Farewell Fair Isle . . . last day & promised birds in!

Our last day on Fair Isle proved to be a very enjoyable one! An increasingly fresh North-easterly wind & sunshine throughout most of the day made birding the Island a pleasure. A Waxwing made a brief appearance in the New Obs Plantation first thing & later in the morning Phil trapped a Siberian Chiffchaff (Tristis) in the Obs heligoland. Deryk took all the necessary  biometrics & I photographed it (see more pics in The Ringer Blog). In the afternoon I approached a group of Shag which were busy fishing in the Havens.  The Shags were a mix of adult & 1st year birds & showed well for photographs in the shallows. Dusk came too early (around 3.30) as I headed south to catch up with a Bluethroat at Quoy. In the half light I re-found the bird which was very well marked & managed a few record shots before darkness set in. Other birds noted today included Woodcock, Greenfinch, several Chiffchaff (including Abietinus) & Blackcaps but notably less Thrushes about. Looking forward to a weekend on Shetland with good friends before heading south again (temporarily) . . . 

Monday Madness . . . 

The day was spent, rather like the Turnstone below -  bracing the elements once again -  I will have to get used to these endless gales & driving rain when I live on Shetland! Can't wait!  Photographed something a 'little different' this morning,  a smart adult female Tufted Duck which showed well in the Havens. It was later trapped & ringed. Also spent time sifting through gulls in the north for an elusive Glaucous Gull which had been seen earlier in the day. No sign of the Glauc but good numbers of gulls gathering near the airstrip & Golden Water throughout the day, so a gull dazzling session has been mentioned for later tonight. The plane was cancelled this afternoon & the boat is cancelled tomorrow, we just need the winds to come from somewhere a little further afield . . . . .