With the day of our departure from Fair Isle arriving there came the news that, unbelievably the 1st winter male Siberian Thrush, found at Asta on Shetland mainland by Simon Nichols, was still present. Nearly a week after it had first been seen and two days after our arrival on Fair Isle.
Our flight was scheduled at 12.00 and Jason and I intended walking from Tingwall to the site. A distance of about 3 miles which we reckoned we could do in an hour. We'd literally just finished breakfast when Steve Holgate came in to tell us Tingwall had rung to say we were now on the 09.30 fight. Even better! We were sad to be leaving Fair Isle but both really wanted to see this rare Siberian vagrant.
With only 15 previous records in the UK and the majority being one day birds I'd already missed two on Shetland. One on Foula in 2007 when we couldn't get a flight but managed to charter a fishing boat the next day when, of course, it had gone (see here for details of that dip) and another on Fair Isle in Hoinsi and Steensi geo in 2015. That one was very unfortunate. Fred could see it in the geo and tried ringing me as I was looking from a different angle. The wind was so bad I couldn't hear the phone. Eventually he stood up and yelled me and as I crawled towards him every bird left the geo never to be seen again (see here). In 2015 a female, previously ringed in Norway, turned up at a Redwing roost at Scousburgh on Shetland mainland.....just as we were boarding our plane at Sumburgh airport for the journey home. There was a 1st winter female in Fife, for 6 days, in 2020 that I could have gone for but a combination of poor views and weather made me decide against it.
Anyway, our luck changed for the better when Steve Arlow messaged to say he was also leaving Fair Isle on the 09.30 flight as he'd cut short his trip due to the forecast for more bad weather. He offered to give us a lift to the site where the Siberian Thrush had been showing uncharacteristically well.
A smooth flight and with an agreement to collect our left luggage from Tingwall airport by 16.30 we set off for the short drive to Asta. Almost immediatley we arrived the bird was showing albeit between the heads and ears of birders lined up along the wall in front of us. Not matter. I'd seen my 1st SiberianThrush and a beautifully blue 1st winter male as well. From my restricted viewing position I watched as it turned over leaves beneath a bush searching for invertebrates. I even managed a photo by holding my camera above my head and angling the screen downwards to make sure I was on the bird.
As the crowd thinned and the bird moved out of site we managed to get some prime positions at the front and watched as the thrush, seemingly unconcerned by all the attention it was getting, continued to feed among the leaf litter.
Occasionally it would fly back to the loch side elderberries where Simon had first found it but would always fly back to the garden.
It went missing on a few occasions but always returned giving several fly pasts showing that stunning underwing pattern. For the last hour we were there it showed almost continuously flicking over the leaf litter and occasionally pulling up a small worm or other invertebrate.
Steve kindly gave us a lift back to Tingwall where our taxi to Sumburgh was already waiting. Saying our goodbyes and offering thanks to the birding gods we headed back south to Sumburgh to begin the long journey home. I eventually got home in the early hours of Wednesday morning and slept like a log. Great to catch up with Col & David who were also at the Sibe Thrush
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