10th May 2015 Lerwick to Norwick, Unst

Arrived Lerwick at 7.30am to a sunny warm morning and were soon chatting to Mark Chapman and watching displaying Whimbrels near Toft. On Yell we took a look at Cullivoe seeing a few passerine migrants including Goldcrest, Blackcap and a few Willow Warblers. On Unst we drove to our croft at Norwick seeing a few Swallows, a Redstart and a Reed Bunting enroute. Whilst moving into our croft an Iceland Gull was seen flying past the kitchen window that obligingly landed in a field behind our croft. Whilst checking Norwick it started to rain and began to feel quite wintry so 3 Redwing didn’t feel out of place. The rain had become heavy by the time we visited Skaw and Northdale where an adult Whooper Swan was in residence. It was good to see Brydon Thomason in the evening.

Red-throated Diver c.5

Whooper Swan 1 adult

Greylag Goose c.20

Mallard 2 Lerwick

Tufted Duck 6 (2 Lerwick)

Scaup 1 drake Lerwick

Eider c.20

Scoter 1 female Bressay Sound

Merganser 2

Dunlin 3 

Whimbrel 2 

Arctic Skua 2 mainland

Bonxie c.20

Iceland Gull 1

Black Guillemot c.8

Puffin 3

Rock Dove c.30

Wood Pigeon 7 Norwick

Hooded Crow c.10

Goldcrest 1

Skylark c.10

Swallow c.10

Willow Warbler 3

Blackcap 3

Wren 2

Redwing 3

Robin 1

Redstart 1

Wheatear c,30

White Wagtail 1 male

Pied Wagtail 4

Twite 8

Reed Bunting 1 male

arriving Bressay Sound

arriving Lerwick

Black Guillemot at Lerwick (JFC)

Goldcrest at Cullivoe, Yell

 Iceland Gull at Millfield, Norwick (JFC)

Whilst moving into our croft at Millfield, Norwick this Iceland Gull was first seen flying past the kitchen window! Being a bleached individual it proves difficult to age with a high degree of certainty. Whilst its barred tail feathers probably favours an individual in its second calendar-year it shows a dull pale iris and what appears a smooth grey upper mantle that are characters more typically associated with an individual in its third calendar-year. Whatever its age, it proved a nice bird to find at the start of our stay.

JFC returning from photographing the Iceland Gull against the backdrop of Lamba Ness

Male White Wagtail on Norwick Beach (JFC)

Redwing at Norwick (JFC)

Whooper Swan at Northdale (JFC)

9th May 2015 Seaton Park, Aberdeen & Ythan Estuary

We made the 12 hour overnight drive to Aberdeen that included stopping to sleep for an hour. Arrived at Seaton Park to light rain but calm conditions but unfortunately couldn’t find the Harlequin Duck although 3 Otters, a Dipper and 3 Goosanders were seen. Drove to the Ythan Estuary where JFC immediately picked out the adult drake King Eider off Inch’s Point. Left Aberdeen on the 5pm overnight ferry bound for Kirkwall and Lerwick seeing a large offshore flock of Arctic Terns with many seen resting on the sea and 6 Puffins. Crashed out on the floor of the bar - as usual!

Eider c.500

King Eider 1 adult drake

Goosander 3 (2 drakes)

Bar-tailed Godwit 1 s/p

Guillemot c.200

Razorbill c.100

Puffin 6
Dipper 2
Grey Wagtail 2

Drake Goosander on the River Don in Aberdeen (JFC)

On this occasion not the drake species of Duck we wanted to find perched on a rock mid-river!

Dipper on the River Don in Aberdeen (JFC & BK)

Eiders and drake King Eider at the Ythan Estuary (JFC)

Drake Eider on the Ythan Estuary

 Adult drake King Eider on the Ythan Estuary

JFC leaving the Eider flock on the Ythan Estuary

Sailing out of Aberdeen harbour

Farewell Girdleness

Razorbills and a Guillemot

4th May 2015 Beachy & West Rise

Red-throated Diver 1E
Black-throated Diver 4E
Brent Geese 6E
Common Scoter c.100E
Eider 1W adult drake
Curlew 2W
Whimbrel 1E
Bonxie 2E
Arctic Skua 1E
Sandwich Tern 70E
Common Buzzard 2
Hobby 1 in off the sea
Peregrine 2
Swallow c.40 in off the sea
Common Whitethroat 6
Willow Warbler 1
Raven 2

Sandwich Tern off Birling



West Rise Marsh
Swift 40
Red-rumped Swallow 2 seen together for c.5 minutes over the car park at 10am

Red-rumped Swallow at West Rise (Matt Eade)

Originally found by Kris Gillam a couple of days ago when this image was obtained when we arrived we saw Kris and his son just leaving who told us the hirundines and Swifts had gone high this morning as the weather improved. After around half and hour one Red-rumped Swallow was seen loosely associating with Swifts as it approached us from the factories and was lost over the car park, and around half an hour later as it approached from the same direction again in a repeat performance, it soon became apparent that the accompanying bird was also a Red-rumped Swallow! Both were watched acting very much as a pair leisurely feeding together including directly overhead and slowly flew to the north.



3rd May 2015 Beachy SSW6 Overcast drizzle & fog

Black-throated Diver 4E s/p
Diver sp. 1E
Brent Goose 36E
Common Scoter 200E
Whimbrel 1E
Bar-tailed Godwit 65E
Grey Plover 5E
Sanderling 4E
Bonxie 4E
Arctic Skua 4E
Mediterranean Gull 1E 1s
Little Gull 1E 1s
Sandwich Tern 65E
Commic Tern 36E
Little Tern 1E

2nd May 2015 Beachy E4 Overcast

Red-throated Diver 1W
Common Scoter 7E
Whimbrel 7E
Bar-tailed Godwit 15E
Grey Plover 3E
Turnstone 1E
Swift 3 in off the sea
Sandwich Tern 4E, 2W
Common Whitethroat 8
Lesser Whitethroat h
Blackcap 1
Swallow 6

1st May 2015 Rodmell

Hobby 1
Pied Wagtail 22
White Wagtail 1

30th April 2015 Rodmell

Dunlin 2
Common Sandpiper h
Pied Wagtail 1
White Wagtail 1