals colours seemed so bright, in this picture you can see a kind of lilac collar on the bird.

And on this one the Starling has a kind of greeny yellow collar

I left the Starlings and I explored several streets before coming to one called "The Creek" I went down it and then I turned back around to head into another street when I saw a Hooded Crow alight itself into a large tree to my right, the Crow had got itself a piece of bread which had been chucked out, I got out my camera and got a few photos of the bird.

 The crows are disliked by some people, I like them because they are a bit of a challenge to get close to

From "The Creek" I followed the streets north until I came to a place called "Sycamore Avenue" I followed the street and I came to the edge of a park (field) and I saw a few Blackbirds feeding, I got my "bins" on the closest one and watched it for a while, I noticed something fly across the road from where I was standing and this bird was black and white, a Woodpecker!! I immediately got my camera out and I tried to get a photo of the Great-spotted Woodpecker but it was always behind a branch (Scotland's first Lesser-spotted Woodpecker was found (by Rob Fray) in Sycamore Avenue/the Scalloway Health Centre last year, I sadly missed the bird by three days as I was in Fair Isle, the day I left the isle I missed a Siberian Rubythroat! but had luckily seen one the year before).

This is probably my best shot of the "pecker" (which was a juvenile or a female) but for me it was a great find, only my 4th ever sighting of the species, my first was this year in Brae which was found by my grandad Tommy!

I "woody" stayed around for a few minutes, calling most of the time too! but all birds go and this one flew over a house and disappeared, I had a look around for it but there was no sign so I moved off in search of the avian-flyers.
I found myself looking over a park (field) next to the Scalloway Health Centre and I managed to see at least twenty Curlews or Whaps as we call them, I had a better look at the flock and I counted sixty bird! I can't believe I'd missed that many! the Whaps in the park flew up onto a hill and joined ten or twenty more.
I decided to have a closer look and I was able to count 74 Whaps they blended in very well with the hillside so there was probably 80 birds.
I started heading south towards the shop because I was starting to feel hungry and after I got a bag of crisps I went and had a quick look round some large trees (by Shetland Standards anyway), surprisingly I didn't see any birds but I didn't check the entire place.
The area round the Leisure Centre was my next destination and it was a good one! I saw 7 Greylag Geese, 28 Lapwings and 40+ Starlings!
I doubled back and went along the road to the Scalloway Castle and in the parks below were Twenty Herring Gulls, four Great Black-Backed Gulls and two Rooks.

I managed to get a picture of one of the Rooks in flight

I walked down the road to the pier and I sat myself down, I had a quick scan of the sea and I saw three Dunters and two very nice Red-breasted Mergansers.
A few minutes later I got a call from Dad saying that he was ready to pick me up.
By this time it was three o'clock so I had spent three hours checking through most of the streets in Scalloway!

Here is a picture of the Scalloway Castle, taken from my sitting spot beside a lamp post

Dad then came to pick me up and we headed home, on the way I tallied up all the birds I had seen during my three hour period of birdwatching.

Starling 200+

Blackbird 14

Herring Gull 53+

Hooded Crow (Cra) 13

House Sparrow 54

Collard Dove 3 

(a very, very low count compared to what I normally see in Scalloway)

Great-spotted Woodpecker 1

Curlew (Whap) 80+

Rock Dove 2

Greylag Goose 7

Raven (Corbie) 1 or 2

Lapwing 28

Great Black-backed Gull (Swaabie) 7

Rook 2 possibly 3

Eider (Dunter) 3

Red-breasted Merganser (Herald Deuk) 2

Common Gull (Peerie Maa) 1

Weekend Birding 16th & 17th of November 2013

Saturday the 16th of November 2013

This morning I headed down to Lerwick on the bus.
When I got to Lerwick Henry and I headed to the "street" and then to the hostel.
We stayed there a while before Mairi picked us up and we went to the house for lunch.
After lunch Henry and I checked the Clickimin.
On arrival we saw fifty-four Stirlings, eight Turnstones, fourteen Greylags, thirty Herring Gulls and twenty-two Shalders.
While I was counting the Herring Gulls I noticed a different coloured gull washing itself in the water,
we both moved closer to it and I noticed it had white wing tips, a white-winged gull! a 1st or 2nd winter Iceland or a Glaucous Gull!
My thoughts were moving towards Iceland Gull but I couldn't be sure, so since the bird didn't seem to be going anywhere we went to Helendale.
We were there a few minutes and we had seen two Goldcrests, a Collard Dove, two Brambling, a Chaffinch and four Blackbirds then the birder from the south end who we saw last weekend came up the road, we spoke to him for a few minutes before he went further up the road.
We started walking towards the loch when Henry spotted a warbler on some wire, I got my "bins" on it and it was a Chiffchaff but it was a very pale bird (possibly a Siberian).
The south end birder then arrived and we showed him the bird and he said that it was definitely an "eastern" bird, we then showed him the white-winged gull he said that it was an Iceland but it was hard to tell if it was a first or second winter.
We continued birding round the loch and we found seventeen Tufted Ducks, twelve Goldeneye, the juvenile Mute Swan and two Great Black-backed Gulls we then headed back to the house.
Tonight I sent an email asking if anyone had said where a certain Little Grebe had been seen during the week.

Sunday the 17th of November 2013

I got up early this morning so I could take a look round Clickimin and Seafield.
I checked my emails before I went out just in case I had got a reply about the Little Grebe, luckily I did and I was told that no-one had actually said where it had been but an idea was a small loch at Seafiled.
With that info I gathered my stuff and headed over to Clickimin, there I saw three Whooper Swans, sixteen Greylags, fifteen Herring Gulls, one Great Black-backed Gull (which was eating an intestine or something), two Shalders, one Turnstone, eight Mallards, a pair of Teal, seven Redshank, thirteen Tufted Duck, two Goldeneye, one Gadwall, a Blackbird and two Herring Gulls.
I headed into Helendale and I found a Robin, fifteen Blackbirds and a Wren from here I went to Seafield.
On the way I saw one Great Black-backed Gull (Swaabie), four Redshank, a Raven, two Blackbird and three Redwing.

I got relatively close to the Redwings and this one stayed close enough so I could get a photo

I got to Seafield and I saw the usually Grey Seals which lie on the rocks.

I couldn't see the name of this ship, unless anyone has any ideas

Further along the coast I found a Kittiwake, two Wren, four Rock Pipits, three Blackbird, twenty-five Stirlings, eight Turnstone, four Redshank and a few Herring Gulls.

I then spotted three Ringed Plovers standing among four larger grey waders, Knot!

It's not a time lapse but three birds

You can see the size comparison with the Ringed Plovers

I was quite happy that I found the Knot because I haven't seen any in a while

I continued out to the small loch further along at Seafield, when I got there I saw five Mallards and a very (very) small bird swimming in the water, the Little Grebe! I got out my camera and I started taking some photos.

It was a piece away but I'm glad that I got a photo

If you look carefully you can see a peerie fish in the bird's beaks!

I then headed back to the house and this was the end of my birding for today.

Weekend Birding 9th and 10th of November 2013

Saturday the 9th of October 2013

Today I headed down to Lerwick to see my Dad.

I got on the ferry at Toft and at the other side Tommy picked me up and he showed me the partially lecustic Shag which had been hanging around there for several weeks.
Tommy also had my camera with him and it was fixed, I had accidentally dropped it a few weeks before and then Tommy set it on the table at the shop in Lerwick and it was fine!
I got some really good views of the bird and it sat on the same buoy the entire time we were there.

A good comparison if you know how big the buoys are

A very funny looking bird but a very nice sight

Preening time

"Tall and proud"

Tommy and I then did a run around to check for Swans on the Lochs (as it was the count for the Swans and Geese in Shetland).

On the Loch of Trondavoe we found six Whooper Swans and we continued south looking at the lochs at Voe, Laxo, Girlsta, Stromfirth and Strand, there was not a single swan on any of those lochs so we headed into Lerwick to pick up Henry.
We got over the hill at Shurton Brae and I saw a few birders, I was thinking they were looking at geese or swans but there was six or seven of them so I was probably wrong, Tommy pulled over and I got out to speak to one of them.
I asked what he was looking and he said that the bird had just flown towards Lerwick, I asked what was the bird and he said Black-throated Thrush!! I thanked him and we drove straight into Lerwick to fetch Henry.
On the way I phoned Henry and I told him about the Thrush, when we got to the hostel he was standing at the side of the road waiting, he jumped in and we were off!
We got back to Shurton Brae and we spoke to Jim Nicolson and the birder from Wester Quarff (who's name I didn't catch, again!), they said there was no sign of the bird but the Wester Quarff guy said that he would take us to where it was found.
Within several minutes we were there and we were scanning the parks for the bird, we found a few Redwings and then two other birders came, we all stood chatting for a minute and then one of them got a call saying that the Black-throated Thrush was by the cemetery at Sound! one of the birders gave us a lift down and we rushed to see the bird before it disappeared.
Many birders were already there when we arrived and so we joined in the search for the bird.
I spoke to some of them and they said it was hoping on some grass, I got my eyes on it but it looked black through my "bins" but It was a new tick for me so I was very happy, It is also the 200th bird specie I've seen in Shetland! (I think).
The Black-throated Thrush was found at Shurton Brae by Rebbeca Nason and if she had never found maybe it would of gone un-noticed.

I then got this shot, for all anybody knows it could be a Fieldfare but its something to remember the bird by.

I then watched the bird for a while and then it flew off, everyone stood around speaking for a while, Tommy then took us to Netherdale and he dropped Henry and I off.

 Henry and I had our lunch and then we were off for a look at the Clickimin Loch for some birds.

On the south side of the Loch we spotted forty Turnstones, twenty-eight Shalders, seven Redshank, eight-teen Hooded Crows! five Goldeneye, four Redwings, five Blackbirds and two Great Black-backed Gulls.
We then spotted a juvenile Mute Swan, Henry wanted to try and see if we could get it to come close so we bought some bread.
We started chucking a few pieces in the water but the swan didn't notice and instead three Mallards came over (domesticated origin birds) and we fed/photographed them for a while before we noticed that the Hooded Crows had made a circle round us (kinda creepy) we then headed round the loch to find more birds before the Crows decided to find their next meal!

A Hooded Crow on the Clickimin Loch

We headed into Helendale and we met a birder from the south end, he showed us two Goldcrests which he had found and also a Gadwall which was on Clickimin, also in the trees in Helendale were over twenty Hooded Crows!
We then headed home and then out to Girlsta with my Dad.
At Girlsta we visited Paula and she showed us a Hedgehog which she was looking, Henry had only seen a dead one before so he was really excited to see it.
We stayed there a while before we headed back into Lerwick.
When we arrived we put Henry back to the hostel and we went for tea.
Afterwards Dad ran me to Isleburgh for a Shetland Bird Club talk, I enjoyed the talk and I spoke to a few birders who were there before Dad picked me up and we headed home.

Sunday the 10th of November 2013

This morning I headed out to Clickimin.

There I found seven Greylags, several Redshank, two Herring Maas, one Great Black-backed Maa, one Snipe, the juvenile Mute Swan from yesterday, thirty-one Goldeneyes and ten Mallards.

Three of the seven Greylags

I fed the Mallards the last of the bread from yesterday

I then headed to Helendale and I found three Blackbirds, one of the Goldcrests from yesterday, a male Chaffinch and two Bramblings.

When I came out of Helendale I spotted three very nice Whooper Swans swimming on the loch.

These two are probably the parents if the bird below

The juvenile Whooper Swan which is probably related to the ones above

The juvenile Mute Swan which Henry and I found yesterday

I watched the Whooper Swans move closer to the young Mute and they were soon trying to scare it off, the young Whooper Swan started hissing and running at the young Mute Swan.

On the side of the loch I spotted this lone Turnstone

I then headed back to Mairi's and when I arrived she had picked up Henry and the five of us (including Laura and Ellie) headed over to Kergord to take part in an event planned by the wildlife explorers (a group that teaches the younger ones about nature).

When we got there loads of people had already arrived and soon about thirty of us set out into one of the woods at Kergord.

Henry and I took our own route into the woods to look for birds.

An old ruin of a house in the trees at Kergord

From the bottom to the top of the trees we heard Goldcrests, we got some quick views of some but we could never find them again but at the top of the trees we finally found one in a bush!

I got within two feet of the bird and some really good views came with it.

The Goldcrest went deeper into the bush so I tried to find a way round to Henry's side of it, I found a way round and I managed to flush a Woodcock on the way!

Neither of us managed to find the Goldcrest again so we went and joined the main group.

Some people were huddled around a log looking at something so I joined them, the thing turned out to be a fungus and they were all trying to figure out what it was but in the end no-one had any idea.

The fungus

I was speaking to someone when I spotted this strange moth land on my jacket, someone said (or at least what I thought they said) that it was a Ghost moth.

A ghost moth (I think)

Somebody then pointed to some trees in front of us and I saw Goldcrests, at least eight of them!

The birds were to far away to get photos of but I did get some really good looks, I then went off to tell Henry about the Goldcrests.

I found Henry taking pictures of something in the trees above him and it turned out to be more Goldcrests!

I got our my camera to try and take pictures of them.

This is the only decent shot of a Goldcrest I saw in Kergord, see if you can find it

Soon the Goldcrests disappeared, Henry and I then tallied up all the Goldcrests we had seen which was about eight and all the ones that we heard and that brought our total to fifteen in this one plantation!

Mairi, Laura and Ellie soon found us and we all headed back to Lerwick.

When we got back to Lerwick, Mairi took Henry back to the hostel and I went to Clickimin.

I found the Whooper Swans from this morning, seven Greylags and the juvenile Mute Swan.

Also on the loch was fourteen Herring Gulls, eight Mallards and thirty-two Goldeneyes.

I got really close to this female Goldeneye 

I then headed into Helendale and I found three Blackbirds and two Brambling.

This Wren was also hunting for insects, I saw it catch one in the small hole to the left of it

I see this Rabbit most afternoons running about but I haven't seen it eating lettuce next to a Blackbird who is eating an apple

A close up of the Blackbird

I left Helendale and I headed back to the house and I saw two Snipe and this flock of twenty-eight Shalders on the way.

I like seeing the Shalders during the winter

I finally returned to the house and that was the end of this blog post.

Hills 'n' Hares

Sunday the 24th of November 2013

This morning I headed out to Girlsta with my Dad to do a few jobs on the croft.

In Girlsta we checked the sheep and fed them too.

He doesn't look very happy even though he has two females

Later we headed out onto the hill to put out a few feeding blocks for the sheep and we found this Mountain Hare

Not exactly the best coat to have when there's no snow

But it tries to make it work.

On the top of the hill I got a few pictures of Girlsta and a few other places.

Girlsta

 Panoramic view from the top of the hill

It was very cold and icy so we headed back to the house to warm up.

(There is still a few blog posts from past dates that aren't finished but they soon will be)

Cape May Warbler #2 (Saturday the 2nd of November 2013)

Today Tommy and I took Henry up to Unst to see the Cape May Warbler.

The 2nd of November 2013

I got my stuff ready and then I waited for Tommy and Henry to come up from the Mainland.

Soon Tommy and Henry arrived and they had Paula's camera which they had been told to pick up on the way from Lerwick (my camera was till "out of action" so I was very glad to see Paula's camera) the three of us then headed up to the Gutcher ferry.

We took the ferry across to Unst and soon we were heading up to Baltasound.

Once in Baltasound we headed straight to the Old Manse.

As we rounded the corner from the school, we saw a few cars parked up and a lot of birders so we continued going and we parked up the car.

We got out quickly and went to see if they had seen the bird.

The bird was working it's way along a dyke and we soon got some good views of it.

Henry had met a lot of the people who were there because they had stayed at Haa over the years.

It then disappeared and we were just about to leave when it was spotted in a sycamore tree no more than ten feet away!

Henry and I slowly moved towards the dyke between us and the tree and we started getting amazing views while passing the camera between us.

When I had the camera the bird landed on the dyke really close to where we were standing! and I got these great shots.

I have to say this is a pretty good shot of the bird and it has a insect in it's beak!

Such an amazing bird  to be able to get all the way over to Shetland

The bird then flew back into the tree and then along the dyke and we lost it, so we went round Baltasound to find other birds.
At the Baliasta cemetery we spotted a few Chiffchaffs and a bird of prey (it could of been a Merlin but a Sparrowhawk had been sighted in the area), Henry and I spotted some Chiffchaffs flyover to a nearby house and we tried to get picture of them.
I got a really good look at one and it was really pale, I then noticed a small white wing bar and I was thinking that it could be a Siberian Chiffchaff.
The bird then flew off and we lost it so we continued looking round Unst.
We headed up to Haroldswick to a marsh which had a group of bushes on the edge of it, last year Tommy and I came here and we found my first Reed Bunting and some Willow Warblers and every time we've come to Unst we have checked this same spot.
We didn't find anything in the bushes but we did find a few Wigeon and some Snipe, Henry and I then had a quick look on the beach there and he spotted a Grey Wagtail! No matter how many times he pointed to it I couldn't see it, then he pointed and I saw it at the far side of the beach.
We chased after it for a while but were unable to find the bird and so we headed back to the car.
On the way we heard a Great-northern Diver calling, we checked in the sea and we spotted an adult and a juvenile bird (A very nice sight).
We got in the car and we headed south to Baltasound, on the way Henry wanted to have a look at the famous Unst bus stop.
We then went along the coast and then up to Halligarth where we met Brydon Thomason, he asked us if we'd heard about the Dipper (I was thinking, Dipper?!? what Dipper?!?) we said no and he said that one had been found in a burn on Hermaness, he said that we wouldn't have enough time to go up.
I thought we could make it but we turned around when we got to Haroldswick and instead we went to see the Cape May again.
When we got there all but one birder was there so we asked him if he'd seen the bird, he said that he had just lost it so we had a look along the dyke where we originally saw it.
Within a few seconds Henry and I relocated the bird on the dyke sitting next to a Blackcap! we called Tommy and the birder over and they saw it, the birder then started walking back to his car and we headed back to the ferry.
At the Loch of Belmont we spotted a duck, Henry and I got out to have a look at it and it turned out to be a female Long-tailed Duck (there was four-hundred on the Loch this year or last!)
We then crossed back over to Yell and I was put back to Mid Yell.

I had checked Nature Shetland a few days later to see if the Cape May Warbler was seen on Sunday or Monday, it hadn't so I was thinking that Tommy, Henry and myself were the last people to see it!

Mid Yell & Whalsay Birding 26th, 27th and the 28th of October 2013

Saturday the 26th of October 2013

Since it was the holidays I thought I would have a look round Mid Yell to see if I could find any interesting birds.
While I was walking down from my house I spotted this Blackbird which was missing his tail feathers.

It seemed to be doing fine without a tail

I continued to the School and I had seen a total of seven Blackbirds, four Meadow Pipit, two Redwings, twenty-one Starlings, four House Sparrows, four Herring Gulls, two Hooded Crows and two Rock Doves.

I was wandering down to the shop when I spotted the Redwings, so I wandered up the road and I heard a rustling sound in the grass next to me, I looked at the thing and it was a Hedgehog! I know that they aren't usually meant to be out during the day so I picked it up in my jumper and I got some dog food for it and I placed it in the trees at the School, the Hedgehog fed happily for a while and then it wandered into the trees.

This time I went towards the shop, I had nearly got there when I spotted a Swallow flying about, I had heard that one had been seen a few days ago in Mid Yell so this was most likely the same one.

I stayed around the pier for a while and by the time it was starting to get dark I had spotted six Curlew, a Tystie, over 40 Starlings and a few Blackbirds.

Just before I left to head home I saw the Swallow sitting on a wire

Sunday the 27th of October 2013

I headed out early this morning to find some birds and as I stepped out my front door some Redwings flew over the hill (not a bad start to the day).

I reached the bottom of Hillend and I spotted a small bird flitting around in a tree so I moved in to take a closer look.

My little bird turned out to be a Chiffchaff and I also found a male Blackcap (this day was getting better by the minute)

I kept following the road towards the school and I spotted two Greylag Geese fly over head.

I also found this dead mouse

At the Mid Yell hall I spotted a Robin and ten Twite flew over, I also found two Redwings.

I continued to the School and I found a Robin (which was possibly the one that was around the School last year), seven Fieldfares, four Blackbird and a male Blackcap.

He sat for a minute on the roof of the old school

I headed down to Linkshouse and the Swallow was still flying about, I also found this dead bird lying in a lump of grass I took a closer look and I thought it was a funny looking Blackbird but it had red on its head and a blue eye then I got it the bird was a Great-spotted Woodpecker!

A very sad sight but it happens to all birds in the end, this was the first time I had seen one in Mid Yell but I hoped it would be in better circumstances.

I continued towards the Pier and I found two Blackcaps (both male), a Common Gull, a Blackbird, a Black Guillemot (which I think stays round the pier for most of the year).

This was one of the Turnstones scurrying along the pier

I got to the edge of the Pier and I spotted a seal in the water, I had a look through my "bins" and it was the Bearded Seal! who was still in Yell after at least four or five months.

The long-staying Bearded Seal just off the Pier was quite a nice sight before it swam away

I started heading back along the pier and then a Snow Bunting flew by! my first one in Mid Yell! also I spotted a Redshank and that was the end of my day.

Monday the 28th of October 2013

I headed down to Brae this morning so Tommy and I could go to Whalsay.

I got the quarter past nine ferry from Ulsta and on the crossing to the Mainland I saw twenty Black Guillemots, four Kittiwakes, two Shag, a Great Black-backed Gull and four very nice looking Long-tailed Ducks.

Tommy then picked me up and we headed to Brae, on the way we had a look at Laxobigging and we found some Redwings and a Blackcap.

We then checked a pool at Sullom Voe and there we saw fifty-seven Wigeon, six Greylag Geese, sixty-six Lapwings, a Curlew, a Wren, fifteen Teal, fourteen Redshank and two Dunlin.

From here we headed to the Loch of Trondavoe, a place good for wildfowl (Swans, Geese, Ducks).

At the Loch we saw the usual Whooper Swans with a few others taking the total up to eight, ten Mallards, twenty-five Greylag Geese and a few Wigeon.

We had a quick run into Brae and then we headed for the half ten ferry at Laxo.

We got on the ferry and on the crossing to Whalsay we saw two Red-breasted Mergansers, sixteen Shags, six Black Guillemots, thirty Fulmars and a Red-throated Diver.

We had nearly got into Symbister and we saw a big flock of 400 Eiders (Dunters), I got out my camera but the zoom wouldn't work! I tried again and again but with no luck so I put it away.

We got off the ferry and we popped into the shop at Symbister, afterwards we headed to Brough to look for the Isabelline Shrike which had been around there for the past few weeks.

After a while at Brough there was no Isabelline Shrike so we went to a beach to look for some birds.

There we found twenty-two Ringed Plovers, ten Turnstones, a Curlew and two Redshanks, we then tucked into the food we got at the shop (which was very good).

After we had eaten our food we went to Skaw and all we found was a Blackcap so we headed back to the ferry and that was the end of our day.