Shetland Day Trip! February 2025

In late November 2024 Britain's 10th American Coot was found at Loch Spiggie on Shetland.

Although I'd discussed the possibility of getting up to Shetland with a few people during December and then January, due to work commitments, Christmas and poor weather, it didn't come together until around two months later.  Although it was clear the Coot was going to overwinter, the 'day trip' was proving hard to organise and it felt like the opportunity was slipping away.  Suddenly there seemed to be a break in the weather which made the ferry crossing possible so a last minute visit was agreed quickly in early February.

The plan was to get a train to Aberdeen on the Friday, meet the others, overnight ferry to Shetland, car hire for the day on Shetland on Saturday, then overnight back to Aberdeen, train home on Sunday!

Meeting in Aberdeen, we boarded the ferry on time, and set off overnight on what was a relatively calm crossing for the 12 hour journey.  After docking in Lerwick at 7am, the car hire was waiting, we packed our gear in and set off south towards Loch Spiggie. We had only six hours of daylight ahead of us. 

Even though the Coot had been there at least two months it was being reported less regularly so we were quite nervous about it being there, and being able to find it.  Thirty minutes later we arrived at Spiggie and drove around to the area it had been frequenting on the west side at Setter.  A couple of other birders from the ferry were already there and looking from the road without being able to locate the American Coot. It was cold and there was a brief short shower of freezing rain.  Spiggie is probably the largest loch on Shetland and any birds were distant and difficult to pick out looking into the sun.  

After about thirty minutes we were a little disheartened, I was beginning to wonder if this was going to result in long-distance disappointment.  We moved location slightly to view a sheltered part of the lock which looked promising, viewing an area of the marsh we couldn't previously see.  We then got a notification from a local that the bird was present, and I could see where he was viewing from distantly a mile further down the road.  We crossed into a field to get closer to the water, and soon picked up a pair of Coots, surely one had to be the American Coot.

Distant Coots at Loch Spiggie, Shetland

Getting the scopes on the birds we soon started to see some distinctive features and could confirm one of the birds was indeed the American Coot, and relief set in!

After a short time the two birds started to swim a lot closer to us, passing relatively close to the shore for a while before heading north, then later returning for another pass, heading back to their original location. We could now see the obvious features in the glorious sunlight between the showers.

American Coot (right) with Eurasian Coot

                                                    American Coot (left) with Eurasian Coot

Despite the cold winds, we spent about an hour watching the Coot before moving on.

February Birding in Shetland!

Having scored mid-morning with the main target bird, we had the rest of the day to spend on the mainland, and the next location was an easy choice.  A male Bufflehead, another North American bird, had also been wintering on Shetland, and was five minutes down the road at Hillwell Loch. This bird really wasn't hard to find - a much smaller loch and the bird was visible as soon as we got out of the car. Although distant, such a distinctive duck stood out in between its regular dives into the depths of the loch.

My second UK Bufflehead

The final target bird was much further north near Scatsta, so we set off via a quick stop off in Lerwick to look for a third North Ameican vagrant, Ross's Goose. Arriving early afternoon, there was initially no sign of the Ross's Goose among the many Greylag Geese that were present.

Although I'd seen a single Ross's Goose previously, it is likely that bird won't be accepted as a genuine wild bird, so I was keen to get this one which is almost 100% certain to be accepted given its location, accompanying geese and the time of year.

We relocated further up the road where another party of geese were on the brow of a hill; sure enough a white goose was present and the Ross's Goose had been found.  We watched it for a few minutes before it walked over the hill and out of sight.

Ross's Goose, Scatsta, Shetland

It had been a great day, so we headed back to Lerwick with plenty of time to get on the ferry and begin the long journey home.  Although I've visited Shetland many times, this was the first time I'd done a quick visit, and it couldn't have worked out better.  Birding isn't always like that so you have to enjoy it when you can.

Thanks for looking.