Shetland day 4: the tipping point?

During our first 3 days on Shetland we had worked hard in challenging conditions for relatively little reward: there had been plenty of birds, and a couple of good ones, but nothing to justify breaking out the cigars. After another morning grilling the gardens of Hoswick and finding yet more Yellow-browed Warblers, we felt we had earned the right to go and look at other people's birds for the rest of the day. Specifically, a Rustic Bunting at Melby, back on the western mainland, in an area which, frustratingly, we had checked thoroughly a couple of days previously.

Rustic Bunting, Melby

Rustic Bunting, Melby

The Rustic Bunting showed soon after our arrival, feeding on the verge but before I could get a decent record shot a car approached and flushed the bird. Fortunately, it landed much closer, enabling a couple of half-decent pictures to be obtained. A few minutes later, and we were bundling back into the car to head north for the first 'mega-alert' of the trip: a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler had been found at Barnafield, a good 40 miles drive away in north Mainland.

This Black Guillemot moulting to winter plumage was just offshore at Melby

One of my favourite birds, known in these parts as the Tystie

Having been quick off the mark, and not seeing too many birders on our travels over the previous few days, we thought we might be among the first on site - a bit of a miscalculation as the major rarity had brought all the birders on Shetland out of the woodwork. We joined an expectant group of about 50 in an orderly assemblage around a small iris bed with a stream at its base. Within a few minutes we had seen the 'PG Tips' - named for the white tail tips - fly from an iris bed to some nettles, revealing a long, dark tail with the eponymous tips in the process. It was partially obscured and characteristically skulking when on the ground, but was on view just long enough to grab some record shots and piece together the key features.

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, Barnafield

A new species for my British list, it crept stealthily down through the nettles, revealing yellow underparts

One of this species had been seen a few weeks previously in Norfolk, but reports of bad behaviour at the twitch meant I had no desire to go searching for that particular individual, so it was great to see one with a small and orderly crowd. Some of them, including fellow Dorset birder Roger Howell, had waited several decades to catch up with this species so it was a special experience for all of us. Well done to the finders for checking out the iris bed, of which there must be thousands on Shetland which look equally if not more promising.

On the ground the PG Tips showed a dark, streaky crown, dark tail and hint of a rusty brown rump...

... and a prominent supercilium compared to other locustella warblers

We left the PG Tips just as the weather turned foul again, and the route home provided an opportunity to cruise the Aith-Vementry road where a Short-toed Lark had been seen earlier in the day. It was bucketing down and we didn't hold out much hope, especially as no-one fancied getting out of the car when we arrived at the site.

Earlier in the day we caught up with a putative Siberian Oystercatcher of the sub-species longipes at Sandwick - picked out from the regular Oycs by its browner upperparts - as Howard pointed out, if it is one, it was probably the rarest bird on Shetland that day.

Our home for the week (bottom left) near the beach in Hoswick

Miraculously though, the Lark was still there, grovelling in the gutter and looking about as water-logged as a passerine can look - another reminder of the trials which migrant birds are subjected to. Heart-warmingly, it survived the night and was still present the following morning, though we became quite concerned for its welfare a second time as the weather closed in again that afternoon.

The barely recognisable Short-toed Lark near Aith looking pretty sorry for itself in horizontal rain

Birders looking for the PG Tips - the largest crowd we saw in our nine days on Shetland

Wader wonderland

Almost forgot about these, languishing in a dusty corner of the hard drive labelled 'January'. Some cracking waders from around Poole Harbour last month.

This summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit was at Shore Road - the same bird I photographed this time last year

It has spent many winters now returning to this site, standing out among its more conventionally plumaged brethren

Bar-tailed Godwits, Shore Road

Compare to the more plain-backed Black-tailed Godwit 

This bird was feeding alone and at close range in Poole Park

Black-tailed Godwit

Oystercatcher, Shore Road

A blizzard of Avocets at Middlebere (click to enlarge)

Time slowed down

Time felt like it had slowed down on our recent half-term visit to Cornwall. That's my excuse for posting these photos two weeks after they were taken anyway. The Hudsonian Whimbrel rather stole the limelight on that trip, but there was plenty of other stuff to see on the way there and back.

Fulmar, Lands End

We went to Land's End to look for a Rose-coloured Starling. Only after spending the day there did I realise it was actually at The Lizard. Wrong headland. Doh! Here is its close relative, a male Starling.

The Land's End Starlings were looking stunning though. This one a female.

Longships Lighthouse off Land's End

Land's End was taking a bit of a pounding

Oystercatcher at Sennen Cove

Little Egrets near Marazion

Rock Pipit at Marazion

Sanderling at Marazion

This Pheasant visited the garden of our holiday cottage

After leaving Land's End we headed for St Levan where this Barn Own was a highlight

Barn Owl

Possibly the world's worst photo of a Yellow-browed Warbler, which was at the bottom of the valley at St Levan, calling frequently, but not exactly showy!

On the way down to Cornwall, a flying visit to Seaton Marshes enabled me to catch up with a Glossy Ibis 

It was a bit distant unfortunately...

...also a bit distant at Seaton Marshes was a drake Green-winged Teal, here with a female Common Teal

This Whooper Swan was on the boating lake at Helston on the way home

Whooper Swan - a returning bird which first turned up as a juvenile in 2013

Visiting old friends

It's half-term so I've been visiting old friends. First up was Swineham, with whom I was pleased to reacquaint myself after a lengthy absence. Next came a trip to Lyme Regis to see my two godsons and their parents, old college friends.

Male Bearded Tit - Swineham, 25th October

Female Bearded Tit, Swineham 25th October

We took a walk along the impressive new coastal defences to the east of the town before climbing up the hill to watch the first half of Lyme Regis v Cullompton Town. The new sea wall appears to have come a bit late for Lyme FC, as the pitch slopes perilously seawards a couple of yards in from the touchline. The players had enough trouble controlling the ball without that to deal with: the match would best be described as a perfectly good game of running around spoilt by very occasional outbreaks of football.

Buzzard, Bestwall, 25th October

Chiffchaff, Swineham, 25th October

Monday saw us heading from one World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast, to another, the City of Bath, to meet up with a friend visiting from Australia, at a gathering which my god-daughter also attended. With all three godchildren thus met in the space of a few days, and their annual dose of spiritual guidance administered, it was time for some birding today.

Little Egret, Holes Bay, 27th October

Redshank, Holes Bay, 27th October

In previous years, the last week of October has given me the chance to see some pretty good birds: Eastern Crowned Warbler (2014), Hermit Thrush (2013), Stejneger's Stonechat (2012), and Steppe Grey Shrike (2011) to name a few. There's been nothing quite so exotic within reasonable striking distance so far this week, so I returned to my checklist to see what still needed snapping for the photo yearlist.

Poole Harbour from Baiter Park

Corfe Castle from Baiter Park

Turns out that Common Scoter and Oystercatcher were still on the wanted list, so I headed to Holes Bay where two of the former have spent the last few days. The Scoter, both drakes, were a good distance out at first but came a little closer in poor light. Oystercatcher was always going to be easy, though I'm not quite sure how I've managed to miss them so far this year. Hopefully there are a few more easy ones to dig out before the list grinds to a halt for the year.

Common Scoter, Holes Bay (#230th species photographed in 2015)

Oystercatcher, Holes Bay (#231)

A week in waders

Waders dominated the last week's birding during a family holiday in Northumberland - twenty-one species in all without really trying too hard. Top marks for rarity went to a Collared Pratincole and a Stilt Sandpiper (which I never managed to photograph), but just as rewarding was time spent on various beaches with some less celebrated, but still very attractive species:

Sanderling: a characterful and beautiful bird in almost any plumage - this one sporting the rufous face of summer plumage

Sanderling: one of a small flock on the beach near Amble

Sanderling: a roosting bird

Sanderling: looking more like a spring-plumaged bird

Sanderling captured in motion - not easy given the speed at which they run

Sanderling: another one at a canter

A flock of Sanderling roosting on a rocky promontory - with patience I got pretty close and managed to leave the flock undisturbed. This almost cost me wet feet though as the tide came in behind me - just below the welly-tops fortunately

Sanderling close-up 

Part of a Sanderling flock in flight

A few Dunlin were with the Sanderling flock

This was as close as I got to a (Red) Knot - a small flock in flight with Curlew

Oystercatcher

Turnstone

Ringed Plover

Golden Plover - a small flock were on the beaches around Holy Island

Avocet in flight at Cresswell Ponds



Redshank

A Pacific Golden Plover in Staffordshire on the way home, just a four mile detour from our route, would have made it 22 waders for the trip. Unfortunately, it chose the hour before our arrival to disappear after having been a sitting duck for most of the previous week. Spooked, no doubt by the spectre of Mitchell and Son, who arrived to dip it too en route to Derby shortly before ourselves as we headed in the opposite direction. This Little Ringed Plover was one of several at Middleton Lakes RSPB where the Pacific Golden Plover had been seen.