Day 5 of our Shetland trip saw us return to the woodland at Sullom soon after breakfast to see if we could pin down the possible Olive-backed Pipit we had flushed the night before. We couldn't, and eventually moved on after a thorough search of the wider area.
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| Bluethroat, Stenness, 4th October |
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| Bluethroat, Stenness, 4th October |
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| Bluethroat, Stenness, 4th October |
Countless bushes and stands of trees were checked over the next few hours without much to write home about until we made our way to Voe, a one-house town at the end of a no through road where gardens and nettle-patches offered much promise.
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| Blyth's Reed Warbler, Voe, 4th October |
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| Blyth's Reed Warbler, Voe, 4th October |
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| Blyth's Reed Warbler, Voe, 4th October |
I was kicking along the beach at the head of the voe below the garden of the last house on the road when the radio crackled into life: Phil and David had found a Blyth's Reed Warbler on the other side of the garden. It took a while to get some photos to confirm the identification - but, impressively, they had already come to the right conclusion on the briefest of views.
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| Hawfinch, Murrion, 4th October |
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| Hawfinch, Murrion, 4th October |
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| Dotterel, Stenness, 4th October |
After lunch, no doubt pie-based, we treated ourselves to the near annual pilgrimage to the rugged coastline at Esha Ness, papping a Dotterel from the car on the way. Other good birds followed - a Bluethroat which sat up obligingly on a fence for some portraits; a Jack Snipe, one of several amongst a few dozen Common Snipe flushed from a marshy field; and finally a Hawfinch, ploughing through the fruits of a Rosa Rugosa.
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| Common Snipe, Stenness, 4th October |
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| Jack Snipe, Stenness, 4th October |
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| Jack Snipe, Stenness, 4th October |
Another good day ended with gargantuan portions of spag bol courtesy of James, and, if that wasn't enough to bring on indigestion, news of another Shetland classic - a White's Thrush - on the island of Bressay brought more than a few butterflies to the collective stomach. Bressay is served by a 'first come, first served' ferry, so an early start would be needed and we turned in with high hopes for the morning.
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| Shetland Wren, Sullom, 4th October |
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| Shetland Wren, Sullom, 4th October |
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