13th March 2026 Unst SW6 light showers

Norwick: Merlin, Common Snipe, Long-eared Owl, 45 Skylarks, 12 Blackbirds, Fieldfare & 3 Redwing.

12th March 2026 Toft SSW8 Overcast

A visit to Lerwick produced my first Iceland Gull of the year at Toft - a 2cy - so far it's been a remarkably poor year for them and Glaucous Gulls...

10th March 2026 Unst SSW5 Clear

Norwick: 2 Common Snipe, Long-eared Owl, 25 Skylarks, Fieldfare, Redwing & 2 Goldcrest.

9th March 2026 Unst SW4 Overcast

Norwick: Long-eared Owl, 17 Skylarks Icelandic Redwing & Goldcrest.

8th March 2026 Unst S5 Overcast

A look around Norwick produced my first Chiffchaff of the year being the earliest individual I've recorded on Shetland.

Norwick: 2 Common Snipe, 2 Long-eared Owls, 2 Woodpigeons, 16 Skylarks, Icelandic Redwing, Chiffchaff & Goldcrest.

7th March 2026 Unst S5 Clear

Norwick: 2 Long-eared Owl, 14 Skylark, 3 Redwing, Goldcrest & 2 Jackdaws.

4th March 2026 Unst SW6 Clear

Norwick: Woodcock, 2 Long-eared Owl, Woodpigeon, Skylark, 4 Redwing & Fieldfare.

Uyeasound: 2 Tundra Bean Geese & Bonaparte's Gull.

3rd March 2026 Unst W6 Overcast

Uyeasound: Bonaparte's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull & 3cy Glaucous Gull.

Burravoe: Lesser Black-backed Gull & 13 Nordic Jackdaws.

3cy Glaucous Gull at Dam Loch

2nd March 2026 Unst SW6 Overcast

Norwick: 2 Long-eared Owl.

Long-eared Owl at Norwick

1st March 2026 Unst S6 Overcast with showers

The Bonaparte's Gull was seen feeding just east of the eastern offshore salmon cage and the Kumlien's / Thayer's Gull was coming to bread along the beach.

Uyeasound: 2 Tundra Bean Geese, Kumlien's/Thayer's Gull & Bonaparte's Gull.

Loch of Snarravoe: 7 Whooper Swans (family party of 2 adults and 5 2cy).

3rd cycle Kumlien's / Thayer's Gull at Uyeasound

28th February 2026 Unst & Yell SW3 Clear

My commute across Unst produced more views of the White-billed Diver at Baltasound, the Glaucous Gull at Dam Loch and the 2 Tundra Bean Geese at Wester Loch. Work took me to Yell where I heard Skylarks singing for the first time this year and a Slavonian Grebe in Southladie Voe proved a welcome surprise.

Baltasound: White-billed Diver.

Uyeasound: 2 Tundra Bean Geese & Glaucous Gull.

Breckon: European White-fronted Goose.

Gloup: Pink-footed Goose.

West Sandwick: Slavonian Grebe.

Slavonian Grebe in Southladie Voe, West Sandwick, Yell

clearly having just commenced its moult into breeding plumage

27th February 2026 Unst SW6 Showers

We again saw the White-billed Diver in Baltasound but there was no sign of either the Bonaparte's or Kumlien's/Thayer's Gull at Uyeasound although the 2 Tundra Bean Geese were still present. On completing the monthly SOTEAG beached bird survey we saw 3 Long-eared Owls at Norwick.

Baltasound: White-billed Diver & Bar-tailed Godwit.

Westing: Pink-footed Goose.

Uyeasound: 2 Tundra Bean Geese & 105 Ringed Plover.

Haroldswick: White-fronted Goose.

Norwick: 3 Long-eared Owl.

White-billed Diver at Baltasound

I'd never truly appreciated the camouflage of this species against a background of silver seas!

Tundra Bean Geese at Uyeasound

26th February 2026 Unst SSW3 Clear

The weather throughout the morning made it almost felt like Spring... and a couple of Long-eared Owls were presumably migrants as they are the first I've seen this year. But by lunchtime steady rain arrived...

Norwick: Great Northern Diver, Red-throated Diver, Razorbill & 2 Long-eared Owls.

Skaw: Great Northern Diver & Water Rail.

2cy Razorbill at Norwick

Long-eared Owls at Norwick

25th February 2026 Unst SW2 Light rain

We took another look at the White-billed Diver at Baltasound and then continued to Uyeasound where we again saw the Bonaparte's Gull and the Kumlien's/Thayer's Gull.

Baltasound: White-billed Diver.

Uyeasound: c.70 Ringed Plover, Kumlien's/Thayer's Gull & Bonaparte's Gull.

White-billed Diver at Baltasound

Adult Bonaparte's Gull at Easter Loch

Ringed Plovers at Uyeasound

Spring passage clearly underway

24th February 2026 Unst S5 Light rain

A day spent in Lerwick but making a brief detour to Easter Loch where the Bonaparte's Gull was still present and today alongside a Glaucous Gull.

Uyeasound: Glaucous Gull & Bonaparte's Gull.

Bonaparte's Gull at Easter Loch

23rd February 2026 Unst SW4 Showers clearing

First day out with my replacement camera to see Robbie's superb White-billed Diver at Baltasound saw us then continue to Uyeasound where we were pleased to see the Kumlien's / Thayer's Gull that was sharing Easter Loch with another Nearctic Gull!

Baltasound: White-billed Diver, 11 Nordic Jackdaws, Blue Tit & Chaffinch.

Uyeasound: Kumlien's / Thayer's Gull & Bonaparte's Gull.

White-billed Diver at Baltasound

Blue Tit at Halligarth

Kumlien's / Thayer's Gull at Easter Loch

Bonaparte's Gull at Easter Loch

21st February 2026 Yell N1 Clear

Another day spent working on Yell where the highlight was obtaining much-improved views of the flock of Nordic Jackdaws present at Burravoe.

Burravoe: 5 European White-fronted Geese, Woodcock & 13 Nordic Jackdaws.

It must be c.25 years since Rudy Offereins published his ground-breaking article on the identification of the various subspecies of Western Jackdaw that still seems just as relevant today. Here’s an attempt at succinctly summarising its contents with regard to the distribution and identification of the various recognised subspecies and associated intergrades in Europe:

2cy Nordic Jackdaws at Burravoe

Part of a flock of 13 birds roaming the sheep fields that seemed mainly, perhaps entirely, comprised of 2cy individuals aged based on their retained brownish juvenile primaries and secondaries. The shape, intensity and apparent extent of their collars changed frequently due mainly to the posture of the birds.

2cy Nordic Jackdaw at Burravoe

By early Spring, feather wear exposes the bases of the feathers of the collar in all forms of Western Jackdaw. Field views confirmed the presence of brownish primaries on this individual ageing it as a 2cy. Its overall appearance is a very close match to the images (inset) of the Nordic Jackdaws that Rudy Offereins used to illustrate his article.

Rudy Offereins shared some remarks on the identification of first-winter Nordic Jackdaws as follows:

• The nape and neck-side-colour of Nordic Jackdaw resembles that of adult winter Jackdaw and is therefore paler than on 1st winter Jackdaw, resulting in a more contrasting crown and throat.
• Sometimes a faint collar or neckpatch is visible but this is not always the case.
• Nordic Jackdaw can be told from the almost uniform grey-black Common Jackdaw by its paler and greyer underparts.

2cy Nordic Jackdaw at Burravoe

In flight, the whitish collar appeared as a more sharply-defined crescent but proved no less eye-catching.

2cy Nordic Jackdaw at Burravoe

Prolonged views were essential to gain an accurate impression of the darkness/shade of any particular bird’s plumage. The above illustrates the danger of relying on the appearance conveyed by a single image. Here the light is playing tricks, as the same individual as in the top image now appears far more striking with its underparts including its throat appearing much blacker (and its apparent overall appearance thus now almost recalling that of Russian Jackdaw (inset)).