18th May 2017 Unst Calm & Clear

A quick walk around Skaw on a superb calm morning produced our first Hawfinch of the year but little else was in evidence. We again saw the Semipalmated Sandpiper on Haroldswick beach.

Hawfinch at Skaw

Peregrine

Semipalmated Sandpiper at Haroldswick beach

17th May 2017 Unst S4 Clear

Arrived home from Yell to only our second Carrion Crow of the year sat on our doorstep and the first Grey Wagtail of the year in an adjacent field.

Grey Wagtail at Millfield

16th May 2017 Unst S3 Overcast

Allan Conlin scored an impressive double finding a Red-rumped Swallow at Braeview and a Semipalmated Sandpiper on Haroldswick beach in quick succession this evening. Whilst looking in vain for the Swallow I did see a female Marsh Harrier fly east over Norwick as well as a juvenile Iceland Gull and 5 House Martins. Fortunately the Semipalmated Sandpiper proved more obliging as it aggressively chased around the accompanying Dunlin.

Marsh Harrier over Norwick

Semipalmated Sandpiper at Haroldswick beach

15th May 2017 Unst SE2 Clear

Our garden at Millfield played host to Swallow, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Common Whitethroat and Willow Warbler, An early morning walk around Skaw produced many of the same but slightly fewer of the migrants seen yesterday. Lamba Ness produced another surprise Wader in the form of a Black-tailed Godwit and the 2 Shorelarks were still present. Whilst watching these I heard a couple of distant Gulls alarming and picked out a large raptor flying strongly northeast out to sea from Skaw. I ran back to the car grabbed the scope and could see it was the Honey Buzzard that Al had seen over Valyie yesterday at 3pm - I had hoped it might overnight on the isle. Just as it was becoming a distant speck through the scope, it suddenly doubled-back and was flying straight towards me. It continued and even briefly landed on Lamba Ness before being mobbed by a Raven that sent it back out to sea. This time it returned via Skaw and I saw it gain height and drift off over Saxa Vord hill as the Bonxies scrambled into the air! The 2 male Grey-headed Wagtails were still present at Norwick as were a juvenile Iceland Gull, 2 Pied Flycatchers and 2 Mealy Redpolls.

Male Whinchat at Skaw

White Wagtail at Skaw

Pale morph adult male Honey Buzzard at Lamba Ness

Black-tailed Godwit at Lamba Ness

Spotted & Pied Flycatchers at Norwick

Female Pied Flycatcher at Norwick

14th May 2017 Unst & Fetlar SE2

Brydon talked four of us into a day's rarity finding on Unst and Fetlar searching as many sites as we could from Skaw to Funzie along with his parent's kind hospitality treating us to a meal. We started well with finding a Dotterel and Unst's second-ever Little Ringed Plover at Lamba Ness. Other highlights included 2 Shorelarks at Lamba Ness, a Shorelark and the Short-toed Lark at Haroldswick, 2 male Grey-headed Wagtails at Norwick, a male Bluethroat at Funzie willows and a host of yearticks including Knot. Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cuckoo, Swift, Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Sparrow and Goldfinch.

Skaw

Barnacle Goose 1

House Martin 1

Whinchat 1

Lamba Ness

Little Ringed Plover 1 female

Dotterel 1

Shore Lark 2

Norwick

Sparrowhawk 1

Garden Warbler 1

Redwing 2

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Robin 1

Redstart 1

Tree Sparrow 3

Grey-headed Wagtail 2 males

Tree Pipit 1

Brambling 5

North Dale

Cuckoo 1

Song Thrush 1

Clibberswick

Common Sandpiper 1

Goldfinch 2

Haroldswick

Kestrel 1

Knot 1

Short-toed Lark 1

Shore Lark 1

Pied Flycatcher 1

Dunnock 1

Reed Bunting 2

Burrafirth

Sedge Warbler 1

Baltasound

Great Northern Diver 2

Shelduck 2

Pintail 2

Kestrel 1

Coot 1

Collared Dove 1

Chaffinch 1

Uyeasound

Shoveler 1

Gutcher, Yell

Whooper Swan 1

Fetlar

Common Tern 1

Swift 1

Garden Warbler 2

Bluethroat 1 male

Pied Flycatcher 1

Redstart 2

Tree Pipit 1

Dotterel at Lamba Ness

Shore Lark at Lamba Ness

a richly-suffused individual

Little Ringed Plover at Lamba Ness

only the second-ever record for Unst!

Male Grey-headed Wagtail at Norwick

Collared Dove at Setters Hill

Common Swift on Fetlar

13th May 2017 Unst SE7 Overcast

A windy morning that soon deteriorated with light rain arriving. As I walked out of the front door 2 Willow Warblers were in song, including the acredula-type, being the first that I have heard this year. A considerable surprise at Skaw was a striking leucistic Oystercatcher present on the beach, a Greenshank flew over but otherwise just a Blackcap was seen. Arrived at Lamba Ness where Robbie had just found a Shorelark that was feeding on the short grass. A seawatch proved quiet apart from the usual fare with just a single Red-throated Diver seen. Norwick was walked in unpleasant conditions with a Black Redstart seen on the beach and 2 Sparrowhawks, a Common Redstart and a Song Thrush seen nearby,

leucistic Oystercatcher at Skaw

Greenshank over Skaw

Male Common Redstart at Norwick