Twitched onto Fair Isle when, on arrival, received the unbelievable and dreadful news that my good friend and respected birder Kevin Johnston had just passed away - we had exchanged texts just a couple of days earlier with respective birding news from Filsham and Shetland - the Pechora Pipit, rather fittingly haunting the reedbed of Fair Isle, will always be for you Kev...
Ruff
4
Kestrel
1Swallow 2
Swift 1
Skylark 8
Fair Isle Wren 1
Whinchat 4
Wheatear 6
Tree Pipit 4
Meadow Pipit 50
PECHORA PIPIT 1ex UK 494 Delicate compared to Meadow Pipit. Call ‘plup’ on being flushed from the reeds in the Meadow Burn at Quoy. Later a series of ‘pip pip pip’ when flying from ram field back to Meadow Burn. Pale pink legs. Short hindclaw. Broad white wingbars. Broad white tramlines running down scapulars with a hint of a second parallel stripe. Buffish suffusion to upper breast. Upper breast heavily streaked black. Gorget of heavy streaking very narrow. Rufescent suffusion to neck-sides. Heavy double row of broad streaks on flanks. Looked dark in flight. Stout base to triangular bill. Dark u shaped mark under eye. Primaries projecting beyond exposed tertials.
Song Thrush 2
Garden Warbler 5
Willow Warbler 7
Chaffinch 1
Pechora Pipit in Meadow Burn on Fair Isle (Paul Baxter)
