7th March 2023 Unst N3 Snow

The snowy weather now taking its toll on the livestock and birds. We couldn't venture far but saw our first 2 Jack Snipe of the year in front of our house, 3 Common Snipe and a few Skylarks.

Lamba Ness under threatening skies

9th March 2022 Unst S7 Overcast

After a lengthy overnight powercut it was no surprise to awaken to high seas and inter-island ferry disruption. A tour of a few sites produced an Iceland Gull off Norwick.

Stormy seas lashing Lamba Ness

First-cycle Iceland Gull at Norwick

22nd November 2021 Unst WNW5 Overcast

It felt like sea-watching from Lamba Ness was worth another try, but despite similar weather conditions to yesterday, there were far fewer Fulmars, Guillemots and Kittiwakes passing today.

Lamba Ness: 1N & 1S Red-throated Divers, 5 blue Fulmars N, 5N & 3S Guillemots, 2 Puffins N, 2 Little Auks N & 3 Kittiwakes N.

Scandinavian Herring Gull passing Lamba Ness

no white-wingers today but a steady trickle of argentatus

Juvenile Red-throated Diver passing Lamba Ness

blue Fulmar passing Lamba Ness

Puffins passing Lamba Ness

21st November 2021 Unst N4 Overcast

I sea-watched from Lamba Ness for 75 minutes from 8.15am.

Lamba Ness: Great Northern Diver N, 20 blue Fulmar N, Glaucous Gull N, 1cy Iceland Gull N, 61 Kittiwakes N, 109 Guillemots N, 3 Black Guillemots N & 2 Fieldfare.

Norwick: 2 Great Northern Divers.

Guillemots passing Lamba Ness

Black Guillemot passing Lamba Ness

Glaucous Gull passing Lamba Ness

20th November 2021 Unst WNW5 Overcast

I sea-watched from Lamba Ness from 1.30pm until 2.30pm where a Little Auk and a nice close Minke whale proved the highlights.

Lamba Ness: Great Northern Diver on sea, 4 blue Fulmars N, Eider on sea, Long-tailed Duck S, Little Auk, Purple Sandpiper N & Minke Whale.

blue Fulmar passing Lamba Ness

Minke Whale off Lamba Ness

19th November 2021 Unst WNW5 Overcast

After overnight westerly gales we headed to Westing but disappointingly there were very few Gulls present feeding in the surf. I then waited for the gales to abate before sea-watching from Lamba Ness from 1.15pm to 2.15pm where the highlight was a White-billed Diver that flew north before it splashed down onto the sea and commenced diving between Lamba Ness and the Holm of Skaw.

Millfield: Siberian Chiffchaff.

Lamba Ness: Eider, White-billed Diver N then splashed down, blue Fulmar N, Puffin N then splashed down, 2 Little Auks N & Fieldfare.

 

2cy White-billed Diver passing Lamba Ness

On seeing it approaching I was initially a little perplexed on seeing the combination of its pale bill and the overall darkness of the plumage. However, as it passed rather closely, there was no overlooking its bill! In having acquired plenty of white-centred scapulars but lacking any white-spotted wing-coverts I think that it effectively ages this individual as a 2cy being a plumage that it then largely carries well into its 3cy summer - there's a nice portrayal in Lars Jonsson's Birds of Europe (1992).

12th November 2021 Unst SE6 Rain

A wet and windy morning saw a visit to the shop produce an adult Glaucous Gull in Haroldswick and a 1cy Iceland Gull off Norwick that then spent the afternoon touring the wick. The rain virtually stopped early in the afternoon so I took a walk around Norwick.

Haroldswick: adult Glaucous Gull.

Norwick: Woodcock, Water Rail, 1cy Iceland Gull, 1 cy Glaucous Gull, 2 Robins, 3 Redwings, Blackcap, 2 Siskin & 10 Chaffinches.

1cy Iceland Gull against the cliffs of Lamba Ness

4th November 2021 Unst NW4 Overcast

I headed to Lamba Ness where I seawatched for a couple of hours from dawn with the highlight being 9 Little Auks flying north including a flock of 6. A couple of Snow Buntings were also seen flying north over the crests of the wave but on hearing one call a flock of c.60 dropped out of the sky, landed briefly on the point before continuing north. It was nice to see the Pallas's Warbler still lingering in Norwick although the temperatures probably better suited our first Iceland Gull of the Autumn!

Lamba Ness: 10 blue Fulmar, 9 Little Auks, 4 Black Guillemots, c.50 Common Guillemots, 3 Razorbills, 2 Glaucous Gulls & c.60 Snow Buntings

Holsens road: Jack Snipe.

Norwick: Jack Snipe, Woodcock, Iceland Gull, 2 Skylark, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Pallas's Warbler, 2 Siberian Chiffchaff, Chiffchaff, 2 Snow Bunting & Siskin.

NorthDale: Goldcrest.

Haroldswick: c.30 Brambling. 

Little Auk passing Lamba Ness

Razorbill & Guillemots passing Lamba Ness

blue Fulmar passing Lamba Ness

Glaucous Gulls passing Lamba Ness

part of the flock of Snow Buntings dropping in at Lamba Ness

2cy Iceland Gull at Norwick

Siberian Chiffchaff at Norwick

Pallas's Warbler at Norwick

22nd October 2021 Unst NNW5 Overcast

I spent an hour seawatching from Lamba Ness where a couple of passing Glaucous Gulls proved the highlight. I then took a look around Norwick.

Lamba Ness: 4 blue Fulmars, 2 Glaucous Gulls north & Skylark.

Holsens road: Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll.

Norwick: Grey Wagtail, Ring Ouzel, Fieldfare, c.25 Redwings, 2 Blackcaps, Siberian Chiffchaff, 2 Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting, c.80 Bramblings & Northwestern Redpoll. 

Glaucous Gulls passing Lamba Ness

Reed Bunting at Norwick

Blackcaps at Norwick

Redwing at Norwick

Ring Ouzel at Norwick

21st October 2021 Unst NNW7 Hail showers

After a moonlit start to the night courtesy of a full moon the forecast storm duly arrived that when combined with a marked drop in temperature and frequent hail showers it made for a challenging 45 minute seawatch from 8.15am - most of the time I simply enjoyed watching the impressive seascapes! Next I visited Skaw seeing very little and then took a walk around Norwick that proved more productive.

Lamba Ness: Sooty Shearwater & 3 blue Fulmars.

Skaw: 4 Long-tailed Duck, Song Thrush, c.10 Redwings & c.15 Bramblings.

Holsens road: Robin, 2 Northwestern Redpolls, Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll & Snow Bunting.

Norwick: 1cy Glaucous Gull, Grey Wagtail, 3 Song Thrush, c.50 Redwings, 2 Blackcaps, Siberian Chiffchaff, 2 Chiffchaffs, Goldcrest, 2 Northwestern Redpolls, c.250 Bramblings & Hawfinch.

Lamba Ness from Skaw

the ever-changing impressive seascapes

Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll along Holsens road

Glaucous Gull off Norwick