12th May 2019 Unst W3 Clear

A light frost at dawn and a nice sunrise. Passerine migrants remain extremely thin on the ground but not before time the hint of some Wader passage with three species seen for the first time this year. Skaw failed to produce a new migrant and so did NorthDale. There were a few Arctic Terns off Haroldswick but otherwise just a pair of Wigeon were seen there. A walk around Norwick produced my first Sanderling of the year but otherwise just 2 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs and the 2 Mealy Redpolls. I then tried a few sites around Baltasound where a Wood Sandpiper was a nice surprise and I caught-up with Robbie's Reeve.

Sanderling at Norwick

Wood Sandpiper at Baltasound

Reeve at Baltasound

11th May 2019 Unst NE1 Clear

A walk around Skaw proved quiet with just a single Mealy Redpoll seen. Lamba Ness was also quiet with just a Swallow seen. As we walked around Norwick we became aware of Gulls alarming and a good few Bonxies had taken to the air when a majestic subadult White-tailed Sea-Eagle soared into view. It was presumably the same subadult that was seen powering north over North Ronaldsay yesterday. It gained height and circled off to the north. Otherwise around Norwick we saw 4 Swallows, 2 Robins, a Blackcap, the Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaffs and 2 Mealy Redpolls. On leaving our house at 3pm we again heard the Gulls screaming and looked up from our doorstep to see the White-tailed Sea-Eagle circling high overhead this time heading south. On checking Burrafirth we saw a Swallow, 2 Robins and 2 Chiffchaffs and Haroldswick added a Sparrowhawk. During the evening Mark Warren found a drake Green-winged Teal at NorthDale that with thanks to Mike we saw just before dark.

Subadult White-tailed Sea-Eagle over Norwick
the second we have seen on Unst

Wilma lambing

Drake Green-winged Teal at NorthDale
the first we have seen on Unst

9th May 2019 Unst N1 Clear

A lovely morning and whilst our garden played host to a White Wagtail and a Blackcap all I saw at Skaw was a single Chiffchaff. Still, it was ideal weather for conducting the breeding bird survey that was enlivened further by Robbie kindly letting us know that 2 Common Cranes were feeding in a ploughed field at Ordaal that we successfully twitched. Jim had seen them arriving over Ungirsta and Stove yesterday afternoon.

Common Cranes at Ordaal

Whimbrel

8th May 2019 Unst E1 Clear

We awoke to a covering of snow so I walked up Hill of Clibberswick and completed my first breeding bird survey square. A few migrants were also encountered whilst walking the walls and in our garden seeing 4 Robins, a Dunnock, a Song Thrush, 3 Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff. We then completed our Haroldswick square also seeing a Swallow, 2 Robins, a Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, 2 Reed Buntings and the long-staying female Yellowhammer. A walk around Norwick added a Collared Dove, 2 Swallows, 3 Pied Wagtails, 7 Robins, a Blackcap and 3 Chiffchaffs.

Our friend Josh Jaggard has returned to Unst for another season

capturing the snowy scene at sunrise with Hill of Clibberwick top left

7th May 2019 Unst N2 Snow showers

Awoke to snow covering the hilltops and a procession of squally snow showers! I couldn't see the White-billed Diver despite the calmer seas and failed to do so all day. A Chiffchaff, a Blackcap and a White Wagtail in our garden gave me hope that surprisingly there might be some migrants to be seen but a walk around Skaw quickly quashed that hope with just a Chiffchaff seen. Walking around Norwick I'd seen a Whimbrel, a Tree Pipit and another 2 Blackcaps when heavy snow commenced falling. After sheltering in the bus stop Jim Nangle appeared and kindly gave me a lift home - thanks Jim! The snow persisted for a couple of hours that can't have impressed three carloads of visiting birders attempting to scan the wick. Eventually the weather brightened this afternoon so we completed our circuit around Norwick where we saw a Kestrel, 4 Robins and 10 Chiffchaffs. A visit to the shop in Baltasound enabled me to quickly check a couple of sites seeing just a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest.

Female Common Kestrel at Norwick

6th May 2019 Unst N4 Occasional hail showers

Having made the trek out west to Flubersgerdie on three out of the last five days hoping to benefit from it being peak passage time for White-billed Divers, but without any success, I decided to take it easy this morning. A female Blackcap was briefly in our rosa and with binoculars in hand I scanned the wick from our kitchen window. I could see a large Diver sat on the sea so decided to brave the elements and scope it. As expected, it was a Great Northern Diver, I scanned to the east and soon saw another Great Northern Diver, I continued scanning and there was a superb summer-plumaged adult White-billed Diver - stunning! It spent most of its time closer to Lamba Ness, so rather distant from here, but I'm not complaining! On moving-up here, Mark Chapman told me that it was only a matter of time before I would find a White-billed Diver from our kitchen window by just keep checking 'our' voe - it took just a few days over 3 years! Robbie was delighted with it being an Unst tick for him after 10 years of waiting. 

White-billed Diver off Millfield

The fifth White-billed Diver I've found on Unst with the other Spring birds being on 28/4, 30/4 & 5/5.

1st May 2019 Unst NE2 Overcast

There was a cold edge to the northeasterly wind this morning and the birds reflected that with a juvenile Iceland Gull seen on leaving our house and a blue Fulmar being sat on the sea off Flubersgerdie. A couple of hours spent seawatching from Flubersgerdie produced nothing more than a few Red-throated Divers, Bonxies, Kittiwakes, Puffins, Black Guillemots, Guillemots and Razorbills. A walk around Norwick added a Sparrowhawk, a Song Thrush, a Dunnock, 5 Robins, 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, a Goldcrest and a Reed Bunting.

Juvenile Iceland Gull at Millfield

blue Fulmar off Flubersgerdie