Wilson's Warbler, Port Nis, Lewis 17th October 2015

The second record for the UK of Wilson's Warbler, a male, was found by resident birder Tony Marr & visiting birder Roy Dennis at Port Nis, Isle of Lewis on 13th October 2015. The only other UK record was a male at Rame Head, Cornwall on 13th October 1985, a one day bird. There was another in Ireland, a first-winter male at Dursey Island from 18th to 21st September 2013.

Arrangements had already been made for my departure from Shetland. A hugely enjoyable month overall with lots of great birds & birding, although no new birds in the second half. Since news broke on Tuesday I was pondering how I could best make the journey home via the Outer Hebrides?

As the Friday night boat departed Lerwick several birders collected on deck to see what birds were about. Not much was seen & dusk was rapidly approaching. Talk inevitably turned to the Wilson's Warbler. Four birders from Manchester I'd met a few times recently at Hoswick, Quendale & Gulberwick were aboard & it soon became clear that only one of them, Andy Makin from Wigan, could make the trip to Lewis since the other three had to return home, as planned. One of the others arrived on deck with another birder I recognised as having seen about, Gavin Peplow from Worcestershire. Gavin was going to Lewis, had a car & was keen on a couple of companions! I was in immediately!!! Andy had to think about it for a while, but decided to go with Gavin & myself.

There were a few options to consider. The boat docked at Aberdeen 7am Saturday, but the boat from Ullapool to Stornaway sailed at 10.30am, not giving us enought time to make the journey from Aberdeen to Ullapool. The next boat sailed from Ullapool at 6.30pm, which would mean we wouldn't be in a position to see the bird until Sunday morning. We also discussed the possibility of flying from Inverness & hiring a car.

We made our way westwards from Aberdeen on Saturday morning under a clear blue, sunny sky. It was a gorgeous day. When news arrived of the bird still being there we all felt the necessity of seeing it this day & not the next, so we quickly agreed flying from Inverness at 12.10pm & being on site early afternoon was the best option.

Navigating websites on my phone trying to find flight info proved tricky, so I phoned instead. Whilst waiting a few official messages played, one of which stated that without a photo ID boarding a plane was not possible. This was confirmed when I did get through & was also informed seats were available. Gulp! I didn't have any photo ID with me! Gavin & Andy both had photo ID. We racked our brains for a solution. I even tried phoning work to see if they could send me anything, but was told it's Saturday so no one's in the office, d'oh! Gavin suggested using a photo booth & inserting a photo with my driving licence, an old green paper one, might be worth a go. It was a plan! We stopped at the next superstore (of which there seem to be quite a few in Scotland) & put the plan into effect.

Upon arrival at Inverness airport, I asked if my photo ID was sufficient? Although initially saying it shouldn't be a problem, after consultation turned out it was a problem & wasn't acceptable. I asked to speak with the person who'd been spoken to & as instructed, waited in the check-in queue for a while. Apart from the photo & driving licence I produced a pdf of the receipt from the Lerwick to Aberdeen ferry which confirmed my address, then also pulled out a couple of plastic cards on request. A phone call to a manager resulted in my photo ID deemed acceptable. Phew! We then had to go through all the palaver of moving the car to a different car park whilst collecting our stuff, purchasing our tickets & departure lounge search, so managed to make the flight as it was boarding. At Stornaway we hired a small car for 24hrs & arrived on site around 2pm. As "Hannibal" Smith used to say, "I love it when a plan comes together."

The Wilson's Warbler was on view pretty much as soon as we arrived. However, sightings were brief so it took a while to gain adequate views in the cover behind Tony Marr's house. I hadn't had time to acquaint myself with the site when the bird darted over into next door's back garden. All the birders present rushed around into the garden. Realising I would be right at the back I didn't bother & waited for a reappearance outside the garden. Eventually, it did reappear for brief views. By this time many birders had departed, having gained good views in the garden, so I resolved to wait in the garden opposite the bird's favoured apple trees

After a short wait the Wilson's Warbler suddenly appeared in the tree just behind my left shoulder a few feet away & quickly darted into the apple trees. Absolutely superb views were obtained. The nearer apple tree was too close for me to focus on, so every time it was in the near tree I had to wait until it returned to the far tree to view through bins. Everyone in the garden was absolutely quiet. The only sound was the repeated machine gun like bursts from one of the cameras present.

Tony Marr provided excellent hospitality with tea, coffee & biscuits. Having partaken of hospitality & chatted with Tony about his amazing find, we departed for Stornoway & a search for our night's lodgings. Having tried a few places en route, we stumbled on the Caladh Inn on James Street, which was reasonable & pleasant with good food. Restaurant, licensed & all-you-can-eat breakfast, with nice shower.

We returned to Port Nis the following morning, but the bird had gone. Our scheduled return flight on Sunday wasn't due to leave until 3pm, so we birded a few areas including the bay close to the airport where we saw loads of Long-tailed Ducks, several Black-throated Divers & a Great Northern Diver.

The flight was repeatedly delayed until we boarded a flight which was going on to Glasgow five hours late! We arrived back at Inverness shortly before 9pm & set off south. Gavin & Andy dropped me off in Wigan shortly before 5am. I had a while to wait until the first train to Liverpool just after 6am, which arrived about 7am. Another short wait for the first bus over the river at 7.30am & I was home by 8am.

There's quite a few photos online of the Wilson's Warbler, but these are two of my favourites: this one by Matthew Eade which I'd whip out on my phone for anyone interested & this one by Tony Dixon.

Thanks to Tony Marr & his neighbour for allowing birders into his back garden. Big thanks to Gavin for all the driving & to both he & Andy for the pleasant company. Having to overcome some difficulties in order to see the target bird can often make the sighting that much sweeter, which was indeed so in this case. Video by Pete Hines.

Bluethroat, Gulberwick 15th October 2015

Photo courtesy Paul Wilson

Since I'd failed to see any Bluethroats on the trip so far, news of one at Gulberwick had me heading over there. Following the instructions, I was looking for a phone box! Having spotted the target, as I pulled in to park by the Kirk, another car was just pulling out. Of course, they were birders. Very kindly, they waited for me to park & get out of the car, then informed me the bird had been chased by a Robin out of the garden it had been giving good views in & they'd lost it in the garden about 50yds back down the hill towards the Kirk.

I wandered up to the original garden & no sign, so I strolled back to the other garden. As I came round the back at the southerly edge of the garden I saw a movement in the undergrowth. The Bluethroat was very close, at times too close to focus on. I followed it round, edging ahead & gained cracking views when it hopped out into the open onto the lawn for several minutes.

A crew from Manchester arrived & also had good views. One of them managed to pick out a Great Grey Shrike, which had been in the area, characteristically perched atop trees some distance away, my third of the trip after birds at Quendale & Swinister.

Photo courtesy Paul Wilson

Friday was my final day on Shetland & I spent it locally around Hoswick, Swinister & Leebitten, At the last location I found a Tree Sparrow in the House Sparrow flock.

I booked my travel arrangements home last week; boat on the Friday night & train on the Saturday morning. However, with news of Britain's second Wilson's Warbler on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides breaking on Tuesday & the bird still being present, after a couple of days of pondering, it looked like I might have to bin the train ticket & take the hit as part of the cost of going to Lewis.

Siberian Stonechat, Quendale 13th October 2015

Photo courtesy Paul Wilson

A Siberian Stonechat had been found at Quendale the previous day & was still present so, I decided to pop over there to try & see it.

When I arrived there were a few birders tracking the Siberian Stonechat along the wall between the dam & the mill. It was on view pretty much the whole time I was there covering the same area, providing some excellent views.

Photo courtesy Paul Wilson

I took a trip around Spiggie Loch on the way out & saw the long-staying Little Egret. A visit to Hoswick produced an adult Goldfinch.

Dusky Warbler, Sanick 12th October 2015

Photo courtesy Andy Williams

A Dusky Warbler was found at Sanick, not far from my lodgings, on Sunday morning. I visited the area on Sunday afternoon with no joy. Since it was close I repeatedly popped in & eventually saw the bird on Monday evening on my fifth attempt!

As the wind died down & the sun came out on Monday afternoon, I made my way back to base via Sanick. There were only three other birders on site, visiting birders Andy Williams & Al McNee and local birder Jim Nicholson. I'd only been there a few minutes chatting with Al & Jim, when Andy signalled he had the bird a short distance away in the middle of the village near the start of a weedy bank which ran away from the small burn. The three of us hurried around & we all had brief, repeated views as the Dusky Warbler made its way along the bank calling. I moved around to the other end of the bank & the bird made its way toward me, flicked over to a small weedy area behind one of the houses & dived into a small Sycamore in the corner. The other three joined me & we had good views as the bird moved about the bush, still calling frequently. Eventually, it flew into one of the gardens a short distance away & we lost it.

Photo courtesy Andy Williams

We all four departed with happy smiles. I was feeling rather buoyant & reckoned I had enough time before dusk to walk along the track (which runs alongside a ditch) at Leebitten, checking the Iris beds. Beyond the lines of Iris beds at the end of the track there’s a couple of small, isolated beds, towards which I strolled.

I was suddenly aware of a bird disappearing into the next to last Iris bed, about 30yds away. Initial impression was of a small green & white bird, Phylloscopus warbler size. I edged a bit closer & the bird popped up, but this time I did get bins on it, if only for a couple of tenths of a second. I’d had an impression of something I wasn’t quite sure about, but it excited me. I was really expecting Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler or Goldcrest, all of which I’d being seeing a lot of during the preceding weeks & which fitted size-wise. I edged closer to within about 20yds & the bird popped up again. I had a clear view of the head: gold crown-stripe bordered black, with prominent white supercillium & black eye-stripe. As I waited for the bird to show itself again I concluded it could be nothing else but a Firecrest. I only saw the bird well a couple more times. The bright patch on the side of the neck looked golden-tinged & was also very obvious. The gold rather than yellow crown-stripe indicated an adult male.

I continued to try & get more views, but the Firecrest became increasingly difficult to see, always remaining in the same, small Iris bed. It then stopped completely, so assuming it had gone to roost I departed. I did return the next morning, but no sign of the bird.

It was only subsequently chatting with a couple of local birders, I realised Firecrest is a very good local bird. When I submitted the record officially I was asked to send in a description because Firecrest is, "...rarer than Olive-backed Pipit & Blyth's Reed Warbler on Shetland."

Mainland Shetland 4th October to 11th October

On Sunday I failed to see a Barred Warbler at Channerwick after walking all the way over there. I caught the bus into Lerwick on Monday morning & hired a car for the remainder of my stay.

I popped down to Quendale & though I didn't see the long-staying Bluethroat there, I did see a Great Grey Shrike quite well. I also saw a very accomodating Lapland Bunting at Sumburgh, next to the lower car park. Photo by Yoav Perlman.

Sumburgh Lighthouse viewing north from trig point

I didn't venture out at all on Tuesday & only briefly on Wednesday, due to the weather conditions. However, south-easterlies & rain boded well.

Orca Country Inn, Hoswick

I spent the next four days around the Sandwick/Hoswick/Swinister area. In the grounds of the Orca Country Inn at Hoswick there's a large area of cover, more in the surrounding gardens. The footpath between Hoswick & Swinister also has a lot of cover. There was an obvious influx of birds on Thursday morning. Highlights included brilliant, close, prolonged views of a Barred Warbler at the entrance to the Orca Hotel. Saw this bird again but a bit further away on the following Sunday. Pied Flycatcher here also. Great Grey Shrike at Swinister as well as Brambling. Good numbers of Yellow-browed Warblers all over the place. A good supporting cast of Chiffchaffs, Willow Warbler, Blackcaps, Garden Warbler & Goldcrests.

Although nothing major turned up, a very enjoyable few days & especially catching up with a Barred Warbler after failing to see a couple of others.

Olive-backed Pipit, Lerwick 3rd October 2015

Saturday with no transport, since Dave was now staying at Toab, I decided to catch the bus into Lerwick & try again for an Olive-backed Pipit which had turned up the day before. We'd been at Wester Quarff watching a Red-brested Flyctchear when news broke. I didn't have any info, so we followed the folks that did know where to go, into Lerwick. The bird had been seen in gardens around the Gilbertson Park area, but wasn't on view whilst we were on site.

So, misreading the bus timetable I decided to hitch into Lerwick. I hadn't done any hitching for about 35 years, but got a ride no problem & being only a short walk from where I was dropped off near Tesco's to the area took only a few minutes. I'd been on site for around fifteen minutes when the call went up just a few yards from where I was standing on the edge of Gilbertson Park. One birder went round to the other side of a small bunch of Willows on the edge of the park & signalled he could see the bird. We all then went through the gate & arced around the Willows. Good views were obtained as the bird moved into the gaps between the trees right at the back at the base of the wall. Photo by Peter Garrity.

OBP twitch in Lerwick

Baltasound to Sandwick

After a hugely enjoyable two weeks birding on Unst, based at Baltasound, it was time to head south to the Mainland for the remaining two weeks.

Baltasound (left)

Baltasound (right)

There were a couple of memorable afternoons as the sun set & evenings as the stars appeared, looking south from our chalet.

Having arrived at the B&B in Sandwick Thursday evening, it wasn't until we'd returned from Norby on the Friday I had a chance to check out the area around where I was staying in Sandwick.

Mousa from Sandwick

The house was on top of the hill overlooking the Isle of Mousa.

Leebitten

I wandered down the hill from the top left of the photo above & explored the area around Leebitten, comprising of beach, fields, ditches, Iris beds & a small amount of woodland at Sand Lodge, on the right of the photo above. Just beyond the photo to the right & back over my shoulder, I found two Yellow-browed Warblers at Sand, a derelict farm, in a small weedy patch on that first evening. So, this area became my temporary local patch, together with Hoswick a couple of miles away, for my remaining stay.

Pechora Pipit, Norby 1st October 2015

We departed Unst on Thursday & headed for Norby to see the Pechora Pipit which had been hanging around since 29th September at the east end of Loch of Norby. The bird was on view when we arrived, but proved tricky to gain good views of. After several attempts with glimpses of the bird on the ground, the best view was when it perched briefly on a gate. A very worthy 400th species in UK. Unfortunately, no photo, but this photo by Chris Griffin is rather good.

Before leaving Unst we popped over to Burrafirth to try for more views of a Red-backed Shrike we'd seen briefly the previous evening. The Shrike appeared as soon as we arrived & proceeded to work its way around the area giving great views. Photo by Tony Davison.

The following day, Friday 2nd October, we returned to Norby to try & see the Pechora Pipit again. Although it was seen, we didn't see it. More luck was in evidence watching a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Wester Quarff, which initially was hard to see in the garden, but which later showed really well on the edge, as in this photo by Martyn Hayes.