14th May 2026 Unst N5 Partly overcast

Norwick: 15 Eider, Knot & Common Rosefinch.

Haroldswick: White Wagtail.

2cy Common Rosefinch at Millfield

If my reading of Svensson is correct, the visible moult limit in the primaries ages it as a 2cy as the post-juvenile moult can include replacing 1-4 outer primaries.

11th May 2026 Unst NW3 Overcast

Skaw: Short-eared Owl, Pied Wagtail, 2 White Wagtail, Sedge Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff & Snow Bunting.

Short-eared Owl at Skaw

Sedge Warbler at Skaw

Snow Bunting at Skaw

10th May 2026 Unst NW3 Wintry showers

Norwick: 21 Eider, 4 Woodpigeon, 2 Pied Wagtails, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff & 4 Tree Sparrows.

Sedge Warbler at Norwick

9th May 2026 Unst NW4 Showers

Norwick: 2 Arctic Terns, Chaffinch & 3 Tree Sparrows.

8th May 2026 Unst SW4 Partly overcast

Norwick: Arctic Tern & 4 Tree Sparrows.

7th May 2026 Unst SSE4 Partly overcast

Norwick: Whimbrel, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Chiffchaff, Song Thrush & 2 Tree Sparrow.

6th May 2026 Unst W3 Showers

Another quiet day with the unfavourable winds and temperatures continuing. Robbie saved the day finding a redhead Smew on Belmont Loch - the first that we've seen on Unst.

Skaw: Arctic Skua, 2 Pied Wagtail & Redpoll.

Haroldswick: Black-tailed Godwit & Swallow.

Belmont: Smew.

Black-tailed Godwit at Haroldswick

the worn coverts and tertials point to it possibly being a 2cy individual

Smew at Belmont Loch

3rd May 2026 Unst WSW2 Overcast

Norwick: 2 Great Northern Diver, 8 Eider, Whimbrel, 2 Woodpigeon, 2 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff & Tree Sparrow.

2nd May 2026 Unst NE4 Overcast

Norwick: Arctic Skua, Chiffchaff & Tree Sparrow.

1st May 2026 Unst SW3 Light Cloud

Norwick: 17 Eider, 2 Shoveler, Sparrowhawk, Whimbrel, Pied Wagtail, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Siskin, Redpoll & Tree Sparrow.

Skaw: Great Northern Diver, Whimbrel, Pied Wagtail, White Wagtail, 2 Swallow, 4 Sand Martin, Chiffchaff & Chaffinch.

NorthDale: 2 Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler

Burrafirth: White Wagtail, 3 Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler.

Pair of Shoveler at Norwick

Lesser Whitethroat at Norwick

30th April 2026 Unst S4 Clear

Uyeasound: Sand Martin.

Norwick: Common Tern.

29th April 2026 Unst SW3 Clear

Skaw: 5 Whimbrel, 2 White Wagtails, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Redwing, Carrion Crow & Redpoll.

Norwick: 2 Siskin.

28th April 2026 Unst SW2 Partly Overcast

Norwick: 11 Eider, Sparrowhawk, 3 Chiffchaff, Brambling, 2 Siskin, Redpoll & 3 Tree Sparrow.

27th April 2026 Unst S2 Partly Overcast

Norwick: Sparrowhawk, 5 Collared Dove, Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, Brambling, 2 Tree Sparrow.

26th April 2026 Unst SE3 Partly Overcast

Norwick: 21 Woodpigeon, Whimbrel, Pied Wagtail, Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 14 Fieldfare, Brambling & 2 Tree Sparrow.

25th April 2026 Unst N4 Overcast

Haroldswick: Great Northern Diver, Pink-footed Goose, Bar-tailed Godwit & Pied Wagtail.

Norwick: Sparrowhawk, Pied/White Wagtail, 2 Chiffchaff, Brambling & 2 Tree Sparrow.

24th April 2026 Unst NW2 Partly overcast

Norwick: 3 Great Northern Diver, Grey Heron, 12 Eider, Goldeneye, 3 Whimbrel, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, 4 Wheatear, 2 Chiffchaff & 2 Tree Sparrow.

23rd April 2026 Unst N1 Partly overcast.

Norwick: 4 Great Northern Diver, Grey Heron, Swallow, 7 Wheatear, Chaffinch & Tree Sparrow.

22nd April 2026 Unst N2 Scattered clouds

Highlight of the day was a moulting adult White-billed Diver distantly off Skaw.

Skaw: White-billed Diver, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Stonechat & 3 Fieldfare.

Adult White-billed Diver off Skaw

21st April 2026 Unst NNE2 Overcast

Skaw: Stonechat & Robin.

Norwick: Grey Heron, Whimbrel, Sparrowhawk, Pied Wagtail, Robin, 3 Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Brambling & Chaffinch.

20th April 2026 Unst W3 Partly cloudy

Norwick: Grey Heron, Whimbrel, 2 Woodpigeon, 4 Wheatear, Stonechat, Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Hawfinch, 4 Brambling, 2 Chaffinch, 2 Siskin & Tree Sparrow.

Skaw: Stonechat.

19th April 2026 Unst NW4 Drizzle

Norwick: female Hawfinch, 5 Brambling, Siskin & Tree Sparrow.

18th April 2026 Unst SW4 Partly overcast

Norwick: Sparrowhawk, female Hawfinch, 5 Brambling & Siskin.

Sparrowhawk at Norwick

metal-ringed

17th April 2026 Unst S4 Overcast

A look around Norwick produced my first Willow Warbler of the year.

Norwick: Sparrowhawk, 3 Wood Pigeon, 2 Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, female Hawfinch, 17 Brambling, 2 Chaffinch, 2 Siskin & 3 Tree Sparrow.

Willow Warbler at Norwick

Male Brambling at Norwick

16th April 2026 Unst SE3 Showers

Skaw: Siskin.

Norwick: Swallow, Robin, Redwing, 2 Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, 2 Tree Sparrows, 5 Brambling, 2 Siskin & female Hawfinch.

NorthDale: Redwing.

Haroldswick: Eurasian White-fronted Goose, Wheatear

Burrafirth: Dunnock.

Male Siskin at Norwick

Female Hawfinch at Norwick

Eurasian White-fronted Goose at Haroldswick

14th April 2026 Unst SE3 Clear

Skaw: 2 Puffins, 4 Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush & Snow Bunting.

Norwick: Grey Heron, 15 Wood Pigeon, Wheatear, 3 Brambling, 2 Siskin & 2 Tree Sparrow.

13th April 2026 Unst S4 Clear

Norwick: Grey Heron, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, 5 Wood Pigeon, 2 Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Wheatear, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, 5 Brambling, Linnet, Goldfinch & 4 Siskin.

Blackcap at Norwick

Goldfinch at Norwick

11th April 2026 Unst SE8 Overcast

Norwick: Blackcap, 2 Brambling, Siskin & 2 Tree Sparrows.

Female Siskin at Norwick

Male Brambling at Norwick

10th April 2026 Unst & Yell NW3 Overcast

Norwick: Sparrowhawk, 3 Wood Pigeon, Robin, Song Thrush, 17 Redwings, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, 7 Brambling, Chaffinch & Siskin.

Uyeasound: 2 Wheatears.

Burravoe: Sparrowhawk & Wheatear.

Baltasound: Swallow.

Sparrowhawk at Burravoe

9th April 2026 Unst S3 Light rain

Norwick: Grey Heron, 10 Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Blackbirds, Fieldfare, 2 Redwing, 4 Chaffinch, 2 Brambling, 3 Siskin & Tree Sparrow.

Pied Wagtail at Norwick

8th April 2026 Unst SSW3 Overcast

Skaw: Great Skua, Robin, Wheatear & Chiffchaff.

7th April 2026 Unst SE5 Partly overcast

My long-awaited first Wheatear of the year, so another year on Shetland failing to find one in March.

Skaw: male Wheatear & 2cy Rook.

Male Wheatear at Skaw

2cy Rook at Skaw

5th April 2026 Unst NW5 Rain

Norwick: s/p Slavonian Grebe on sea.

2nd April 2026 Unst N2 Partly overcast

Norwick: Pied Wagtail & Reed Bunting.

Skaw: alba Wagtail, 2 Blackbirds & 3 Snow Buntings.

Curlew at Skaw

Snow Bunting at Skaw

Pod of c.6 Risso's Dolphins off Skaw

30th March 2026 Lerwick NW5 Squally showers

The joys of a trip to Lerwick... a 4.45am alarm, car MoT & service, Tescos and a visit to the dentist all to look forward to and with a weather forecast suggesting that we might not even get there due to northwesterly gales grounding the ferries! I rarely leave home without optics and/or a camera but there really seemed little point in taking them with us today... car dropped off, an extensive tour of Tescos completed and with a little time to kill before the dentist, saw us drive to the Fjara cafe which is closed on a Monday, so we knew the car park would be empty... Partially recline car seat, enjoy the view of Bressay, watch a few Purple Sandpipers on the rocks and a Gull flies past heading north at a range of probably c.100m... but it looked rather small and it's underwings looked strikingly white lacking the dark 'shadow' on the underside of the primaries of a Black-headed Gull... I remarked to Brenda that it looked like a Bonaparte's(!)... and continued to watch it fly across the bay before it joined a small melee of Gulls along the foreshore of the Sletts. We took a drive round, found the small flock of Gulls comprised mainly of Herrings with just two Black-headed-type Gulls sat on the water... With the naked eye there appeared to be a size difference... Whilst walking closer, they flew and the smaller bird looped around and flew close past me before settling on the water a little further along the coast... I'd seen its strikingly white underwings and a crisp black trailing edge to its primaries... it really was a Bonaparte's...!! I typed out the relevant message to Whatsapp but then had second thoughts about sending it... I hadn't seen its bill colour, its leg colour, or a grey nape... what if it didn't linger and was never seen again... Instead I decided to phone Phil Harris who lives nearby and tell him that I was 99% sure that I was watching a Bonaparte's Gull at the Sletts but without optics! On being joined in a matter of a few minutes, I'd literally just seen it fly off back towards Fjara... but had then noticed another small melee of Gulls just to the south. We took a drive back round, back into the car park and I started squinting at a couple of Black-headed Gulls, when I heard a hoot from behind us, Phil had found it sat very close on the sea just off the rocks - phew! Rebecca obtained some brilliant images before it soon flew off towards Pullars Loch. We had no option but to depart for the dentist but Phil and Rebecca soon relocated it at the loch. With grateful thanks to Rebecca for kindly sending me her following images:

Bonaparte's Gull at Lerwick (all copyright Rebecca Nason)

27th March 2026 Unst SW5 Showers

A few species seen whilst we completed the monthly SOTEAG beached bird surveys including a light scatter of Icelandic Redwings.

North Unst: c.20 Icelandic Redwings.

Norwick: 6 Purple Sandpipers, Long-eared Owl & 2 Tree Sparrows.

Haroldswick: Black Redstart.

Purple Sandpipers at Norwick

Icelandic Redwing at Norwick