One Flew East and One Flew West to Shetland 9th October 2025

Frankly I have had better days in the month of October than the 8th of October 2025. A long standing tooth problem resulted in the onset of severe toothache and an emergency appointment at the Montford Dental Clinic in Lerwick.

The diagnosis was terminal for the tooth and it was duly extracted leaving me in much pain after the pain killing injection wore off. Paracetemol lessened the pain and to further distract myself I joined Mark at Loch Asta, reasoning that taking pictures of the long staying Siberian Thrush would take my mind off the throbbing in my jaw.

I stood with Mark for a few hours watching and photographing the thrush when it made its periodic visits to its favourite garden. Unfortunately the local Blackbirds, up to now not a problem had discovered its presence and whenever it ventured into the garden one particularly truculent male Blackbird would chase it off.

We both got some passable images but it was hard work as the thrush was only allowed a very brief presence before being chased off by the Blackbird

The rain had set in and to add to my discomfort the pain showed little sign of abating where my tooth used to be.Sleeping tonight would be a trial but I comforted myself in the knowledge the pain would eventually subside and I would have no more worries about the tooth in the future

Meanwhile news came through in mid afternoon of another mega rarity, a Blackpoll Warbler from North America being found on Unst (the island above all others as it likes to call itself) and frequenting fields and gardens at a place called Haroldswick which lies on the seashore. No doubt the warbler's presence is a result of the north westerly gales that have battered Shetland recently

I have only seen one Blackpoll Warbler before, many years ago on St Mary's in The Isles of Scilly. Mark had seen two. so this bird's presence so near to us was overwhelmingly tempting especially as they have now become very much more rare than previously in Britain.They breed in the forests of North America from Alaska throughout Canada to the northeastern states of the USA. They winter on the northeast coast of South America achieving this by crossing 2500 miles of open water non stop, the longest recorded non stop flight over water of a migrant songbird.

So far 49 have been recorded in Britain, the last  in Shetland being seen in 2009

We decided we would go for it so I made bookings on the two ferries required to get to Unst. It is always wise to book the Yell to Unst ferry as being much smaller than the Mainland to Yell ferry it can take only a comparatively few cars and is often fully booked. As it was we got the last space on the ferry we required that departed for Unst at 10am the next morning. Ominously after the first sighting of the warbler was reported it could not be found although the weather was atrocious.

I went to bed with some trepidation concerning my painful jaw and was duly rewarded with virtually no sleep.Rising in the morning I felt in no state to drive to Unst and we agreed to abandon the mission and return for more of the thrush.

Once up and about I began to feel much better and my pain subsided considerably.Life became bearable once more. We arrived at Loch Asta and shortly afterwards came news of the re-discovery of the Blackpoll Warbler, now frequenting the beach at Haroldswick and showing well.

A rapid change of mind found us re-booked on a later ferry to Unst which would get us there just after lunchtime.The weather, although very windy was sunny and for Shetland at this time of year not unpleasant.

Everything went to plan as we drove north but worryingly the warbler was reported as being very elusive and giving flight views only. Once on Unst we crossed the empty featureless moorland, the Norse names we passed betraying a past history of Viking invasion 

Arriving at the small settlement of Haroldswick we could see a gathering of around forty birders all pointing cameras at the beach. It was obvious the warbler was now on view which was a great relief.

The beach as such was not one of sand but a wide semicircle  that was entirely covered by rotting kelp much of it several feet deep in places.To walk on it was like wading in spaghetti as the kelp was soft and spongy and you stepped on it at your peril for you would sink knee deep in its rotteness, so everyone kept to the narrow road and grass verge that bordered the beach

However for the birds the kelp was an absolute foodmine as insects were here in huge numbers. Up to half a dozen Wheatears flashed their black and white tails as they flew back and fore or perched fearlessly on a close by ridge of kelp, gently undulating their tails. Rock Pipits and Starlings were also joining the feast and even a Skylark.

However the star of the show,  a small, bright greenish yellow and buff bird with two prominent white bars on each wing flew at speed from mound to mound of the kelp. A times it looked almost Siskin like in colouration but the insectivores bill and yellow orange legs and feet easily dispelled such an impression.

The wind  on the exposed beach was ferocious whipping from across the flat fields behind us so forcefully it was uncomfortable to stand up in. The warbler flew at speed, catching insects whilst simultaneously attempting to avoid the worst of the wind by cowering behind the mounds of rotten kelp.It was a constant battle with the wind but the tiny bird proved resilient, endlessly moving position as it hunted for insects.

It was a nightmare pinning it down in the camera for just as you got it in the lens it would be taken by the wind or fly off after an insect.

I eventually caught it in a moment of inactivity as it took a breather in a sheltered part of the beach between two mounds of grass and secured some images. Such a tiny bird. I marvelled at how it had crossed a vast ocean to make landfall on this most inappropriate  of destinations and was now attempting to secure its survival, for now at least

Sadly its great rarity meant that everyone wanted to see it and take its photo and it was pursued rather too closely for my taste by a phalanx of camera toting birders along the beach.Ethically it should have been given the space  and time to recover from its miraculous flight of endurnace. Far better to sit down on the grass by the beach and wait for the bird to come to you which it would surely do as it followed the insects along the beach.

In the end it fled to the fields behind us where it was again followed but finally disappeared and no one could re-locate it which probably was no bad thing for the bird's welfare.We waited for a good hour sat on the grass by the beach in the hope it would return, being entertained by the antics of the wheatears but of the warbler we saw no more.

Apart from one brief sighting the next morning it was not seen again.