Whilst out yesterday afternoon shopping, I got a phone call from Simon Slade, one of my birding mates and new straight away it was a mega bird. I couldn't believe it when he said"Siberian Accentor".I told Simon I would ring him back, I needed to get organised as twitch mode had set in. What a bird, a first for Britain. I couldn't miss this, I rang my mate Sean Cole, and before I had even said anything, he had sorted a private flight out for us. Happy days! Stress over.
The morning couldn't come soon enough, and before I knew it, I was boarding the plane with Sean Cole, Adrian Webb and James Hanlon after news had come out that the bird was still there. Twitch on! The weather was clear all the way up to Shetland, and we had great aerial views on the way.
Fair Isle
Sean kept us all entertained on the flight
Three hours later, we landed at Sumburgh airport and piled straight into a taxi. On arrival, Chris Batty put us straight on where the bird was; it had gone into some nettles. I must have waited nearly five minutes for the Siberian Accentor to appear; it felt like a lifetime, and then it flew up onto the quarry face. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, what a bird. I had spent the previous evening reading how it had never stopped feeding; it was going to be a clear night, and it would be gone in the morning. All that apprehension had gone; I had seen it!
My first view of the bird
The bird continued to show well for the next two hours while we were there, down to a few metres at times, constantly foraging for food. What a journey this bird had made! Siberian Accentors breed in northern Siberia on both sides of the Urals. They are migratory, wintering in south-east Asia, but to appear in a small quarry in Shetland was remarkable.
Sibetastic!
What a day! A great bird, great surroundings and nice to share the moment with so many fellow twitchers I have met and made good friends with over the years.
Looking from the quarry towards St Ninian's Isle
A last look at the Siberian Accentor and we're off to the Sumburgh hotel for a pint and some food.
A monster of Sibe deserves a celebratory pint!
The boys had clearly celebrated the night before
A quick check around Sumburgh farm and the nearby quarries produced Lesser Whitethroat, Twite, Yellow-browed Warbler, Fulmar and a Goldcrest.
Twite
Fulmar
Goldcrest
Lesser whitethroat
After a great day, we headed for the airport, all happy with a cracking new Sibe on are lists!
What a day!
