archives

15th May 2012
More Westerly winds
	Snow Bunting at Skaw
	Knot also at Skaw
Ringed Plover at the Houb
We are back in the grip of yet another track of westerly winds so migration has all but dried up once again. A decent passage of Knot is underway in Shetland at the moment. BM found sixty seven on the 18th fairway last night at Skaw but this paled into insignificance with news of a single flock of over 600 on Unst. Today a 2nd year Iceland Gull was at Hamister with an adult and possibly the Hamister bird later at Sandwick loch. Brian later found a cracking male Snow Bunting with seventeen Knot in the same spot at Skaw so never having seen a summer male I took a run north and took a few dodgy pics as they fed around the 18th fairway.
9th May 2012
Two minute Avocet
Ortolan Bunting at Skaw
Pied Flycatcher at Brough	As a Liverpool supporter I would describe today as a bit like the cup final, terrible first half with a marked improvement in the second which didn't quite make up for it. The day started with an interesting Warbler with obvious yellow underparts which lobbed into a small garden at Challister. I got out of the car and thought I could see a pale wing panel through the small bush. At this point I was getting ready to celebrate the first Icterine Warbler of the year when it whipped over the wall and across about three fields before landing in a ditch. My attempts to give chase ended after falling head over bollocks over a barbed wire fence, narrowly avoiding ripping my waterproof breeks. Better news came with Brian finding an Avocet at Houll loch. A major rarity in Shetland, the third on Whalsay in my time and more importantly a bird I still needed for the isle. With no mobile signal BM had to move to higher ground to phone the news out and on our return the bird had flown. A large portion of the rest of the day was spent checking various lochs as well as the houb. News reached us in the evening that it had given a repeat performance on Out Skerries but had at least posed to have its picture taken there. Winds eased mid afternoon and a male Pied Flycatcher at Brough was nice. A male Red Backed Shrike at roadside, Skaw was well worth a text though remaining elusive. BM only having one short flight view and no pics were taken. Bird of the day (for me) was found soon afterwards, a beauty of an Ortolan Bunting shuffling around on the road above the trap. A horsebox with surrounding straw was the attraction and a few passable photos were taken
8th May 2012
First Tirrick
Arctic Tern at Houb	Bar Tailed Godwit also at the Houb
"If you cant beat them". Angela the twitcher!
Redstart at Pouster	A day of strong Easterly winds with ten Ring Ouzels seen in two parties of 4 and 6 respectively, at Skaw and Hamister. There was a good fall of Redstarts today with 12 scattered around the island. Our first Arctic Tern appeared at the Houb and likewise the Arctic Skua over our house at Hamister. Also new for the year was a Bar Tailed Godwit at the Houb since yesterday, Tree Pipits at Symbister(3) and Skaw and a Lesser Whitethroat in the Skaw plantation which I missed. Quite a good scatter of common migrants so hopefully the quality bird will appear tomorrow when winds ease.
4th May 2012
Black Redstart

Meadow Pipit at Hamister	Great Northern Diver off Skaw
What in the world could be better than a large pile of shite? Yes I agree just about anything, that is unless you are a small insect eating passerine. Local crofter Andrew Hutchison has a dung heap outside his byre just above our house and it seems to be forever alive with Starlings, Meadow Pipits, a few Chiffchaffs and the odd White and Pied Wagtail. I have been hoping this would attract a Black Redstart or Stonechat with a nice male of the former appearing this afternoon. There has been little to report for a while, a Wryneck was Id`d from a photo taken at Hamister on 30/4 and the Green Sandpiper reappeared on the small pool at Skaw 2/5. Today is yet another day of raw Northerly winds with the odd sleet shower and looks set to continue this way till Monday with rumours of more favourable conditions after that. Heard that one before!
23rd April 2012
Green Sandpiper and two Shrikes
Green Sandpiper at Skaw
Weary Goldcrest at Gardentown
A He-jug
After a weekend in Orkney I missed three Great Grey Shrikes on Saturday and a Wryneck on Sunday. I headed for Skaw this afternoon and was delighted to find a Great Grey Shrike first bird up though out of camera range. Fifty yards further on a Green Sandpiper was on a pool by the roadside adding another good bird for the year. The rest of my day was quieter with another Great Grey Shrike at Skaw, Sparrowhawks at Skaw and Hamister and the Common Buzzard soaring above the Whitefield "toons".
18th April 2012
Migrants
Female Bullfinch at Skaw
long range female Yellowhammer	Had a good days birding today and though I didnt manage to find anything to excite the countries twitchers it was nice to actually see a few birds for a change. Best birds found were - Long Eared Owl at Brough, two Ring Ouzels at Hamister and Bullfinch and Yellowhammer at Skaw. The Skaw plantation in particular was heaving with at least 15 Chiffchaffs, 8 Robins, 3 Siskins, and single Goldcrest, Redpoll and Brambling. A Peregrine had apparently spent an hour in a Symbister garden in the morning which would have been good to have known about at the time. Winds look set to stay in the east over the weekend and with me in Orkney from Friday to Monday the chances of missing something good is a bit worrying.

17th April 2012
Easterly winds at last
A windswept Moorhen at Saltness
Starling on our garden wall
After a night of strong easterly winds our planned trip to Lerwick today was perhaps poorly timed. My mother phoned about a Moorhen outside their house at Saltness which I managed to see before heading to the ferry. Main news of the day was Norman Polesons report of a Great Grey Shrike at the Booth (pronounced Buid locally). He saw it in the afternoon and of course there was no sign at 6pm when I got home. Its still blowing from the east tonight so a day in the field beckons tomorrow.
7th April 2012
299
Snow Bunting at Skaw 22/3/12	The latest news from Whalsay is that there isn't any. My last optimistic "signs of spring" post has really jinxed it with winds wandering from SW to N and no birds to be seen anywhere. BM had a Goldcrest in his garden 25/3 and two Rooks were in the same area 27/3. There were still some white winged gulls 28/3 with 13 Icelands between North Voe and Symbister, one Glaucous at Symbister and a well marked 2nd year Kumliens Gull joining the adult in North Voe but I haven't written down a single thing since! Poor. I have recently unearthed some more of my grandfathers notebooks from the 60s and 70s and he apparently had a Garganey on west loch of Skaw from 25 -27/9/1966. So what I hear you say, well..... Garganeys not on the Whalsay list thats what! I will have to see if BM knows anything about it when he gets home but it looks like we are on 299 now.
17th March 2012
Signs of spring
Siskin at Vatshoull	Meadow Pipit at Skaw
Iceland Gull at Hamister	The Kumlien`s gull also at Hamister
Teal at Symbister	Pied Wagtail at Hamister
There now seems to be a good build up of Oystercatchers, Lapwings and Skylarks, the latter now singing on the odd occasion that it isn't pishing down and blowing a gale from the South West. Today the Common Scoter flock off Vatshoull was at nine birds which must be a local record with a female Siskin also in a Vatshoull garden for the last day or two.
9th March 2012
Ringed Scorie
	JH763
Pied Wagtail	Grey Heron
How unobservant am I ? I was recently trawling through old Gull pics from Symbister when I came on the above Glaucous Gull photo from 19/1. My finger was hovering over the delete button when I noticed the Juvenile Herring Gull on the left is ringed on both legs. I know I have glanced at this pic several times and missed it each time. I have since found out that it was ringed as a chick at Orndalen , Tromso in Norway on 6th July 2011. Still little to report on the migrant front, two Pied Wagtails have been around Hamister since 7/3 and I managed to catch up with the elusive Common Buzzard today at Vatshoull.
4th March 2012
Long staying Kumlien`s Gull


Spotted the Kumlien`s Gull on a neighbours roof with a Herring Gull while preparing Sunday lunch. After two days of strong SE winds I was hoping for at least a Mistle Thrush today but had to settle for a Woodcock in the Skaw plantation and what was possibly the same Red Throated Diver on Vatshoull loch and later at North loch of Skaw. Sounds like more SE winds on the way so there may be something before the weeks out.
28th February 2012
Update
Its now just over two weeks since my last entry. The Little Gull was last seen on the 17th with Iceland Gull numbers slowly dwindling. Eight are at Symbister today with six in the North Voe and one at Skaw. I had thought the adult Kumlien`s Gull was long gone but it has suddenly reappeared with the gulls in the North Voe this afternoon. Four female Common Scoters were off Vatshoull yesterday and Dunnocks are overwintering at Saltness and Gardentown. Norman Poleson has reported a possible Buzzard sp. below his house at Brough on consecutive mornings but I have yet to catch up with it.
13th February 2012
Little Gull






	26 Iceland Gulls with one Great Black Backed at Symbister
Iceland Gull numbers appear to be on the decrease with "only" twenty two at Symbister today. Numbers peaked 7/2 with fifty four Icelands on this date and with quite a few more gulls unchecked amongst the pelagic boats I expect a few more were present. A first winter Little Gull with the Symbister flock was nice as they are nowhere near annual on the island.
25th January 2012
Final Gull count
First Winter Glaucous Gull (again)
As we are away fishing tomorrow morning I thought I would do a last gull update. Yesterday (24th) an incredible forty nine!! Iceland Gulls were at Symbister and with over thirty resting on the shore it made counting them a lot easier. Today Iceland numbers were down to about thirty eight but Glaucous Gulls were up to seven. Should be back to resume this drivel in a few weeks.
20th January 2012
Red Throated Diver
Got a call from my uncle Bobby Irvine in mid afternoon about a diver on North Loch of Skaw. This turned out to be a Red Throated and is by a long way the earliest bird I have seen on fresh water on Whalsay. Earlier in the day there were thirty one Iceland Gulls and three Glaucous Gulls at Symbister. The Kumlien`s is still staying faithful to the same field at Hamister.
19th January 2012
Glaucous Gulls






The white winged gull invasion has picked up pace on Whalsay with an amazing thirty six!! Iceland Gulls and two Glaucous Gulls below the Symbister fish factory today. Hope I can find something to report that isn't a gull sometime soon.
14th January 2012
The great all Shetland Iceland Gull count





With record numbers of Iceland Gulls in Shetland at the moment the "nature in Shetland" boys decided to organise a synchronised count on Saturday 14th. BM and myself had a day in the field turning up twenty Iceland and two Kumlien`s Gulls, by a long way a record for the isle. A third winter Kumlien`s was on Hamister beach flying off just as the camera was coming out of the bag. This huge influx is all the stranger because of the lack of first winter birds, three of twenty two on Whalsay with a similar story everywhere else. The Shetland day total was an impressive 152. Little else of interest was seen though BM had the Bean Goose again at Isbister and a first winter Gannet flew south past me at Breiwick beach which was unseasonal. JD had the Great White Egret yesterday (13th) fly in landing on the beach below Vatshoull though I missed it. This is the first confirmed sighting since 27/12, where's it been?
11th January 2011
More Iceland Gulls


Am on daily visits to the fish factory at the moment with Iceland Gull numbers at seven there this afternoon and a single adult on Hamister beach. Like everyone else thoughts of an Ivory or Ross`s Gull joining the flock keeps you going. Nothing like a bit of blind optimism.
6th January 2012
Iceland Gulls
	Iceland Gulls and Juvenile Kittiwake at Symbister
9/1/12
9/1/12
The current Iceland Gull influx into Shetland seems to have reached us too with BM yesterday finding a first winter at Skaw then five of different ages at Symbister below the fish factory. My efforts at photography were hampered somewhat by the car being filled with spray every thirty seconds or so. The Kumlien`s Gull was back in its chosen Hamister field today after being seen and photographed at Shetland Catch factory in Lerwick yesterday. It was with a second winter Iceland Gull and BM informed me that yesterdays five Icelands were still at Symbister. A walk in the Skaw Taing accompanied by BM added single Little Auk and Merlin to the year list.
1st January 2012
Common Buzzard
After the usual Christmas/new year excesses I was out a couple of times today. The Kumlien`s Gull was in its usual Hamister field and two Chaffinches and a Long Eared Owl were also at Hamister. Six more Chaffinches were at Symbister and one European White Fronted Goose was still in the Skaw Greylag flock. JD was out doing his annual new years day birdrace against Tommy from Fair Isle and after a slim defeat last year was looking for revenge in 2012. Jons best birds were a Common Buzzard being mobbed by a Hooded Crow over Challister Ness, a Little Auk off Symbister, a Jack Snipe in the Symbister meadow and a couple of Iceland Gulls so with a very reasonable 51 species seen the title is apparently back in Whalsay.	photo Jon Dunn
31st December 2011
Whalsay bird review 2011
January As usual fairly uneventful with an Iceland Gull at Isbister 1/1 and Waxwings at Hamister 12/1 and Marrister 26/1. February Two Mistle Thrushes were at Hamister 15/2 increasing to five on 22/2. An unseasonal Black Redstart was at Hamister 17/2 with a Black Throated Diver and Iceland Gull at Skaw the same Day. March Only a male Grey Wagtail at the Kirk beach, Brough was vaguely notable.	Black Redstart 17/2/11
April A short walk to east Hamister on 10/4 produced our first spring record of Woodlark since 1969. It was seen on many occasions till 12/4 before going missing for two weeks then returning to the same rig for the last time 26/4. A male Lapland Bunting was at Skaw 22/4. A Short Eared Owl and an early Sedge Warbler were at Skaw 24/4 with Wrynecks at Skaw and Hamister on 30/4.	Woodlark 10/4/11
May A Little Bunting was in BMs garden at Marrister 7/5. Bird of the spring was a flypast Black Kite at North loch which unfortunately didn't linger for the other island birders to see it, turning up on Fetlar next day. A Wood Sandpiper was at the West loch 11/5 with a male Crossbill at Saltness the next day. All fell quiet until a Tree Sparrow put in a brief appearance at Skaw 26/5 being replaced by an Icterine Warbler 27/5.	Icterine Warbler 27/5 /11
June A male Red Backed Shrike in the Sodom plantation 9/6 was to prove to be the only sighting for the year with a female Quail picked up dead in the same area. This was particularly annoying as this was my third corpse from the valley and am still waiting to see a living one! 12/6 produced single Little Stint at the Houb and Common Rosefinch at Skaw. On 13/6 a female Common scoter was in the North Voe and better still a Red Breasted Flycatcher was in BMs garden. A female Crossbill was at Hamister 15/6 and an unseasonal Glaucous Gull was in the North Voe 29/6. July A flock of 30+ Knot at the Houb was as exciting as it got! August A Green Sandpiper was at the west loch 4/8. On 5/8 both Icterine and Wood Warblers were in the Skaw plantation. Little of note was seen until 25/8 with a Curlew Sandpiper at the Houb, Wrynecks at Isbister and Skaw, Wood Warbler at Isbister and Barred Warblers at Creadyknowe and Whitefield. The Houb scored well towards the months end with the Curlew Sandpiper being joined by up to four Little Stints 28/8 six Sanderlings 27/8 and single Ruff, Bar Tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper logged.	Little Stint 28/8/11
September A Corncrake seen briefly flying across the upper yard at roadside Skaw kicked off the month 1/9. BM had a Grey Plover at the Skaw Taing 12/9. The first Yellow Browed Warblers turned up at Marrister and Brough 17/9. A Peregrine was terrorising the waders at the Houb 18/9. A Little Bunting was at Vevoe and a Barred Warbler in the Skaw plantation 25/9 with a mystery Locustella Warbler playing hide and seek at Isbister the same day. Another Little Bunting was at Isbister 28/9 with the Vevoe bird still present. A Hawfinch rounded off a poor month 30/9.	Little Bunting 25/9/11
October On 1/10 our record day count of twelve Yellow Browed Warblers was well and truly smashed with twenty! logged, and with only three areas properly checked this total could well have been doubled. BM found our third Little Bunting of the year at Marrister and probable bird of the day escaped with a calling Pipit at Skaw escaping detection, Olive Backed Pipit being strongly suspected. An Ortolan Bunting was at Marrister 4/10 and an Olive Backed Pipit at Skibberhoull 9 -11/10, both seen while I was away. A quiet period followed until two Great White Egrets turned up 24/10, both birds were present till 5/11 with one still touring the island and looking set to bring in the new year. A Hen Harrier flew east past Hamister 23/10 and a Common Buzzard was in the Challister area 29/10. A few Long and Short Eared Owls were also seen towards the months end.	Great White Egret 24/10/11
November Usually a quiet month with perhaps one good bird in the first few days, this year was to be a bit different! At least four Black Redstarts were around one Symbister garden in the first few days. A Waxwing was at Saltness 5/11. A Grey Wagtail and Yellowhammer at Sandwick and Mistle Thrush at Challister were seen 6/11. A female Bullfinch was identified from a video recording at North Park 8/11. 14/11 added six European White fronted geese to the year list. 15/11 proved to be a big day with Hume`s Warbler at Symbister, Seven! Long Eared Owls in one Skibberhoull garden with two more seen later at Skaw and thirteen European White Fronted geese and four Tundra Bean Geese at Challister. Common Scoter and Pochard were on Sandwick loch 17/11. Our good raptor year continued with both Common and Rough Legged Buzzards turning up at Whitefield and Isbister respectively 18/11. A Great Crested Grebe was sharing Symbister harbour with a Black Throated Diver 19/11 and a female Goosander was on the pool also at Symbister the next day. The Rough Legged Buzzard reappeared at Vatshoull 21/11 giving better views and a Hen Harrier also at Vatshoull the next day rounded off an amazing month for good birds.	Tundra Bean Geese 15/11/11
Hume`s Warbler 15/11/11 and Great Crested Grebe 19/11/11
Black Throated Diver 19/11/11 and Rough Legged Buzzard 21/11/11
December A Long Eared Owl was at Hamister 2/12 rounding off a big Owl year. An adult Kumlien`s Gull was at Hamister 5/12 and was very likely the returning Ist winter of January 09. Like the Egret it looks set to remain into next year. Peregrines were seen at Skaw 6/12 and Hamister 15/12. The Great Crested Grebe reappeared in the harbour on 7/12 for a few days. An Iceland Gull was around Symbister for most of the month with two seen on 15/12. Quite a good year with four additions to my Whalsay list - Black Kite, Great White Egret, Great Crested Grebe and Rough Legged Buzzard. There were many birds I could have gone for elsewhere in Shetland but my limited interest in twitching meant I only added Squacco Heron, Alpine Swift and Siberian Rubythroat to my completely unimpressive Shetland list. My Whalsay year list ended on 151 which I reckon is OK. Two new birds for Whalsay were seen this year Black Kite and Great White Egret and (assuming both are accepted) this takes us on to 298 species. Happy new Year to any heidcases who have read this drivel all the way down to here!	Kumlien`s Gull 5/12/11

Latest News

15th May 2012

9th May 2012

8th May 2012

4th May 2012

23rd April 2012

18th April 2012

17th April 2012

7th April 2012

17th March 2012

9th March 2012

4th March 2012

28th February 2012

13th February 2012

25th January 2012

20th January 2012

19th January 2012

14th January 2012

11th January 2011

6th January 2012

1st January 2012

31st December 2011