Today marks the start of a new contract surveying breeding birds on Unst. With a weather window only likely to last to late morning I was out for dawn walking some transects that run through a couple of mires - one being a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. Whilst we still await the majority of the Summer visitors the 'early season' breeding species are already in full display. It's impossible to not be impressed by a soundscape comprising a colony of Black-headed Gulls, 7 displaying Lapwings counted in a single scan, 3 displaying Curlews, a pair of Redshank, chipping Snipes, an overflying calling Golden Plover and a couple of pairs of Oystercatchers. I also heard and saw my first parachuting Meadow Pipit of the Spring. Whilst I didn't dedicate any time today to specifically searching for migrants I did see a party of 3 Pinkfeet overflying Haroldswick and a total of 6 widely-scattered Redwings, all of which looked to be of the Icelandic form - perhaps not too surprising with the recent onslaught of westerly winds.
Icelandic Redwing at Norwick
All the Redwings seen today appeared to be of this form characterised by their slightly larger size, dark ear-coverts virtually lacking pale patterning, dark brown ground-colour to the breast, blurred and blacker streaking to their underparts, dark-centred undertail-coverts and dark legs.
Meadow Pipit at Norwick
Both juveniles and adults undergo a pre-breeding moult tricky making ageing in the Spring difficult. This one is showing two generations of median coverts.
Woodpigeons at Norwick
The first arrived on 1/3, the second on the 20/3, the 3rd on the 25th ... and now there are 6.
Pinkfeet over Haroldswick
We've previously only seen singles at Westing and Norwick this year.
