Not for the first time this week my day at work on Yell was interrupted with the news that Brydon had added to the tally of Two-barred Crossbills on Unst with a new first-winter female that he originally heard at Halligarth, from where it soon relocated to Setters Hill, joining the two present there. On my way home, new birds in, were represented by 3 Tufted Duck and 5 Knot at Uyeasound. I then saw the 3 Two-barred Crossbills in the pines at the School before they flew off with two being lost to view as tiny specks high in the sky heading southwest with the other seen to double-back towards Baltasound. A quick look at Setters Hill on my way past then drew a blank.
The first record of Two-barred Crossbill for Unst was also the first acceptable record for Scotland. All accepted records for Unst, as far as I can ascertain, are as follows:
1859
Halligarth, female and immature, shot, 4th September (H.L. Saxby).
2008
Lamba Ness, male, 26th July (P. Nadin).
Norwick, female/first-winter, 5th August (S.J. Davies, K. Moyes).
Haroldswick, juvenile, 10th August (S.E. Duffield).
2011
Halligarth, first-summer female, 29th July to 1st August (B.H. Thomason et al.).
Halligarth, male, 30th July to 1st August (B.H. Thomason et al.).
2013
Baltasound, at least four, two females and two juveniles, 26th July to 5th August (B.H. Thomason et al.).
Hamar, two, immature male and immature female, 6th August (P.V. Harvey
Burrafirth, Norwick and Skaw ,
juvenile, 20th to 25th September (R.
Foyster, R.M.R. James et al.).
This year's trio include the two earliest Autumn records ever with find dates now as follows:
21/7 // 25/7 // 26/7 // 26/7 // 27/7 // 29/7 // 30/7 // 5/8 // 6/8 // 10/8 // 4/9 // 20/9
