4th and 5th October

Well the 4th was a bit of a nonevent as the weather closed in and meant we couldn't get off Fair Isle, what added to the pain was the news of a Thick-billed Warbler on mainland Shetland. It took all day before we were actually told that there would be no flights but to be honest from the weather we were pretty sure that would be the case. We did get out during the afternoon but migrants seemed thin on the ground with the best being a few Brambling.
The 5th dawned a lot brighter and hopes were high that we would get off on the first flight. Just as we were going to sit down for breakfast we were given the news that the Thick-billed Warbler was still present, tension was high.
As we touched down on mainland news of an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler made the smile on my face a whole lot wider! We were soon on site and after a wait of over an hour we got our first brief flight views. Better views soon followed and we got views of it as it worked its way through a line of willows. We had it a couple more times in flight before we headed off for the Olivaceous Warbler.
It didn't take long before we were watching it flycatch and work its way through a sycamore tree. A superb bird that brought up the 400 on my UK list! Bring on tomorrow!

3rd October

Wet.

2nd October

Well I think hard work is an understatement, the wind was strong and at times gusting to gale force. An early Olive-backed Pipit eluded to better things but in all it was a slog. Covering 15 miles in the day the Pipit remained the highlight with most birds sensibly keeping their heads down. A Hen harrier was the highlight of the afternoon and a flock of 6 Redpoll avoided identification as they dropped in briefly before being blown to another part of the Island. The weather forecast for tomorrow is more of the same but with the added delight of rain!

1st October

With an increasing south east wind hopes were still high of quality birds being dumped on the Island. However the reality is little has come in. A Richards Pipit was new but very mobile so none of us got it. The Dotterel was still in with the Golden Plover flock and showed well. A few finches had also dropped in and Thrushes seem to have increased. This afternoon I headed out to do some digiscoping.
Dotterel and Great spotted Woodpecker photo by Craig Holden.

29th and 30th

Well the last couple of days have been spot on for the weather but as yet we have seen comparatively little by Fair Isle standards. After covering most of the island between us the best we have managed is a few Yellow-browed Warblers, Lapland Buntings,Sykes's Warbler still present,  Red-breasted Flycatcher, Redstart,mealy Redpoll, Great spotted Woodpecker, Jack Snipe, Dotterl, Ring Ouzel, Bluethroat, and a few Pink-footed Geese. We hope the weather finally delivers the goods tomorrow.

And another tick.

Well dawn broke still and foggy and after walking from the Obs towards the south it was evident not many birds were about, even the Yellow-browed Warblers were thin on the ground. After a couple of hours of trudging we ended up at the shop where we were treated with great views of the Sykes's Warbler and even better views of the Barred Warbler.
As I was about to join the que for lunch news came through of a Lanceolated warbler at Shirva so I jumped aboard the bus with the rest of the boys to be whisked off to the southern part of the Island. We were treated to mind blowing views of the bird as it crept through a ragosa rose with it being less than a metre away at time, a truly unforgettable experience.
After lunch I went back to get second looks at the Lanceolated and photograph the Sykes's Warbler. Both performed faultlessly and kept the smile on my face.

We are on.

Well we managed to get on to Fair Isle and were greeted by blue skies and a mini bus waiting to take us to the Sykes's Warbler. The bird showed reasonably well by the shop to a small crowd of just 8. We then walked the wetter parts of the east as we headed back towards the OBS for dinner. After a good luck we birded the western half of the island arriving back at the shop around mid afternoon for second like at the Warbler. We managed superb views and is distinctive jizz made it look at very different beast to a Booted Warbler indeed. Highlights of the day included 12+ Yellow-browed Warblers, Barred Warbler, Water Rail showing to about 10 feet, 4+ Jack Snipe, 5 Lapland Bunting and a young Storm Petrel that had been found out in the open.