A look at the weather charts yesterday evening showed overnight southeasterly winds emanating from the Black Sea, so being very late October, it went through my mind that another Pied Wheatear might be on... but I quickly dismissed such thoughts as fanciful! It dawned clear but was combined with a rather brisk cold wind. Completing a circuit of Norwick had produced a few flocks of Waxwings flying north but I had little else to show for my morning. My lunchtime break was punctuated by 5 Waxwings briefly dropping into our garden. Early afternoon I teamed-up with Adrian Kettle for a walk around Haroldswick. I pointed out the field where Brydon, Micky & Mike had found Unst's first Pied Wheatear, but as far as we could see, it unfortunately wasn't playing host to another today. We then headed to Burrafirth to take a look for yesterday's Bluethroat but there was no sign of it. However, as we left, we were driving through Sotland when a Wheatear flew up from the road ahead of us... one look at its 'tail pattern' and we both knew that we were in, so as we exchanged excited glances and words to that effect, I jammed on the brakes... it landed on a fence-post, we both raised our bins and brilliant... there was a female Pied Wheatear! First images secured through the windscreen, we soon abandoned the car and followed it for a kilometer as it steadily headed inland. We last saw it flying into the sheltered valley leading to Quoys.
Norwick: 2 Long-tailed Duck, Knot, Dunlin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Robin, 37 Waxwing, 2 Blackcap, Goldcrest, 2 Great Tit, 4 Fieldfare, 7 Redwing, 2 Song Thrush, Siskin, 2 Redpoll, 2 Chaffinch & 20 Brambling.
Haroldswick: Knot.
Burrafirth: Woodcock, Dunnock, 30 Fieldfare & Pied Wheatear.
Female Pied Wheatear at Sotland
ebird European range of Pied Wheatear
Met Office surface pressure chart
