The wind had abated today but
it was still damp and overcast and we decided to go back to the Loch of Voe for
another attempt for the Arctic Warbler.
When we arrived the wind was still quite fresh but it was quite
sheltered in places within the loch side woodland. As we searched for the Arctic Warbler we
possibly had brief views but it moved off before we were certain. As I walked along the shoreline I did see a
couple of Blackcap and a Chiffchaff near the northern end but there was no sign
of the Arctic. I saw a Great Spotted
Woodpecker on several occasions and had nice but brief views of a Yellow-browed
Warbler. There were also a few Redwing
and I found two Mealy Redpolls, which were the first of the week. Dave then had the Arctic Warbler but Roger
and I had rather poor views before it moved off again. There were clearly more finches around today
and we saw seven Brambling, five Siskin and nine Mealy Redpolls and Dave and
Roger also had a Crossbill as it flew over calling. Another group of birders arrived on site on
one claimed to have see the Arctic but as we looked in the area, in rather
heavy rain, one of the said he seen it at the northern end of the loch. Two of them walked in that direction and
after a while it was obvious they were onto something and we joined them. They had seen the Arctic but it had dropped
down out of sight but one of them played the call and it came straight giving
good views. It was then seen
intermittently but well at times as it fed low down in the bushes.
Having been success we made a
brief visit to Voe before moving off to the east coast and returning to Lerwick
and heading south towards Sumburgh. There
was some nice views along the road but there was not too many opportunities to
bird and we saw very little.
Red-breasted Merganser at Voe
Laxo
Common Seal at Lewick
Adult winter Herring Gull at Lerwick
Oystercatcher at Lerwick
At Grutness all we found was a
single Rock Pipit and so we went to Pool of Verkie. Here we found four Ringed Plover, a single
Grey Plover, twenty Dunlin, fifteen Black-tailed Godwits and twenty Bar-tailed
Godwits. Whilst we scanning the pool I
looked at my phone and there was a massage regarding a Thick-billed Warble at Geosetter. There had been an earlier message but we had
obviously been out of range and I didn't receive it.
When we arrived there was
quite a gathering of birders primarily looking from the road. Apparently the bird was in a cereal field but
was less than obliging and only been seen of a few occasions since the initial
sighting. We waited anxiously for some
time and eventually we started to walk up alongside the burn when a cry went up,
“there it is”, it was apparently in flight but few people actually got on it
whilst others were convinced it at flown behind some birders and gone towards
the top of the burn. There was a bit of
a stampede as people tried to get to the area they thought it had gone and
there were birds moving up the burn but it was not possible to confirm if the
Thick-billed had done so. Tapes and an
attempt to flush it just revealed a Goldcrest and as the light was going we
felt we wouldn’t see it this evening and would need to return tomorrow. However as we walked back down the burn,
other birders further on the indicated that they had seen the warbler in the
bushes alongside the road. When Roger
and I reached the area we couldn’t see due to the number of people in front so
we went back on the other side of the burn.
Within a few minutes it few again and landed briefly in a bush before
dropping out of site again and it was seen again that evening.
It was a little frustrating
but we had seen the Arctic Warbler very well earlier in the day and we hoped it
would still be present tomorrow.
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