5th February 2026 Unst & Yell SE5 Overcast

A day spent working on Yell where the highlights were seen during my commute catching-up with a 2cy drake Common Scoter on a pool along the road to Burrafirth that Robbie had first seen there yesterday and lingering single Barnacle Goose and European White-fronted Goose at Westing. A pair of Red Grouse and a female-type Merlin that was seen in flight clutching a screeching Starling near Burravoe and a flock of 6 Tundra Bean Geese were seen at Cullivoe whilst awaiting my single vessel sailing return to Unst.

Norwick: Robin.

Haroldswick: 5 European White-fronted Geese & 2cy drake Common Scoter.

Westing: Barnacle Goose & European White-fronted Goose.

Burravoe: 2 Red Grouse & female-type Merlin.

Cullivoe: 6 Tundra Bean Geese.

2cy drake Common Scoter at Haroldswick

European White-fronted Goose and Greylag Goose at Westring

Barnacle Goose at Westing

Tundra Bean Geese at Cullivoe

2nd February 2026 Unst SE7 Overcast

The wind had dropped overnight somewhat and there was very little rain today. We took a drive round the island with the highlight being an arrival of grey Geese that included a flock of 9 Tundra Bean Geese that we saw in a roadside field whilst approaching Baltasound. It transpired that Brydon had already seen them.

Haroldswick: 5+ European White-fronted Geese.

Baltasound: Pink-footed Goose & 9 Tundra Bean Geese.

Westing: Pink-footed Goose.

Belmont: 2cy drake Scaup.

Uyeasound: European White-fronted Goose, c.1,000 Long-tailed Duck, c.200 Eider & 3rd cycle Kumlien's / Thayer's Gull.

Muness: Merlin.

Tundra Bean Geese at Baltasound

Greylag Geese and Pink-footed Goose at Baltasound

2cy drake Scaup on Loch of Snarravoe

European White-fronted Goose at Uyeasound

Long-tailed Ducks at Uyeasound

1st February 2026 Unst SE7 Wintry showers

We took an optimistic look for the Bittern found by Duncan Gray at Haroldswick whilst we were away but another species of Heron was as close as we got!

2cy Grey Heron at Haroldswick

31st January 2026 Unst SE9 Overcast

Ongoing stormy weather and leaden skies with frequent wintry showers saw us birding from the car with the obvious highlight being reacquainting ourselves with flight views of the returning Kumlien's/Thayer's Gull at Uyeasound. Hopefully we will see it both on the deck and on a brighter day soon... 

Edit: I've subsequently posted four images to the North American Gulls group simply asking for thoughts as to how it fits into the Kumlien's / Thayer's Gull continuum and Amar Ayyash very kindly replied ''Thayer's in western North America, interestingly dark Kumlien's in the east.''

No adjustments apart from cropping to the following images:

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

Pro-Thayer's features as I see them include the tail pattern (similar to that of a 2nd cycle), the darkness of the outer webs and narrow paler inner webs of the outer primaries, dark-centred tertials, small mirror on p9 restricted to the inner web, its small white primary tips and heavily-blotched hindneck. Furthermore, the slight contrast between adult-like (blacker) p5 & p6 and slightly greyer p7 - p10 are a close match to the individual 32A.28 (Ayyash 2024).

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

Ideally for Thayer's, perhaps the dark grey outer web of p7 shouldn't fall short of the primary coverts and the outer web of p10 shouldn't become paler distally? 

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

For 3rd cycle Thayer's Gull Ayyash (2024) describes 'head markings sometimes extend well below the neck and onto the lower breast, upper belly, and flanks.' But, for Thayer's, perhaps ideally it should be showing a darker underside to p10 (Adriaens et al. 2022)?

11th December 2025 Unst SW7 Overcast

Norwick: adult Glaucous Gull in off the sea.

10th December 2025 Unst SW9 Overcast

Westing: 1cy Red-necked Grebe & 1cy Glaucous Gull.

30th November 2025 Unst N3 Overcast

Norwick: Peregrine.