3 LIFERS IN 4 DAYS!

News broke last week of a Siberian Thrush and a Tennessee Warbler in Scotland and luckily due to work commitments both birds were still there to go and get!I picked Malc curtin up at 2.00am on sunday morning and we headed to Kilminning in Fife.We arrived just after 7.30am and had to wait a good two hours to get a quick glimpse of the bird.At 12.30 the bird appeared in some rowans and showed well before dropping down into the wooded area.I had dipped three of these birds previously on Shetland over the years so this was a long awaited bird to see.Other birds of note were a Common rosefinch,Yellowhammer,Brambling and a Yellow browed warbler.

Siberian Thrush

Common Rosefinch

After good views of the thrush we continued north and got aboard the 5.00pm ferry from Aberdeen to Shetland,John pegden also joined us on the ferry. The Tennessee warbler had gone to roost and had showed allday so fingers crossed for the morning!

We arrived at Lerwick and picked up the hire car at 7.30am and headed straight to Yell.We spent the whole day on site with no sign of the bird,it had gone.We headed back to our hotel and had a meal and few beers.We decided to give the bird another go in the morning as it had gone missing on previous days.

We were up at 8.00am and got the ferry back to Yell and gave it till 1.00pm but there was still no sign of the bird.All of us were under the impression it had gone until we went back on the mainland and got a phone call from Dan pointon to say that the bird had been relocated 15 miles north at a place called Breckon.We got straight in the car and went back over to Yell and on arrival stood there and waited.The Tennessee warbler popped up and showed in the grass before flying off.WHAT A BIRD!

Tennessee Warbler

We were so lucky seeing this bird as it had just been found feeding in a nettle bed in a small valley!

There have been four previous records of this species in Britain:

1995-Hirta,St Kilda,20th September-Outer Hebrides

1982-Holm,Mainland,first-year,5th to 7th September, trapped 7th September-Orkney

1975-Finniquoy,Double Dyke and Upper Stoneybrake,first-winter, 6th to 20th September, trapped,Field,18th September-Fair Isle

1975-Observatory and Buness,first-winter,trapped,24th September-Fair Isle

After a day and a half stood around searching and thinking the bird had gone,we had seen it!HAPPY DAYS!

The evening was spent back in Lerwick celebrating with a curry and a pint.

We decided whilst we were out having a meal that we would try for the Eyebrowed thrush tomorrow on North Ronaldsay as it was still present.

We got up early in the morning and booked are flights to Orkney and then birded the mainland before departing Shetland.

These are a few of the birds we managed to connect with:

Fulmar

Great Grey Shrike

                        There were good numbers of Goldcrests around

Red Breasted Flycatcher

Arctic Warbler

No Orca's this year!

View from Sumburgh head

The morning soon passed by and we got news that the thrush was still present.We boarded are flight to Orkney and then got the next connected flight to North Ronaldsay

         Me and Malc enjoying the views

We soon landed at North Ronaldsay airport and made the short walk to where the bird had spent the last few days.It didn't take long to find the Eyebrowed thrush as it perched up on a wall and showed really well.

Eyebrowed Thrush

TWITCH ON!

Other birds of note were a couple of Redstarts flitting aroud on the stone walls

Me and Malc in Kirkwall after celebrating are 3 lifers

What a four days birding!We spent the evening having a few beers in Kirkwall and got the ferry at 11.00pm getting into Aberdeen for 7.30am in the morning,eventually making it back to Cheshire for early afternoon.Shattered,but what a trip!