Wednesday 5th December 2007
Long-tailed Ducks at Lerwick - Jim Nicolson
The male Ring-necked Duck
is still at Loch of Tingwall. There are 7 Jackdaws at Melby along with 10
Purple Sandpipers, 40 Ringed Plovers and 50 Twites. A male
Blackcap is at the Sletts in Lerwick.
There are still 8 Scaups on the north end
of Loch of Cliff at Burrafirth.
Tuesday 4th December 2007
There are 8 Scaups on the north end of
Loch of Cliff at Burrafirth.
Monday 3rd December 2007
Adult White-billed Diver off Fetlar and
aberrant Wigeon on Yell - Brydon Thomason
Rocks Doves at Oxensetter - Stan Brown
The
Woodlark is still
on Out Skerries.
The adult
White-billed Diver
is still between Hamars Ness and Sound Gruney. A unusual Wigeon is on Kirk Loch, Yell;
it has a greenish mask which may suggest hybridisation with American Wigeon, but
apparently as many as 1 in 100 birds in eastern Asia may show this feature. There are 6 Bar-tailed Godwits at
Hamnavoe, Yell.
The Collared Doves in Lerwick are now
displaying and visiting last year's nest - they'll learn!
Sunday 2nd December 2007
Long-tailed Ducks and hook-billed Herring Gull
at Lerwick - Hugh Harrop
Iceland Gulls at Lerwick and Scalloway -
Brydon Thomason
A Jackdaw
and a Goosander are both still at Uyeasound, a Water Rail is at
Baltasound, 5 Glaucous Gulls (2 adults and 3 first-winters) are at
Burrafirth and a Little Auk flew past Lamba Ness. There are 4
Woodcocks on Lambhoga, Fetlar.
There is a Smew
on Loch of Hillwell and a Peregrine Falcon at Compass Head. There is
another Peregrine Falcon at Papil on Burra, along with a Moorhen
there, and there is still a Peregrine Falcon at Twatt. A first-winter
Iceland Gull, a first-winter Glaucous Gull and a Knot are at
Gremista, Lerwick, and a third-winter Iceland Gull is in Scalloway. A
Jack Snipe is at Ocraquoy.
Saturday 1st December 2007
A flock of 55
Siskins was found feeding along a stream on the south side of Hermaness
Hill, with a Merlin and a Woodcock on Hermaness and a first-winter
Glaucous Gull at Burrafirth.
Friday 30th November 2007
There are 11
Whooper Swans on Loch of Tingwall.
Thursday 29th November 2007
There are 39
Jackdaws at Kergord. Another 2 Jackdaws are at Benston with 21
Mute Swans, 2 Common Pochards and a Scaup on Loch of Benston.
In Brae there is a Wood Pigeon, 2 Robins, a Jackdaw, 5
Chaffinches, a Siskin and 3 Greenfinches. There are 27 Red-breasted Mergansers at Tresta Voe. An Iceland Gull
is at Ronas Voe and a Scaup is on Loch of Urafirth.
Wednesday 28th November 2007
The
Lesser Scaup
is still on Papil Water, Fetlar, there are 2
White-billed Divers,
an adult and a juvenile, at Hamars Ness, while the
4 Jackdaws and a Water Rail are also on the island. There are 2
Little Auks and 2 Red-throated Divers in the Bluemull 'triangle'. A
first-winter Glaucous Gull and 4 Scaups are at Uyeasound.
The Great Tit is still at Helendale along
with 3 Greenfinches, 5 Chiffchaffs and 3 Goldcrests. A
Collared Dove was heard in song in Lerwick. A
flock of 30 Jackdaws is at Kergord. There
is an unusually late Sanderling and an unusually late Black-tailed
Godwit at Melby along with 40 Purple Sandpipers, 65 Ringed Plovers,
a Knot and 50 Twites.
Tuesday 27th November 2007
The
Lesser Scaup
is now on Papil Water, Fetlar, along with 2 Scaups, while a Merlin,
4 Jackdaws and a first-winter Glaucous Gull are on the island. A
Little Auk, the Velvet Scoter, 2 Great Northern Divers and
400 Eiders are in the Bluemull triangle. The Shelduck is still at
Baltasound.
There are 2
Greenfinches at the Sletts in Lerwick. There were 50 Jackdaws
roosting at Virkie in the evening and 3 Fieldfares at Sumburgh Head.
Sunday 25th November 2007
Ring-necked Duck at Tingwall and Great
Northern Diver in south Mainland - Hugh Harrop;
Rock Pipit at Westing, Unst -
Mike Pennington
About 90 Little Auks were off Sumburgh
Head in 45 mins in the morning and a Peregrine Falcon is there. There are
85 Jackdaws at Fleck and a Slavonian Grebe on Loch of Spiggie. The
Smew, a male Gadwall, the Mallard x Pintail hybrid and an
adult Greenland White-fronted Goose are at Scatness.
The male Ring-necked Duck
is still at Loch of Tingwall. There are first-winter Iceland Gulls at
Scalloway and the Catch in Lerwick, and 10 Knots at Clickimin. A
single Greenfinch and a late Wood Pigeon are at Sandgarth, Voe.
There are 2 first-winter Glaucous Gulls
and the 3 Scaups at Burrafirth and the Shelduck is still at
Baltasound. A Merlin and 3 Jackdaws are on Fetlar.
Saturday 24th November 2007
Jackdaws at Fleck - Hugh Harrop
A Waxwing is at Baltasound, a
Pink-footed Goose, a juvenile Peregrine Falcon, an Oystercatcher,
21 Purple Sandpipers and a first-winter Glaucous Gull are around
Lund and the Westing and another Oystercatcher is at Uyeasound.
There are about 60 Jackdaws at Fleck, a
Hen Harrier at Maywick and 3 Little Grebes at Loch of Hillwell. There are 6 Knots at the Lerwick
Hotel. There are 28 Grey Herons, 18 Teals and a second-winter
Iceland Gull at Trondra. A Goosander and 3 Pochards are on
Loch of Tingwall.
Hugh Harrop reports that, according
to Rudy Offereins in The Netherlands (author of a paper on Jackdaw races in
Dutch Birding 25, No. 4 in 2003), the Fleck Jackdaws show characters most
typical of 'western' Nordic Jackdaws i.e. the nominate race C. m.
monedula which breeds in Scandinavia and which is subtly different to the
race in Britain (C. m. spermologus).
There is a mixture of adults and
first year birds present (with, perhaps surprisingly, more of the former than
the latter) including several birds sporting pretty good white 'collars'. They
also show a varying amount of grey on the mantles and scapulars, and 'scaled'
underparts. None of the birds approach the very distinctive pale-collared birds
which have been reported in the past, such as one at Tingwall a few years ago
(which resembled C. m. soemmerringii from further east, a race which
BOURC has not placed on the British list because of variation in plumage within
the races).
Friday 23rd November 2007
Ring-necked Duck at Tingwall - George Petrie
There were 129 Little Auks off Sumburgh
Head between 0830 - 0930 as well as 3 Red-throated Divers and 4
Greylag Geese. The male Ring-necked Duck
is still at Loch of Tingwall.
There are 3 Scaups and 2
Glaucous Gulls (an adult and a first-winter) at Burrafirth.
Thursday 22nd November 2007
Jackdaws at Fleck - Hugh Harrop;
Starling, House Sparrow and Common Scoter at Burravoe - Dougie Preston
In a total of 5 hours seawatching at Sumburgh
Head, 1162 Little Auks were seen heading north along with 12
Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and a 'Blue' Fulmar.
There are still 63 Jackdaws at Fleck. There are 3 Greenfinches at
Upper Sound, Lerwick.
In 90 minutes at Burravoe, Yell, 10 Little
Auks were seen along with a Common Scoter and a distant skua,
probably a Pomarine Skua.
Wednesday 21st November 2007
There are 63 Ringed Plovers, 50 Snipes,
1300 Herring Gulls, 350 GBB Gulls, 30 Blackbirds and 4 Snow Buntings on Noss.
Tuesday 20th November 2007
Greenfinch and Chiffchaff in Lerwick - Jim
Nicolson
A male Bullfinch is in North Road,
Lerwick, and the Great Tit, a Wood Pigeon, 3 Chiffchaffs, a
Blackcap, 2 Redwings, 6 Goldcrests, 4 Greenfinches
and 4 Common Redpolls are at Helendale. A Woodcock is at Quendale.
Monday 19th November 2007
Jackdaws at Fleck - Hugh Harrop.
Comments welcome regarding racial identification - please e mail
Hugh Harrop.
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Tufted Duck at Clickimin - George Petrie
There are 117 Jackdaws at Fleck, the
Smew, a Gadwall and 2 Scaups at Scatness, the male Shoveler
is still at Loch of Spiggie and a male Pintail
at Loch of Clumlie. The Great Tit, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Goldcrests,
5 Greenfinches and a Blackcap are at Helendale. There are 21
Jackdaws at Gott. The male Ring-necked Duck
is still at Loch of Tingwall along with a Coot. A Blackcap is at
Twatt. There are 2 Jackdaws at South Collafirth, Northmavine.
The Hen Harrier is still on Fetlar along
with 2 Merlins, 4 Great Northern Divers, 3 Jackdaws, 2
Scaups, 18 Tufted Ducks and 27 Goldeneyes (but no Lesser
Scaup).
Sunday 18th November 2007
albino House Sparrow in Lerwick - Dave Okill
A first-winter female
Ring-necked Duck is at South Punds, Levenwick. A Smew is
still at Scatness, there is a Slavonian Grebe, the Shoveler and 11
Moorhens at Loch of Spiggie and 49 Jackdaws are at Fleck.
A
White-billed Diver is off Hamars Ness, Fetlar, along with a
Little Auk and there were 8 Great Northern Divers, a Woodcock,
a Merlin, 2 Scaups and 2 Fieldfares on Fetlar, but no sign
of the Lesser Scaup or the King Eider. A Common Redpoll is at Baltasound
on Unst.
Saturday 17th November 2007
Whooper Swans at Uyeasound -
Mike Pennington
The female
Lesser Scaup is still on Loch of Funzie, Fetlar, along with a
Glaucous Gull, and a
first-winter male
King Eider is at Hamars Ness, along with a Little Auk in
Bluemull Sound. A Jackdaw is at Uyeasound
on Unst and there were 12 Great Northern Divers around Muness.
The Ring-necked Duck
is still at Loch of Tingwall.
Friday 16th November 2007
There are 105 Rocks Doves on Green Holm at
the north mouth of Lerwick along with 3 Great Northern Divers, a
Glaucous Gull, 2 Common Scoters and 3 Little Auks at Hoo Stack
off Eswick and 60 Wigeons on Rumble Holm. A Common Redpoll and 23
Grey Herons are at Girlsta.
A Shelduck is at Baltasound.
Thursday 15th November 2007
Great Tit and Greenfinches in Lerwick - Hugh Harrop
The 2 Waxwings were still at Westerloch
early on, the Great Tit is still at Helendale and a Grey Wagtail,
an abietinus Chiffchaff, 15 Greenfinches and 4 Jackdaws
were seen around Lerwick. There are 43 Rock Doves at a feeding station at
Oxensetter. At Melby, there are 2 Jackdaws and 40 Purple Sandpipers.
A Waxwing is at Trondra.
A flock of 41 Jackdaws is at Fleck. There
are 2 Goldfinches at Scousburgh, 5 Greenfinches at Scatness and
the Shoveler is still on Loch of Spiggie.
There are 20 Greenfinches at Mid Yell.
Wednesday 14th November 2007
Lesser Scaup on Fetlar - Steve Minton (4
photos); Dave Hall (2 photos); Rob Fray (4 photos)
Waxwings in Lerwick and Whooper Swan at Spiggie - Hugh Harrop
Great Northern Diver and Velvet Scoter in Bluemull Sound - Dave Hall;
Velvet Scoter, Long-tailed Duck and Eiders in Bluemull Sound - Rob Fray
The female
Lesser Scaup is still on Loch of Funzie, Fetlar. There are 2
Jackdaws on Fetlar. A Velvet Scoter was off Linga, Yell, and a
Little Auk was in Bluemull Sound.
Two
White-billed Divers were seen today, one between Hamars Ness and
Sound Gruney off Fetlar and another off Kirkabister. Intriguingly, the bird off
Fetlar was in summer plumage, so was not the bird seen near there on 12th, and
the bird off Kirkabister was in winter plumage, so was not the bird seen there
on 10th.
The Ring-necked Duck
is still at Loch of Tingwall, there are 25 Jackdaws and a female Scaup
at Loch of Benston, and 5 Woodcocks, 10 Goldcrests and 2 Robins
at Kergord. In Lerwick, there are 2 Waxwings, 20 Siskins, 15
Greenfinches, a Grey Wagtail, a Mealy Redpoll, 3 abietinus
Chiffchaffs and the Great Tit, all around the Westerloch and
Helendale. A Little Auk is off Wester Quarff. A Shoveler is on
Loch of Spiggie.
Tuesday 13th November 2007
Lesser Scaup on Fetlar -
Brydon Thomason
Goldfinch and Blackcap at Scatness - Steve
Minton
The female
Lesser Scaup is on Loch of Funzie, Fetlar, with a Hen
Harrier and a Peregrine Falcon are on the island. A Water Rail
and a Chiffchaff are at Haroldswick.
A flock of 30 Jackdaws is in Lerwick, a
Great Tit, a Waxwing, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Chaffinches, 3
Bramblings are in Helendale and a first-winter Glaucous Gull is at
Loch of Clickimin. A Goldfinch and a Blackcap are at Scatness. A
Shoveler is on Loch of Spiggie.
Monday 12th November 2007
Glaucous Gull at Uyeasound - Rob Fray
The female
Lesser Scaup was on Loch of Funzie, Fetlar, but only early
morning and late afternoon. A White-billed Diver
is off Brough, Fetlar, and there are 3 Jackdaws at Houbie.
An adult Glaucous Gull is Dam
Loch, Uyeasound, a female Goosander is on Loch of Watlee and the Black
Redstart is still at Baltasound.
A Chiffchaff and 4 Siskins are at
Sumburgh Head and the Smew is still on Loch of Gards. There are Little
Auks at Wester Quarff and Brei Wick in Lerwick.
Sunday 11th November 2007
Glaucous Gull on Fetlar
-
Brydon Thomason
A female
Lesser Scaup is on Loch of Funzie, Fetlar. There is also a
Hen Harrier, an adult Glaucous Gull and 2 Jackdaws on
the island. A late Black-tailed Godwit is at Uyeasound on Unst.
The adult Iceland Gull is still at East
Voe of Scalloway, the Ring-necked Duck
is still on Loch of Tingwall, 2 Little Grebes are on Sand Water and 237
Wigeons are at Loch of Benston. There
are 33 Jackdaws at Kergord, 11 at Catfirth and 6 at Scalloway. A
first-winter Red-throated Diver on Loch of Houlland, South Nesting, is an
unusual date for a bird on fresh water. The Water Rail in a garden on
Trondra is the same bird that was there last winter. There is a Black
Redstart at Wats Ness and 61 Purple Sandpipers at Melby.There
are 2 Siskins at Sumburgh Airfield.
Saturday 10th November 2007
Arctic Warbler at Halligarth -
Mike Pennington
An Arctic Warbler is at Halligarth
in Baltasound; it is the latest for Shetland and there is only one other
November record for Britain. Also on Unst there is a Greenfinch at
Norwick and a Black Redstart, 3 Chiffchaffs and 7 North-western
Common Redpolls at Baltasound.
The White-billed Diver has returned to Kirkabister and a drake King Eider is in Mousa Sound.
A Great Tit and 2 Goldcrests are at Helendale, with a Siskin
in North Road and 2 Chiffchaffs at Montfield in Lerwick. There are 45 Snow Buntings at Scatness.
Friday 9th November 2007
2 Little Auks were off Sumburgh Head early this morning, a Smew and 5 Scaup are at Scatness and a Hen Harrier is at Maywick. An adult Iceland Gull is at East Voe, Scalloway, a Greenfinch and 2 Siskins are at Ocraquoy and a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff are at Swinister, Sandwick.
On Yell, a Jackdaw is at Burravoe .
Thursday 8th November 2007
No news received today, perhaps due to the gales and blizzards!
Wednesday 7th November 2007
Whooper Swans at Spiggie - Hugh Harrop; Rook at Quarff - Jim Nicolson
A Great Tit is still at Helendale, Lerwick along with 4 Goldcrests and 8 Siskins, the drake Ring-necked Duck is still at Loch of Tingwall, 44 Jackdaws are at Gott and a Greenfinch and 18 Snow Buntings are at Scatness.
Tuesday 6th November 2007
There are 107 Jackdaws at Toab, a Water Rail at Spiggie and 17 Grey Herons at Loch of Urafirth.
Monday 5th November 2007
Little Egret at Spiggie and Merlin at Fleck - George Petrie
The drake American Wigeon and a Smew are at Spiggie and the Little Egret was seen flying between Brow and Hillwell in the afternoon. A Waxwing is at Bigton, 125 Jackdaws are at Virkie, a Water Rail is at Sumburgh Head and a Little Gull is at Sand Voe, Tresta. There are 16 Jackdaws, 4 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Siskins, a Knot and 7 Long-tailed Ducks at Melby, and 10 Whooper Swans and 7 Mute Swans at Loch of Collaster.
On Yell, a Waxwing is at Sunnyside, Mid Yell.
A female Goosander is at Loch of Snarravoe, Unst.
Sunday 4th November 2007
American Wigeon at Spiggie - Hugh Harrop (left), George Petrie (middle and right)
The drake American Wigeon, the Little Egret, 3 Scaup, 2 Slavonian Grebes and 129 Whooper Swans are at Spiggie. The Killdeer is still at Virkie, along with a Black-tailed Godwit and a Bar-tailed Godwit. A Smew is at Scatness, a Little Grebe is at Hillwell and 30 Siskins, 2 Bramblings and a Greenfinch are at Quendale. A Woodcock and 13 Rooks are at Wester Quarff and a Greenfinch and a Goldcrest are at Ocraquoy. At Kergord there are 23 Jackdaws, 40 Siskins, a Sparrowhawk, a Woodcock and a Chiffchaff. 77 Jackdaws are at Gott.
Saturday 3rd November 2007
American Wigeon at Spiggie - Hugh Harrop; Scaup at Spiggie - George Petrie; Greenfinches at Scatness - Steve Minton
A drake American Wigeon and a Greenland White-fronted Goose are at Spiggie. The Killdeer is still at Virkie, a Waxwing is at Quarff and a Yellowhammer and 2 Greenfinches are at Scatness. 50 Jackdaws flew south over Ocraquoy in the morning and another is at Frakkafield. A Peregrine is at Twatt.
On Unst, a Yellow-browed Warbler is at Baltasound along with 2 Knots, 2 Robins, a Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Brambling, a Siskin and a Greenfinch.
A Chiffchaff is at Otterswick, Yell.
See 11th October for details of a first for Shetland.
Friday 2nd November 2007
Siskins, Bramblings and Greenfinches at Sandgarth - Tony Gerrard
A Glaucous Gull is at Scatness and 160 Jackdaws left the roost at Virkie early this morning. A Blackcap, a Brambling and 2 Siskins are at Ocraquoy.
On Yell, there are 4 Jackdaws at Burravoe.
Thursday 1st November 2007
Purple Sandpiper at Sandwick - Jim Nicolson; Jackdaw at Clickimin - Steve Minton; Brambling and Greenfinch at Mossbank - George Graham
The Killdeer is still at Virkie, along with 150 Jackdaws which roosted in the willows, 2 Shelducks, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Woodcock, a Chiffchaff and 15 Snow Buntings. A Bluethroat, 12 Siskins, a Greenfinch and 2 Blackcaps are at Quendale. Two Great Tits are at Helendale, Lerwick and a Glaucous Gull, an Iceland Gull and a Jackdaw are at Clickimin. The Little Egret, a redhead Smew, a Song Thrush and a Siskin are at Spiggie. There are 7 Common Redpolls, a Chiffchaff, 15 Siskins and a Brambling at Toab, a Woodcock at Exnaboe and 6 Siskins and 3 Snow Buntings at Scatness. A Jackdaw is at Frakkafield, 3 Bramblings are at Twatt and 2 Siskins, a Greenfinch and and a Brambling are at Mossbank. An asio owl, presumed to be a Long-eared, was at Sandwick at dusk.
On Yell there are 20 Snow Buntings and 7 Bar-tailed Godwits at Hamnavoe.
Nature in Shetland
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