Shetland – land of the incomprehensible bus drivers
20th October 6:00, the first day of half term, and a car carrying seven crazy people is gradually moving towards Aberdeen. Nine hours later it finally rolls onto the ferry, Mum and Dad looking the worse for wear. That was the good journey – the return can only be described as “evil”!
Taking note from our last trip we stampeded for the lounge area to procure our ‘beds’, in order to avoid the ordeal of sleeping with one’s nose pressed against a pair of feet. This done, we found time to go up to the top deck and do a bit of harbourwatching. Kittiwakes gave great views and some Razorbills had a close shave with the ferry! However, a juvenile Peregrine stole the show when the passerine it was chasing decided to weave between the observers on deck: a brilliant display of agility and speed!
A female Blackbird landed on the railings when we were just at the tip of Scotland, circled the ship a few times and went for land. Sadly it wasn’t anything else like a Ring Ouzel!
Suddenly a deep low rumble reminded us to go and get dinner, after which we went to watch the Rugby final. It soon came to our attention that we were a minority, being the only ones supporting England – everybody else was Scottish! The outcome was inevitable, and we retired to basecamp feeling dejected. Two men pretending to be Steve Irwin amused us as they tried to “creep up on a dangerous troll”, running away when it woke up and shouted at them... we managed an average of about 5 hours sleep per person!
Sunday morning started groggily, but a good bowl of porridge galvanised the troops as we docked at Lerwick, greeted by none other than the famous Tysties and a supporting cast of Eider. With 5 hours to kill before we were allowed into our apartment we were ambitiously hoping for a trip to Sumburgh, forgetting that Mum and Dad had driven 450 miles the previous day. Instead, we went to Clickimin broch – an Iron Age settlement which doubles up as an excellent adventure playground! A Coot, 4 Goldeneye, 2 Brambling and 8 Siskin were present.
Next stop was the Methodist Church, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of the whole trip: Connor and Simeon found a Yellow-browed Warbler nearby, and inside we found Derek (vice chairman of the Shetland Bird Club and infinite source of knowledge)! After the service Derek took us to the hospital for lunch, before giving us a tour of the Ness of Sound. Highlights included 3 Long-tailed ducks, 3 Purple sandpipers, 9 Twite and a very close Shetland Wren. Matt managed to rip his best jeans climbing over barbed wire to look at an ancient cooking site.
Before the first day ended Mum kindly drove us to Tingwall Loch to see the drake Ring-necked duck. Luckily we had the experience of Connor to hand, who located the Ring-necked duck whilst the rest of us were tracking dodgy Tufteds. A gorgeous lifer for Matt, Simeon and I! A Kestrel seen on the journey was a Shetland scarcity.
Monday 22nd began early with a walk to the bus station to find the earliest bus to Sumburgh. It resulted in us wandering round Lerwick and returning 2 hours later, annoyed that we had wasted so much valuable birding time! Matt paid the system back for this travesty of justice by spilling his lucozade, sitting in the terminal with a yellow puddle between his legs and a guilty puppy look on his face. Priceless!
Shetland buses apparently have no stops. You can ask the driver to stop and he will randomly let you off the bus in the middle of the road. We put this to use and got dropped off right at the Pool of Virkie! A short walk past the willows produced Rob Fray (1) and his dog (1) but nowt else.
A quick visit from the juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper for about 8 seconds (before it realised it didn’t want to get involved with us hoodies) seemed promising... 3 and a half hours of sitting/standing/kicking stones/jumping over ditches later we were really, really bored! However, we soon met a birder in a white van (don’t trust anyone with a white van) who said the Killdeer had been favouring some small pools the other end of Virkie. So we trudged along the road, meeting several people more than once, to these small pools. A Redshank and a resident Wheatear were scant reward.
On returning to the beginning we bust the willows wide open, revealing several House sparrows, a Siberian type Chiffchaff and a “normal” Chiffchaff.
So we sat back down... and quickly got up again because James had found the Killdeer right in front of us! It just goes to show that when you get bored you simply don’t notice what’s right in front of you. James did though! After a few shots of the bird it flew to the far shore with a group of Ringed Plovers and we couldn’t be bothered to chase after it.
Next stop was the Methodist Church, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of the whole trip: Connor and Simeon found a Yellow-browed Warbler nearby, and inside we found Derek (vice chairman of the Shetland Bird Club and infinite source of knowledge)! After the service Derek took us to the hospital for lunch, before giving us a tour of the Ness of Sound. Highlights included 3 Long-tailed ducks, 3 Purple sandpipers, 9 Twite and a very close Shetland Wren. Matt managed to rip his best jeans climbing over barbed wire to look at an ancient cooking site.
Before the first day ended Mum kindly drove us to Tingwall Loch to see the drake Ring-necked duck. Luckily we had the experience of Connor to hand, who located the Ring-necked duck whilst the rest of us were tracking dodgy Tufteds. A gorgeous lifer for Matt, Simeon and I! A Kestrel seen on the journey was a Shetland scarcity.
Monday 22nd began early with a walk to the bus station to find the earliest bus to Sumburgh. It resulted in us wandering round Lerwick and returning 2 hours later, annoyed that we had wasted so much valuable birding time! Matt paid the system back for this travesty of justice by spilling his lucozade, sitting in the terminal with a yellow puddle between his legs and a guilty puppy look on his face. Priceless!
Shetland buses apparently have no stops. You can ask the driver to stop and he will randomly let you off the bus in the middle of the road. We put this to use and got dropped off right at the Pool of Virkie! A short walk past the willows produced Rob Fray (1) and his dog (1) but nowt else.
A quick visit from the juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper for about 8 seconds (before it realised it didn’t want to get involved with us hoodies) seemed promising... 3 and a half hours of sitting/standing/kicking stones/jumping over ditches later we were really, really bored! However, we soon met a birder in a white van (don’t trust anyone with a white van) who said the Killdeer had been favouring some small pools the other end of Virkie. So we trudged along the road, meeting several people more than once, to these small pools. A Redshank and a resident Wheatear were scant reward.
On returning to the beginning we bust the willows wide open, revealing several House sparrows, a Siberian type Chiffchaff and a “normal” Chiffchaff.
So we sat back down... and quickly got up again because James had found the Killdeer right in front of us! It just goes to show that when you get bored you simply don’t notice what’s right in front of you. James did though! After a few shots of the bird it flew to the far shore with a group of Ringed Plovers and we couldn’t be bothered to chase after it.
Wondering what to do next we scanned the Pool in deep thought. Two Whooper Swans had joined the gulls in the middle and a one-legged Bar-Tailed godwit fed on the shore with some more Ringos.
Connor and Simeon had a large pipit with an olive back (seriously), but it was lost in the airfield. James tried to refind it but didn’t fancy entering the forbidden land (Sumburgh airfield), and Matt remained seated!
Then a guy who had taken some great pics of the Killdeer - and also owned a Hotel in Hoswick - took us to Sumburgh Hotel in his “hyped up” van. Connor took the dignified option and sat in the front; Matt, Simeon and I lay in the boot, which was surprisingly comfortable. 3 Starlings were in the bushes in the garden so Connor and Simeon walked up to the farm, which was also pointless. Matt and I walked the dunes, following a tip-off about the long lost Blyth’s pipit. The dunes held no birds at all, though 3 Razorbills and a Long-tailed duck were present in the West Voe of Sumburgh. A Linnet accompanied 40 Twite in a garden in Grutness.
We caught the next bus to Lerwick and again got dropped off by the side of the road at Clickimin. 25+ Siskin were in the trees down Helendale drive and a late House Martin circled us several times.
The day ended in the warmth of the apartment as we planned the next day.
Connor and Simeon had a large pipit with an olive back (seriously), but it was lost in the airfield. James tried to refind it but didn’t fancy entering the forbidden land (Sumburgh airfield), and Matt remained seated!
Then a guy who had taken some great pics of the Killdeer - and also owned a Hotel in Hoswick - took us to Sumburgh Hotel in his “hyped up” van. Connor took the dignified option and sat in the front; Matt, Simeon and I lay in the boot, which was surprisingly comfortable. 3 Starlings were in the bushes in the garden so Connor and Simeon walked up to the farm, which was also pointless. Matt and I walked the dunes, following a tip-off about the long lost Blyth’s pipit. The dunes held no birds at all, though 3 Razorbills and a Long-tailed duck were present in the West Voe of Sumburgh. A Linnet accompanied 40 Twite in a garden in Grutness.
We caught the next bus to Lerwick and again got dropped off by the side of the road at Clickimin. 25+ Siskin were in the trees down Helendale drive and a late House Martin circled us several times.
The day ended in the warmth of the apartment as we planned the next day.
By 23rd October we were wondering if we were ever going to find anything in the South-Westerly winds. A day trip to the northern mainland produced little. On the way to Hillswick 3 Grey Herons and 7 Whooper Swans were on various lochs and streams. 2 House Martins accompanied 60+ Lapwing crossing the bay in Hillswick! A juv. Moorhen was seen by Matt and James in some dead reeds near a graveyard.
Seawatching off Eshaness near the lighthouse produced loads (of waves); a Little gull, a Kittiwake, some Gannets and 3 Razorbill. Simeon missed all of these (except the waves) as he had already given up and retired to the warm interior of the car. Matt and James wandered off and saw a female Goosander on a random loch.
On the way back in the car we flushed a thrush from a field. Connor immediately shouted “Ring Ouzel – stop the car!” at which Simeon replied “That was a Fieldfare you idiot, you’re going mad!” Connor insisted he was right so we got out of the car and walked back along the road. We flushed a Fieldfare. Connor remained silent as we mocked him (in a friendly way of course). We also flushed a Blackcap from a dyke (not a Sardinian Warbler though!) and a Snipe. Across the road 36 Greylag geese were grazing in a field.Back in Lerwick, Helendale produced 1 Greenland Redpoll, 20+ Siskin, 2 Brambling, 1 Blackcap and a Reed Bunting overhead whilst 2 Whooper Swans were on Clickimin Loch.
Wednesday was Simeon’s birthday, so we all took the ferry to Bressay. Sadly the cold and wind soon saw Tamsin and Mum heading for home, whilst Dad headed off into the wilderness. We followed the road signs to the lochs on the other side of the Island, which was a bad move because somebody had twisted the signpost round. However, we would like to thank this kind, thoughtful person, as they pointed us towards the best birding of the day! Gardens on the way yielded migrant blackcaps, chiffchaff and robins. Nearby on the sea was a party of 12 Red-breasted Merganser, and Twite, Siskin and Redpoll flew overhead.
After much walking we stopped at the playground for a spot of lunch and to discuss tactics. As we were already miles from our target we made the best of a bad job and decided to check out a nearby plantation up the hill. Spotting a Golden Plover flock on the hillside we took up undercover surveillance positions, but one glance from an angry-looking woman in the window spelt failure. We moved, fast! Unfortunately so did the plovers, and the strange whistling/piping calls coming from one individual which had split from the flock did nothing to help the situation! A long debate ensued, with Simeon and I proposing Dotterel, Connor going with ‘dodgy’ Golden Plover and Matt abstaining (back at the apartment CD analysis proved only that it definitely wasn’t either of those). The plantation itself produced Woodcock (the first of a small influx over the next few days) and Rook.
We marched purposefully towards the lochs, stopping only when absolutely necessary (such as to purchase chocolate – tip from the inside: it is actually cheaper to go to Bressay, buy chocolate and come back, than to buy it in Lerwick! Seriously; £1.89 for a big bar in the Lerwick garage opposite Clickimin - £1.25 on Bressay and only 40 p to get there makes £1.65 for a bar the same size!). Gardens on the brow of the hill produced more common migrants, but the Warbler of Dreams still eluded us. The lochs offered no consolation Glaucous Gulls either. Back at the ferry a last ditch effort to produce the goods offered more of the same.
The mystery of the Plover was never resolved, though Pacific Golden Plover was a tempting possibility, unfortunately lacking the field observations to substantiate the record. So near, yet so far!
Back on the Mainland a trip to Lerwick swimming pool made up for birding frustration: pod racing in the rapids, diving, flumes and an outside section, finishing with a Magnum classic each!
The dawn of Thursday 25th marked the final day and the last chance for a self find, so we brought out the big guns and opened fire! Sumburgh was the obvious choice, and exercising extreme self-discipline we were in place at first light. This time we made sure we planned our bus timing properly, and it was still dark when we were dropped off at Sumburgh Hotel. The plan was to hit the Head and work backwards, and there were smiles all round when it payed off with a Richard’s Pipit over just as we reached the lighthouse! Connor’s experience again proved vital, though Matt was the sharp-eyed spotter. Up at the lighthouse the regular Twite showed well, and Gannets, Shags and Fulmar were on the sea. The bushes held only Blackbirds, so after a thorough scouring we set off for the two quarries. Both were buzzing with migrants: the Warbler of Dreams still chose to remain inside our heads, but Snipe, 4 Woodcock, Blackcaps, Goldcrests, plenty of Thrushes and many Siskin kept us happily busy. 2 Jackdaw, a Linnet and a Reed bunting flew by.
On the sea Black Guillemot and Long-tailed duck gave good views, and 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese on the West Voe of Sumburgh were unexpected. We met up with our old pal; Heinog (a black pony) in Grutness briefly before catching the bus home.
Back at Helendale a Grey Wagtail, Jackdaw and 2 Brambling were present for a final farewell. Matt and James walked to Shetland catch for a final crack at Glaucous Gull, producing the only Guillemot of the trip. A strange bird which was either a Long-tailed Skua or a gull with something attached to its leg avoided identification by magically disappearing (behind a big ship). Sometimes it seems that birds live only for the thrill of eluding birders!
As the last hours of the trip waned we found ourselves heading for the ferry; an early dinner was in order because, according to an old sea dog Matt and James met at the catch, it was going to be a bumpy ride!
It certainly was a bumpy ride; with the swell of the North Sea and Atlantic mixed with gale force 9 winds! We started in the bar at the front of the ship. This was a bad idea, because when the ship rose on a wave the crash down made the whole thing shudder. Several times, the ship crashed onto another wave and the drinks in the bar went everywhere! Matt and James couldn’t help entertaining thoughts of the Titanic... We then moved to the back of the ship where we attempted to sleep in the restaurant area. This worked for some, but Simeon’s sleep was reduced to a mere 1 and a half hours, if that, whilst Matt hurled three times!
Needless to say, we slept loads on the car journey home, after an amazing trip!
As the last hours of the trip waned we found ourselves heading for the ferry; an early dinner was in order because, according to an old sea dog Matt and James met at the catch, it was going to be a bumpy ride!
It certainly was a bumpy ride; with the swell of the North Sea and Atlantic mixed with gale force 9 winds! We started in the bar at the front of the ship. This was a bad idea, because when the ship rose on a wave the crash down made the whole thing shudder. Several times, the ship crashed onto another wave and the drinks in the bar went everywhere! Matt and James couldn’t help entertaining thoughts of the Titanic... We then moved to the back of the ship where we attempted to sleep in the restaurant area. This worked for some, but Simeon’s sleep was reduced to a mere 1 and a half hours, if that, whilst Matt hurled three times!
Needless to say, we slept loads on the car journey home, after an amazing trip!
By James and Simeon
posted by Simeon,Connor,James,Matthew @ 12:41 PM
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