A tour of the south of the island produced 2 Iceland Gulls at Westing.
Iceland Gulls at Westing
Tuesday, 4 February 2025
3rd February 2025 mainland Shetland SSW6 rain
Our dental appointments in Lerwick gave us an opportunity to attempt to see some of the current attractive Nearctic offerings of mainland Shetland. Unfortunately it coincided with another day of wet and windy weather! We commenced with a trip down memory lane to Hillwell, now being very nearly 35 years since making my first visit, but where this time it proved a slower start to proceedings in that we failed to see either the drake Bufflehead or American Wigeon. Fortunately, a drive along to the Quendale flood secured distant views of the latter. Another look at Hillwell again failed to produce the Bufflehead, so we headed for Spiggie. We'd not long started to scan for the American Coot and the Bufflehead, when a message arrived from Will to say the Bufflehead was again on Hillwell. We quickly retraced our steps and were soon enjoying watching it before enjoying a quick catch-up with Will. Phil then arrived, like us in having already failed to see the Bufflehead earlier in the morning, and gave us precise directions to where he'd just seen the American Coot. Back to Spiggie, but now running short of time, unfortunately we again failed to see it. We then saw Rebecca in town before heading back north via Scatsa to take another look at the Ross's Goose before catching-up with it's finder Rob. So, a trio of Nearctic wildfowl and an unexpectedly sociable day!
2cy drake American Wigeon at Quendale
Drake Bufflehead at Loch of Hillwell
Adult Ross's Goose with Greylag Geese at Scatsa
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