Due to various logistical problems we couldn't make our by now annual trip to Fetlar but decided to stay with Hollie & Deryk Shaw on Fair isle for the week. Meeting Jason on Thursday morning we got a lift from Jo to Manchester airport for our flight to Aberdeen and ultimately Sumburgh. With high winds forecast we were pessimistic that our flight to Fair isle would go on the Friday morning!
Arriving on Shetland we picked up our hire car and headed straight to Bigton where a vagrant N American Myrtle Warbler had been seen well for a couple of days. Jase hadn't seen one in the UK whereas I'd already seen a couple so I dropped him off at the site whilst I went to park the car somewhere where it wouldn't cause an obstruction.
Despite the high winds the Myrtle Warbler showed extremely well to a small but appreciative crowd in its preferred stand off sycamores. A good start to our trip.
With our flights to Fair Isle being scheduled the next day we'd booked the Sumburgh Hotel for the night and headed back there after checking a few more local birding sites.
Friday dawned dry but windy and we resigned ourself to the fact that our Fair isle flight wasn't going to go that day. Arriving at Tingwall airport our fears were confirmed but we were asked to hang on whilst the pilots and ground staff checked the weather forecasts for the next day. With the conditions looking good we were told to get to the airport by 09.00 the next morning.
Shetland seems to have become very popular with birders since our first trip in 2007 and most of the sites at the south end of mainland are well covered so we headed north towards Sullom Voe to check a few areas we'd discovered in previous years. Booking overnight at the excellent Brae Hotel enroute we headed north.
First stop was Kergord where we met up with a few others looking at Yellow-browed Warblers high in the sycamores. Standing quietlylooking t the various small passerines sheltering in the canopy we picked out a Spotted Flycatcher, Blackcap and Goldcrest as well as three Yellow-browed Warblers. A wander around the surrounding farms produced our first Bramblings of the trip.
It was whilst we were at Voe that the bombshell message came through of a first for Britain being found by Charlie Birtles
at Scousborough! A Least Bittern! She'd seen it walking across the car park and taken a photo with her phone and sent it to Paul. I'd only been speaking to them both recently at Freds 50th birthday celebration. What a find. The only other record in Western Europe was of one found dead in a front garden in Ireland on the 7th of October 2019!
Wit hJason at the wheel we rapidly headed south and arrived on site to find the bird had disappeared into some marram grass at the edge of the car park but was just visible through a scope set up for the purpose. Residnet birders were policing the site to ensure no one got to close to the bird Joining the queue it soon became apparent the bird was extremely weak - when I saw it it was lying down and not. A sad affair. This diminutive bittern was obviously exhausted and as there was no food source anywhere near where it had pitched up a decision was made to take it into care. This was a controversial decision as a lot of people felt that nature should be left to take its course whilst an equal number felt that the bird couldn't be left to suffer. Ultimately I think it's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. Such situations polarise different factions and they'll never agree.
The excitement of seeing a first for Britain was tempered with sadness that it probably wouldn't survive the night. Heading back to Brae at a more leisurely pace we checked in and settled down for a couple of beers and our evening meal.
Sadly the bird died overnight. The average weight of these birds is 86 g and this one weighed 50 g. It obviously had no fat reserves and had burned a lot of muscle on its long flight. A lot of rubbish was spouted on social media about it having a good fat score and being in good condition. It obviously wasn't!
Checking out early we got to Tingwall to be greeted with the news our flight would be Fair Isle. We'd had a great start to the trip with two lifers for Jason and one for me but were looking forward to fidning our own birds on Fair Isle.
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