Two Twites at Farmoor Reservoir 23rd October 2025

The last record of Twite from my local Farmoor Reservoir was of a single bird on November 5th 2011.It is a rare passage migrant there with only seven records in total and I have never seen one there or in Oxfordshire.

Twite are mainly associated  with the coastal fringes and higher ground of the north of England and extending to the extreme north of Scotland.They are declining as a breeding species in Britain and are now Red Listed. Migrants arrive from other parts of Europe to spend the winter here and substantial flocks can still be encountered in Morecambe Bay, on The Humber and The Wash although these are declining too.

Settling down in the afternoon of Thursday the 23rd with a cup of tea, a post came on the Oxon Bird Forum informing me that two Twite had been discovered by Jeremy D at the reservoir that very afternoon.

I groaned, for tiredness had caught up with me with a vengeance following my marathon trip to north east Scotland and Yorkshire to see two very rare birds (see the previous two posts on this blog).

For a moment I wavered. I had after all just returned from three weeks on Shetland where I had seen hundreds of Twite but this was different.These were in Oxfordshire and my competitive nature told me I really needed to make the effort to go and see them to add them to my county list.

Subsequent updates on the forum provided additional stimulus as  they informed me the two Twite were still at the reservoir, in the same place and looked settled. 

Right that's it I said to myself 

It took but ten minutes to gather my bins, camera and change into outdoor clothing before I was out of the door and driving to Farmoor, twenty five minutes away.

The birds were feeding on the perimeter track at the western end of F1, the smaller reservoir basin so rather than go to the normal car park I diverted to Mayfield Road which allows entry to the west end of the reservoir and is a shorter distance to walk  than the normal trek up the central causeway.

Parking the car, I took the alleyway between the houses and followed the path past Pinkhill to a small ever open gate marking the reservoir's western entrance.Passing through the gate I could see half a dozen local birders standing up on the perimeter track obviously looking at the birds.

It seemed to take forever to get to them but was only a matter of minutes and Gareth kindly let me look at them through his scope and there they were and as simple as that I added another new species of bird to both my Oxfordshire (272) and Farmoor (197) lists. 

They were relatively confiding and we slowly came to realise we could get quite close to them provided there was no sudden movements on our part. In fact two of us slipped over the retaining wall and walked  along the concrete shelving to arrive almost opposite them, our profiles mainly hidden from the birds by the wall.

Slimmer but similar in size to the related Linnet, the differences in plumage are subtle with the dark brown upperparts and paler buff flanks liberally streaked darker brown creating a stripey look. A prominent buff wing bar on each wing is also evident, The 'open' unmarked face and throat are a distinctive warm orange buff colour rather than the grey of a Linnet and their bill is pale yellow whereas the Linnet's is grey. 

They were feeding avidly, picking at the seeds of yellow flowered Lesser Hawkbit plants that were growing at the divide of grass and tarmac.Sometimes they would disappear into the grass, so small they were almost totally concealed but for the most part they concentrated on the margin where grass met tarmac.

 

I watched and photographed them for forty minutes, enjoying every moment but then they flew further down the perimeter track to continue feeding and the rain began to set in.Time to go.

We were fortunate this afternoon that the normally much populated reservoir was virtually devoid of folk walking the perimeter and so the birds had remained relatively undisturbed.

 

It is not often that I get a new bird species for the reservoir or for the county so I was well pleased with this sighting.

The Twite were still present in the early part of the following morning but the weather being sunny brought the inevitable people to stroll or jog around the reservor and this regular disturbance finally persuaded the birds to leave and they were never seen again. despite extensive searching from a lot of disappointed birders who had come to look for them throughout the day.

Sadly Farmoor gets so busy with footfall these days visiting birds rarely stay for long. If you want to see a rarity at Farmoor Reservoir you need to move fast.

The Black faced Bunting at Spurn 22nd October 2025

On Monday the 10th of October  2016 I arrived on Shetland hoping to see a Siberian Accentor, the first ever recorded for Britain but found it had gone.A potential disaster of epic proportions was partially averted by the discovery of a Black faced Bunting, only the sixth for Britain and what would be a new species for me, later that morning on the nearby island of Bressay which is only a fifteen minute ferry crossing from Lerwick.

I saw the bunting but it was hardly satisfactory as it was for seconds only as it flew, after an hour;s wait from its hiding place in a distant dung heap to perch for another seconds only view on an equally distant fence, before the bird dropped to the ground and did not show itself again. I could legitimately claim to have seen the bunting but would have liked much better views. Since that day I always harboured the desire to see one properly but being a very rare bird, that opportunity had eluded me until now when news came of a 'female type' Black faced Bunting being found at Spurn on the 20th of October.

Still a great rarity with only ten seen in Britain up to 2024, remarkably no less than three have occurred in Britain this year. Two on Shetland and this one at Spurn. Its normal breeding range extends from southern Siberia across to northern China and it winters in northeast India, southern China and northern parts of south east Asia.

Once we had satisfied ourselves with the 'Eastern' Nightingale we drove south and found a rather 'tired' but cheap hotel with friendly staff where we could spend the night and catch up on our sleep at a place called Longforgan just outside Dundee.

We made a plan that night to go for the bunting on our way south but not before. we drove the next morning to Slamannan near Falkirk to search for the regular wintering flock of Taiga Bean Geese.The flock has been steadily decreasing in size over the years but still a good number come annually to this traditional wintering site.

We did not have much to go on as the only report on Birdguides was of ninety two being seen in a field northwest of Slamannan on the 6th of October,over two weeks ago. Would they still be there? Only one way to find out and that was to go and look.

We drove along various rural lanes checking the surrounding fields northwest of the village but with little success until we encountered a friendly lady walking her dog who told us she had seen them flying over that morning and pointed in the direction they had gone.We drove further along the lane in that direction and found a farmworker who told us  they were usually in the fields much further up the lane but in his opinion we would be unlikely to see them.

Undaunted by his pessimism we carried on and at a bend in the lane at some elevation with a panoramic view stopped to scan the fields to our right and found a flock of over a hundred geese feeding in a distant field. A check through a scope confirmed they had bright orange legs and long bills with an obvious large orange band. We had found the Taiga Bean Geese.

We sought another lane that would get us closer to them but encountered a none too friendly farmer who gave us the impression the geese were considered a nuisance as  they attracted too many birders looking for this increasingly rare goose and therefore potential disturbance to his land and cattle.

We diplomatically left it at that and embarked on another marathon drive of six hours, southwards to Spurn on the Yorkshire coast or at least Adrian did, driving the car all the way and enhancing his almost legendary reputation for concentration and endurance.

The journey went surprisingly smoothly with a couple of stops for food and relief.There were no major hold ups on any of the roads and we arrived at Spurn at 1530. However on the way we had learnt the bunting was proving to be very elusive and was only showing about every hour for a few minutes.We also had the worry of time running out, as even after getting to Spurn we had a forty minute yomp over sand and dunes to get to where the bunting was feeding at an area called The Narrows and the evening was almost upon us.

Parking the car at the far end of the lane by the old observatory, where we could drive no further, we set off walking south along the beach, the soft sand making every step a chore. We were about the last people walking out to the bunting, meeting many others who had made the pilgrimage to the bunting trudging back the other way. It was a case of head down and not looking at or thinking about the daunting topography that lay before us.

We passed The Breach where high tides now overwhelm the path but today we were safe from that hazard and carried on, leaving the sand and following a path that was now firmer underfoot, through the dunes. 

Finally cresting a slight rise we saw in the distance a group of around fifteen birders clustered on the path and looking further along it.

They seemed to be intently scrutinising something on the path ahead of them.

Adrian walking alongside me became animated.

They are looking at the bunting!

It's showing he told me excitedly

We increased our pace and joined the group still looking at the bunting

A kindly birder directed me to where it was feeding in the marram grass to our right and much closer than I had imagined.

The bunting was feeding in and at the edge of the grass just below the post

At first I struggled to locate it but then a small, streaky brown head and body shuffled into partial view before retreating into the grass.

A few seconds later it re-emerged and this time came further into the open where I could scrutinise its plumage thoroughly. Unremarkable in every aspect it was at first sight a small bird with brown upperparts and paler underparts, both overlaid with darker streaks.Most noticeable to me was the broad, pale buff malar stripe running down from its bill to below its plain brown ear coverts. No one seems sure whether it is a first winter male or female - possibly the latter. We will have to wait and see after the many photos of it have been examined. 

I say 'in the open' although in reality it was never ever right out on the path but undeniably I could now say with utmost confidence  that  I had seen a Black faced Bunting both comprehensively and satisfactorily in Britain. Only a nine year wait!

We continued to watch the bunting as it gradually became more confident and would venture further out but always contrived to remain amongst the spikes of grass.My position on the path meant I was always looking at it from ground level but Adrian managed to stand half way up the steep bank to my left and was looking down on it and got better and clearer views.

c Adrian

I was nevertheless content with my position and realised that with the light fading and having to use a frighteningly high ISO I was never going to get a decent image but would instead have to settle for record shots only. Better that than nothing at all.

For another forty minutes we watched the bunting's comings and goings, straining our eyesight to discern it shuffling into and out of view in the grass. So long as everyone remained quiet and did not move it would venture further out and no one could complain about the views it afforded.

How fortunate we were to see it immediately on arrival. If we had  been required to wait it would have made matters very difficult as the time ran out and darkness approached. We were told by local birders this was the best it had shown all day.

The only down side was that the narrow path it had chosen to feed beside is the only route to the lighthouse further south and a tourist attraction, meaning visitors with no real interest in birds would return up the path. Some would show understanding and wait a while for us to take our photos, others were less co-operative but when this happened the bunting would fly up into the nearby bushes to our left and wait for a few minutes until they passed before flying back down to continue feeding.

The sandy edge on the right of the path was where we last saw the bunting

We watched it until the light really was going fast and reluctantly commenced the long trudge back along  a now deserted beach to the car. I walked at the sea's edge where the white surf of the incoming tide washed away the sand on my boots as the mournful cries of Grey Plovers and Curlews echoed across an emptiness of sea and sky.

A spectacular sunset spread above the vast Humber Estuary as the setting sun painted the wide skies an apocryphal fiery red and transformed the landscape to a place of fantasy.

There was no sign of the bunting the next day

  

A Nightingale from The East 21st October 2025

c Adrian

On Monday the 20th of October Adrian posted on our twitching WhatsApp group an image of the eastern form of a Common Nightingale that had been found amongst a small fall of migrants earlier that day at Rattray Head, near Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

It is only the fourth record ever of this form in Britain which prior to this individual has not been seen here since 1991.

He enquired if any of us were interested in going for it and advised he was considering leaving that evening to go and see it.

Currently not a species as such but classed as a sub species of Common Nightingale it may bc designated a separate species in the future and consequently has stimulated some interest amongst the twitcheratti. Personally I regarded it as an interesting bird well worth seeing as for me it is not all about adding another tick to my list but also deriving great pleasure from viewing and appreciating a bird of which I have no experience and simply enjoying it for what it is.

Having decided I would like to see it, I contacted Adrianimmediately and made a two and half hour drive to his house in Essex to team up with him at just after 6pm. Two other birding colleagues, Les and Paul (is there not a famous guitar maker going by that name?) being the final two  to make up a four in Adrian's car; Les was to be subsequently picked up from Epping and then Paul from Bar Hill in Cambridgeshire. All went to plan and we set off into the night heading for the northeastcoast of Scotland which seemed a very distant and daunting prospect at 8pm on a Monday night.

Rattray Head lies well beyond Aberdeen between Peterhead and Fraserburgh and it would take nine hours driving to get to our destinatiion with a scheduled arrival time of 6.30am if all went well.

Sitting in the passenger seat talking to the driver for nine hours throughout the night is not to be recommended and is nigh on impossible anyway but apart from occasional lapses into sleep on my part this is what has to be attempted to ensure the driver remains awake.

A couple of comfort stops at various motorway services on the way was all we allowed. Just as well for is there anything more depressing than the sense of abandonment and desolation that overwhelms you on entering an empty services at 2am in the middle of the night? Never am I more keen to flee the glare of neon and general naffness of such places and return to the comfort and cocooned sanctuary of the car. 

Inevitably one slips into a mild transcendent state staring at the onrushing road as the conversation and things to talk about dry up and your body craves sleep but Adrian and myself managed to keep conversing if only fitfully while the others slept in the back and finally we found ourselves north of Peterhead with just half an hour's driving left to get to our appointed location. The night was clear, with many stars visible and gloomily we speculated how this might have encouraged the bird to migrate but we had committed ourselves to this latest birding gamble and could but await the dawn to reveal our fate. We would know soon enough as the sky was showing the faintest glimmer to the east of us.

Still in virtual darkness we turned off the tarmac road and drove down a narrow potholed track in the middle of nowhere but even at this early hour encountered a runner  heading in the same direction as ourselves.We kept going until we came to a grassed parking area with the top of the iconic lighthouse beaming out its warning pulses of light beyond the dunes that we sensed lay in front of us.

A distinct feeling of denouement came over me as we came to a stop. It is always this way on being the first to arrive at a twitching destination and as confirmation that the whole journey will be rendered pointless or otherwise rapidly approaches.

There was one other birder's car in the parking area plus a tractor already running its engine and by the looks of it being repaired by a mechanic. At this early hour? Or maybe not so for a farmer as the time was now approaching 6.45am.

Above the parking area on a rise to our right were two large houses, currently bulky shapes in the semi darkness, one illuminated by a light. One was occupied, the other not.

The occupied house according to local birders has been rented by a rather truculent man from Manchester and who had the previous day lambasted birders who had come to see the nightingale and been thoroughly unpleasant throughout.So much so someone had reported him to his landlady who had told him to treat visiting birders with respect and courtesy rather than shout and swear at them.

This had the reverse effect and made him even more objectionable!

So this morning it was like treading on eggshells but as it was still dark there was no sign of him but only two friendly local men attending to the tractor.

We sat in the car awaiting the dawn which was soon upon us and getting our stuff together stepped out into a cold dewy morning and speculated where the nightingale might be if it was still here.

In the half light a bird sat silhouetted on a fence It could be the nightingale or it could be a Robin. A feature of the nightingale was that it moved its tail up and down in an exaggerated fashion and this bird did just that but there was not enough light to tell for certain what it was.

The bird disappeared and as the light increased we saw it or another nearer, in some gorse lower down the rise and to much rejoicing found it was our bird, looking very grey in the dawn but definitely the nightingale as it sported a rufous tail and crown.

The light was improving all the time and the bird showed intermittently but regularly in various bushes, gorse clumps and small bare trees for around half an hour before disappearing into a large area of gorse at the top of the dunes

For almost forty five minutes there was no further sign of it but eventually it re-appeared from the gorse and moved back to its original location, lower down by our parked cars. 

We all got some photos of sorts and although the bird was skittish it would regularly show well.

It breeds widely across central Asia from the Aral Sea across Kazakhstan to western China and winters in East Africa mainly in coastal Kenya and Tanzania. The bird I viewed today was slightly larger than 'our' Common Nightingale and noticeably longer tailed. The upperparts were sandy grey rather than a warm brown and contrasted strongly with its long rufous tail which it cocked frequently, a feature and action we all remarked upon as it seemed so different to a 'normal' Common Nightingale. It also showed obvious pale edges to its tertials, median and greater wing coverts forming clear wing bars.The plumage structure and behaviour was to me reminiscent of a Rufous Bush Robin.

Other birds were here too, some passing rapidly through this isolated, lonely area throughout the morning, others tarrying for a while. Up to five Blackcaps fed in the gorse bushes and Goldcrests were constantly arriving from the nearby North Sea, flickering through the gorse at speed and then were gone inland. A huge flock of Pink footed Geese squealed their way down from the sky onto an adjacent area of fallow land before taking alarm and departing, complaining at high volume. A lone White fronted Goose was amongst them.

The grating calls of migrant Bramblings came from the sky, presumably the birds were arriving from a sea crossing and voicing their relief at making dry land and a very pale Chiffchaff but not quite pale enough to be of the Siberian race, examined the lower branches of a bare willow.

For the first hour of daylight we were virtually on our own but gradually other birders came until there were around twenty of us.

At noon we decided we had seen enough. Everyone of us content.The nightingale meanwhile had flown back to the large clump of gorse at the top of the dunes and looked unlikely to emerge from its dense, green, prickly fastness for some time.

It was time to go and we drove back towards Aberdeen finding  small parties of Yellowhammers, Corn Buntings and Tree Sparrows, feeding and bathing on the potholed track as we made our way back to the road.

Rattray Head Lighthouse

Shetland Finale -Risso's Dolphins- 14th October 2025

Our final day on Shetland. 

Tonight at 7pm we leave Lerwick to sail overnight on Northlink's Hjatland for Aberdeen.

We decided to spend the morning at least at Sumburgh Head, the southernmost point of Shetland.

Looking north from Sumburgh Head

The morning was grey with light cloud, some blue sky and very still. Banished were the high winds and rain of the past week. As a consequence the sea was calm, almost flat and you could see for miles

We drove upwards to what is called the lower car park at Sumburgh Head and came to rest there, the sea stretching away to an infinity beyond the low retaining wall in front of us 

In the last few days an incredibly rare White throated Needletail, a swift from Asia had created a huge sensation amongst us birders by spending time at various points on the Yorkshire coast of England.This iconic bird is one that everyone wants to see as it occurs so infrequently here and is so charismatic. Many birders had terminated their stay on Shetland early to go and see it. Some were successful, others not.The swift appeared to be moving steadily northwards and yesterday had been reported in the morning from Helmsdale in Sutherland and not that far away as a swift flies, from Shetland

Could it happen? Maybe, so here we were just in case the swift arrived. Stranger things have occurred but it was a very long shot indeed.

Leaving the car I scanned the sea in the hope of finding a skua or shearwater perhaps even in my wildest dreams a swift but saw nothing more than Gannets and Fulmars cruising around far below me.

Mark decided to walk further uphill to the lighthouse and I was left on my own.

I scanned the sea once more. 

Suddenly and thrillingly a tall, erect dorsal fin and curved like a scimitar (falcate) arose from the sea attached to a torpedo shaped, mottled, pale grey and much scarred body.The size and shape of the dorsal fin and the pale scarred body meant that the creature was unmistakeable and could be nothing else but a Risso's Dolphin. Minutes later another two surfaced in its wake and all appeared to be in no hurry.

Risso's Dolphins are a large dolphin, growing to a maximum four metres in length, with a bulbous, blunt, unbeaked head and prominent dorsal fin. As they age their bodies become increasingly pale, often white and uniquely scarred and scratched.The scarring is thought to be the result of the creatures fighting and biting each other, or maybe from interaction with sharks.They are sociable and go around in pods that can number from five upwards and feed on squid and octopus mainly at night.Virtually nothing is known about their reproduction.

The dolphins disappeared below the sea and then surfaced once more. moving slowly north. With this second sighting of them I was sure of my identification so put the news out on the Shetland Cetacean WhatsApp Group administered by Hugh Harrop of Shetland Wildlife.

Hugh  monitors all cetacean movements and sightings in Shetland and is the recognised authority on Shetland's cetaceans.

A minute later my phone rang. It was Hugh asking me questions

What way are they headed Ewan?

How many are there?

Are they close in?

.......................................................

I think they are going north Hugh, there are three and they are fairly close  I answered

I will be there in five minutes and he hung up

Sure enough his grey 4x4 came hurtling up the narrow single track road and drew to a stop in the car park.

He joined me by the wall and for a while we saw nothing but then the dolphins surfaced and Hugh started photographing them.

By photographing the dolphins and other cetaceans Hugh  is creating a record of each individual for future reference. 

Each Risso's Dolphin possesses unique scarrings which enable Hugh to build up a library of images of each individual so they can be identified each time they appear and their lives, movements and behaviour can be monitored. He is perhaps best known for his monitoring of Orcas and much has been learnt about them by the use of drones and taking photos. Interestingly Hugh told me the drones do not work with Risso's Dolphins which dive to avoid them.

The dolphins looked to be moving north again

I am going to Compass Point just north of here  Hugh told me

He drove off but the dolphins returned and it looked like they were just moving back and fore offshore of the car park where I stood.

I called Hugh.

They are back Hugh - right in front of me.

I'm on my way.

Hugh returned at great speed and we stood and photographed them as they surfaced at various distances from us but always reasonably close. 

I was thoroughly enjoying myself, especially with an expert alongside me giving me all sorts of information about these dolphins.

Hugh was familiar with some of them but one came up that had a distinctive dorsal fin that was markedly different from the others we had observed

That's a new one!  Hugh exclaimed 

We need to get a photo of it!

It also has a lot of white on its upperbody so must be fairly old!

It was heading south but dived before either of us could photograph it.

Quick jump in the car mate and we can go up to the lighthouse and intercept it before it disappears round the Head.

In seconds I dived onto the back seat, the only available space in Hugh's vehicle, scrambling over boots and other birding paraphernalia to lie across the seat as Hugh took off at great speed up the narrow winding road that led to the very top of Sumburgh Head. I had just time to wave to an astonished returning Mark as we hurtled past him. I reasoned I could explain later.

We raced to the top, passed through the visitor centre buildings at speed and came to a stop by the lighthouse's huge red foghorn where we could go no further.Tumbling out of the car we scrambled up some stone steps to a viewpoint, looking over a wall and down to the sea many metres below us.

We were now at the highest point of Sumburgh Head (100 metres) but there was no sign of any dolphin.We waited, two, three, four, five minutes and there it was and Hugh got his photos of the dolphin as did I.

This Risso's is an old animal told by its extensively white body

It was accompanied by another and we were so high above them we could see the submerged body of one, looking ghostly white and swimming just below the surface of the sea. Something I have never noticed before and would not have this time but for Hugh pointing it out. 

We spent the next ten minutes shouting out to each other as we found various dolphins surfacing. Well Hugh did most of the sighting and shouting while I took as many shots as possible .One dolphin commenced logging where they float aimlessly with the top half of their body above the water and looking very much like a floating log,

It was exhilerating, frantic and exhausting all at the same time as we did our best to record as much as possible.and I confess to a feeling of much pleasure to have contributed in some small way to furthering the knowledge of Risso's Dolphins in Shetland

Then it was all over. The arching over of a dolphin's rear body and tail flukes signify it has gone into a deep dive although the dives do not last for long, maybe two or three minutes.

The scarring and scratches are particularly prominent on this individual's body as it goes into a deep
dive.These markings are unique to each dolphin and enable individuals to be specifically identified

Back in the car and we descended to the lower car park at a slightly more sedate speed than going up. I tumbled out of Hugh's car, shaking, whether from the high speed chase up to the lighthouse or the sheer adrenalin from my Risso's Dolphin encounter, I do not know. Who cares  anyway, it had been brilliant and all thoughts of rare swifts were long forgotten.

By now word had spread about the dolphins and Hugh went up to the cliff edge to join around a dozen people who had come to see for themselves and assist in them seeing the dolphins which seemed to have decided that they would remain around this particular area of sea.

In the end Hugh estimated there were two pods of Risso's Dolphins of five animals each off the cliffs.

Risso's Dolphin and attendant Fulmar

It was gone noon, the sun came out and I decided that this experience should be the final parting gift from Shetland which never fails to surprise and delight.

Trip list of birds seen during two days in Yorkshire,then one day in Fife and twenty days on Shetland

Not nearly as good as the previous two years

Red throated Diver; Great Northern Diver; Slavonian Grebe; Northern Fulmar; Sooty Shearwater; Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant; European Shag; Little Egret; Grey Heron; Glossy Ibis x 3; Mute Swan; Whooper Swan; Canada Goose; Greylag Goose; Barnacle Goose; Pale bellied Brent Goose; Common Shelduck; Eurasian Wigeon; Gadwall; Eurasian Teal; Mallard; Northern Pintail; Blue winged Teal; Northern Shoveler; Common Pochard; Ring necked Duck;Tufted Duck; Greater Scaup; Common Eider; Long tailed Duck; Common Goldeneye; Red breasted Merganser; Goosander; Red Kite; Marsh Harrier; Common Kestrel; Red Grouse; Common Moorhen; Common Coot; Eurasian Oystercatcher; Ringed Plover; European Golden Plover; Northern Lapwing; Red Knot; Sanderling; Pectoral Sandpiper; Curlew Sandpiper; Purple Sandpiper; Dunlin; Ruff; Common Snipe; Black tailed Godwit; Bar tailed Godwit; Eurasian Curlew; Spotted Redshank; Common Redshank; Marsh Sandpiper; Common Greenshank; Turnstone; Little Gull; Black headed Gull; Common Gull; Lesser Black backed Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black backed Gull; Black legged Kittiwake; Sandwich Tern; Black Tern; Common Guillemot; Razorbill; Black Guillemot; Rock Dove; Wood Pigeon; Eurasian Collared Dove;Tawny Owl; Greater Short toed Lark; Sky Lark; Pechora Pipit; Meadow Pipit; Rock Pipit; Grey Wagtail; Pied/White Wagtail; Wren; European Robin; Bluethroat; Northern Wheatear; Siberian Thrush x 2; Blackbird; Song Thrush; Redwing; Western Subalpine Warbler; Barred Warbler x 4; Lesser Whitethroat; Common Whitethroat; Blackcap; Yellow browed Warbler x 4; Common Chiffchaff; both nominate and tristis; Willow Warbler; Goldcrest; Red breasted Flycatcher x 2; Pied Flycatcher; Brown Shrike; Magpie; Jackdaw; Rook; Hooded/Carrion Crow; Common Raven; Starling; House Sparrow; Tree Sparrow; Chaffinch; Brambling; Goldfinch; Linnet; Eurasian Siskin; Twite; Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll; Common Redpoll; Common Rosefinch x 4; Common Bullfinch; Blackpoll Warbler; Rustic Bunting.

Mammals

Otter

Polecat

Hedgehog

Rabbit

Risso's Dolphin

Retrospective on Shetland - Long tailed Duck - 12th October 2025

An adult male Long  tailed Duck has been present for a couple of days around the Mousa Boat Landing Stage at Sandwick and with care could be viewed close in to the shore.

We  left it until mid afternoon to pay a visit when the sea was calm and by standing with our backs to a small building the duck could not discern our profile and would come close. Unfortunately others not understanding this simple procedure would stand on the edge of the small cliff their profile obvious on the skyline which would cause the duck to swim further out into the bay.

It's not for me to tell people what to do. I have long ago learnt that it is pointless and can often lead to conflict and upset so I keep my counsel although sometimes it is difficult not to speak out.Instead I bit my lip and waited until the few other people present left and it was only the two of us that remained.We sat low down at the back of the beach with the rocks and bank of the shallow cliff concealing our profile and the duck came ever closer on a rising tide.It worked like a charm.

A Purple Sandpiper fed with Turnstones on the rocks nearby but our focus was on the duck which was certainly a stunner in its winter plumage of white, grey and chocolate brown, the rose pink band on its bill prominent.

We watched, admired and photographed it to our heart's content and for quite some time, enjoying the peace and the murmur of gentle waves breaking on the shore whilst Rock Pipits skittered after flies on the piles of kelp that had washed up on the tideline after the recent storms.

The duck was diving constantly in its search for food throughout our observation with a couple of Herring Gulls, as ever showing mild interest in its activities and hoping to snatch a meal.

Long tailed Ducks breed in the tundra and taiga regions of the Arctic Circle and a proportion of the world population move southwards to mainly winter around Scotland.

They are not a rare bird in Shetland and as with many birds in Shetland have acquired their own colloquial name of Calloo (in this case onomatopoeic) based on the drake's yodelling call which has also more fancifully been likened to the sound of hounds baying in the distance and even to the sound of bagpipes - quite appropriate for a bird whose main wintering areas are around Shetland, Orkney and the north east coast of Scotland. 

This opportunity to see such a beautiful creature in such pleasing and peaceful surroundings felt an ideal end to our penultimate day on Shetland

Retrospective on Shetland - Barred Warbler- 10th October 2025

It would be hard to not see a Barred Warbler on any extended birding stay on Shetland in autumn.This year I saw at least four or five. They can and do appear virtually anywhere usually when you least expect to see them. For example whilst waiting for a sight of a Siberian Thrush at Scatsta one suddenly appeared hopping along a hedge below some conifers. I have also seen them in almost the centre of Lerwick and then in the middle of nowhere on Yell. You just never know.

They are one of the largest warblers, almost sparrow sized. and their movements are very unwarbler like being slow and ponderous and at times they can look clumsy as they balance haphazardly on twigs that seem too fragile to bear their weight.

Although they can appear randomly, there are certain places on Shetland where you can almost be guaranteed to encounter one or more in autumn. Such a place is the popular public footpath that runs along the east side of Clickimin Loch from Sound to Lerwick High School.

Bordered by trees and bushes on either side, almost without fail one will find a Barred Warbler feeding here.Often their stay is protracted and even favouring one particluar bush or tree above all others. For a large bird they can be frustratingly elusive, often feeding low down or in deep cover and requiring a long wait before they reveal their presence but some can be very confiding and will gravitate out into the open. A favourite move is to ascend to the top of a tree or bush to look around and then fly to another area that takes their fancy.

All appear to be first year birds in a virtually featureless grey plumage, slightly paler below with a contrasting whitish throat. There are pale fringes to the tertials and wing coverts and white on the outermost tail feather. To look for any bars on their plumage is futile apart from the undertail coverts which can show strong barring. The base of the lower mandible is noticeably pink.

Barred Warblers are a regular scarce visitor to the Northern Isles in autumn especially following an easterly airflow.They breed across eastern Europe as far as central and southern Siberia and winter in East Africa.

The bird at Clickimin remained for at least seven days and always appeared in the same small area of trees and bushes although requiring some patience when not immediately viewable.Another long staying individual was several hundred metres further along the path near to the school but again could be frustratingly elusive.