Shetland 2023

The long drive north to Aberdeen was the start of a great 10 autumn days on Shetland this year.  

The first bird of note was a nice summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver off the sea at Stonehaven, south of Aberdeen, before heading onto the overnight ferry.

Red-throated Diver, Stonehaven

The overnight crossing was relatively calm, and as I'd risked not getting a cabin I even managed to get a little sleep on the benches.  It was great to arrive in Lerwick which started with a much needed breakfast.

Out of the cafe and I was able to walk to the first target, a Bluethroat that had been in the area south of Lerwick for a couple of days.  I found it straight away, and although it didn't show for long, it gave occasional good views from its position in the middle of a field.

Bluethroat at Sound, Lerwick

It was a great start to the day, and I then drove the short distance to Clickimin Loch where a Little Bunting had been showing well.  A small crowd was gathered at it was showing incredibly well, picking insects from a couple of small sycamore trees like a warbler.

Little Bunting, Lerwick

Also in the Lerwick area was a confiding Citrine Wagtail. I hadn't been able to locate it in a brief search  between the Bluethroat and the Little Bunting. I returned to the Seafield area to have another look.  I soon found it with some Pied Wagtails on the football pitch, after which is relocated over the path to what would become its favoured garden. 

Citrine Wagtail, Seafield Park, Lerwick

I didn't stay long.  It was good to see so many uncommon eastern migrants, after what had been a long period of predominantly westerly winds.  But a message appeared that got me straight in the car heading north to Lunna Kirk - a bird very much from the west - a possible Veery!

A swift 30 minute journey to an area I'd visited many time before; the last good bird there was a Melodious warbler a few years ago.  Arriving at the church, there was around 20 people looking into the base of a row of trees, and what had now been confirmed as a Veery was showing really well, feeding on the ground under the trees and occasionally further forward through the fence.  This was a new bird for me, so it was great to get a tick on the first day within hours of arriving in Shetland.

The Veery, a small North American Catharus thrush, ended up staying several days and became more confiding as time went on. It was seen by most Shetland autumn birders.  I saw it a few days later with no-one else there and it was feeding a few feet from where I was stood, out in the field.

Veery, Lunna

This was turning into an incredible first day on Shetland, but there was one further highlight.  Whilst watching the Veery, someone shouted over that a pod of Orca's was coming into the sound just to the east of Lunna. This simply involved a quick 2 minute run over to the seaward side and the Orca's were soon in view.

Orcas at Lunna Kirk

What a day.  It was time to get to the accommodation! I stayed in Weisdale for a few days and then moved over to Lerwick.

The next few days were never going to live up to the first, but there were some good birds. 

A Red-breasted Flycatcher found at Kergord. 

Cattle Egret at Sumburgh

A Death's Head Hawkmoth was rescued from a Lerwick taxi office and kindly displayed in a garden before later release.  My only other sighting of this magnificent moth was in an ice-cream shop on the Isles of Scilly!

Death's Head Hawkmoth in Lerwick

Eastern Subalpine Warbler at Wester Quarff

Dotterel near Eshaness

Short-toed Lark, Scatness

Siberian Stonechat, Lunna

A few days into the trip and news emerged of a White's Thrush on Bressay, the island just east of Lerwick and relatively easy to access.  This was a bird I was very keen to see, having missed three on my previous Shetland visits, two arriving a day after I left, and one that I missed by five minutes.  It was an early start in the dark for the first ferry, and then a short trek to the remote area of Gorie.

The plantation at Gorie on Bressay

As it got light and the first ferry-load gathered around the plantation, and the first signs weren't good. The trees in the plantation where it was thought to have roosted were walked through twice but only a few Redwings and Blackbirds emerged, plus a single Hawfinch.  Then a few people headed to the cottage and the White's Thrush exploded from the garden across into the plantation.  It was spectacular in flight.

The White's Thrush making a close pass as it headed back into the plantation (pic: Neil Duggan)

Although it made a few flights out of the plantation and back, it was extremely hard to see on the ground, although in a couple of hours I managed to get a few decent views.  I returned the next day in terrible conditions - high winds and rain, and it was just as elusive, although I did manage to get better views and a couple of shots by lying on the ground in the plantation!

White's Thrush - one of my most wanted Shetland specialities

The last couple of days were relatively quiet, with a few Yellow-browed Warblers seen, and this showy Barred Warbler:

Barred Warbler, Wester Quarff

A Blyth's Reed Warbler, only my second, was found on the north Mainland:

Blyth's Reed Warbler, Ronas Voe

Despite a full and gruelling search of Ronas Hill there was no sight of the Snowy Owl, where I had seen one a couple of years previously, despite it being seen the day before.  It was probably moved on by a group of shepherds gathering sheep over the wide area that morning.  We thought we had found it, in a hollow just as I had seen my last one here, in fact this was almost in the exact same location.  We were looking at it about a mile away though, and I wasn't convinced this was it so we had to get closer, and closer, and closer still.  Only when we were about 100 metres away could we conclusively identify it as the whitest rock on Shetland! Damn.

Snowy Owl shaped rock!

Ronas Hill

Mountain Hare, Ronas Hill

The White's Thrush was certainly my highlight of the trip, closely followed by the Veery.  Birds missed included the Snowy Owl, River Warbler, Greenish Warbler (found by Tom Lee) and Arctic Redpoll (one found by Roy Twigg). It was a great week, with some great birds and birders.  Thanks to all those that found stuff and shared it.  Hoping to be back in '24!

Thanks for looking!