Soup and Quackers

A good old fashioned 'pea-souper' limited the visibility on the census (and made things tricky for the Starling research team to read any of the bird's colour rings), but despite this a number of wetland birds made it to the island giving a varied bunch of highlights.

Singles of Scaup (on Golden Water), Tufted Duck and Goldeneye made for a good duck day with the biggest rare of all being the Coot on Da Water (our second this year!). The Moorhen reappeared in Gully where it was promptly trapped and a Black-tailed Godwit was also on Da Water.

One of these is a very exciting bird on Fair Isle.

Our new staff Chris (Cook) and Lindsey (Domestic Assistant) are settling in nicely (empty plates all round, which is always a good sign) and Lindsey has just headed off to knitting. I'm not sure how much knitting is done at these evenings but I'm sure Lindsey will know a lot more about everything (and everyone) on the island by the time she gets back!

The wind did make it round to the east and there have certainly been a few more birds, with a stunning Redstart trapped in the Gully this morning along with several Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs scattered around the island. Mist and drizzle has swirled around at times, but when the sun has come out it has been very pleasant with hundreds of Wheatears about the island and even a few migrants bursting into song on their way through (a Brambling in the Obs garden was a 'singing tick' for a few people today).

Fair Isle Wren in the Obs Garden 'habitat pile'.



The Good Shepherd also arrived today bringing more staff and researchers to the Obs and the place is starting to get a bit of a bustle to it (helped by a massive food order also coming in, so boxes and packets are stacked everywhere). No cetaceans were seen from the boat but bird sightings included a warbler (probably a Blackcap) heading south to Fair Isle from Shetland that Jane would have identified positively it if she'd dared to leave go of the handrails - I guess it wasn't the smoothest ever crossing!

Everyone at the Obs (and on the island) is helping to muck in with things as we get nearer the start of the season (Assistant Warden Jason Moss being a very useful babysitter!) and it's getting very exciting as the first guests are only a couple of weeks away now.



Sunday's Bluethroat (by Jason Moss). It had a curious habit of

holding its wings out as if trying to make itself look larger.



Blue is the colour (sort of)

The sun is shining, the winds are WSW gusting up to Force 7, but this is Fair Isle so you just never know what might turn up. Although reasonable numbers of Meadow Pipits and Wheatears seemed to be about up North, it seemed my four Barnacle Geese were going to be 'bird of the day', until Will phoned to say he was coming back to the Obs with a Bluethroat !
A cracking little bird, it was a young female (so largely lacking in blue) and presumably (based on the early date), a 'white-spotted' bird.

Grace adding bluethoat to her list (she doesn't have one really, although she does like puffins)

There will be pictures of the bird on the Fair Isle Bird Observatory website tomorrow, along with a more complete list of recent sightings.

With a hint of SE winds promised for tomorrow, there may be a few more birds to report soon...

Hello!

We've been here for six weeks but the time has just flown over and in just a few weeks time we'll be open for visitors for the first time. Scary? A little bit maybe, but more exciting than anything else.


We've got loads of stories already from our time on the island, far too many to put in here now, but in summary, the island is every bit as wonderful and the islanders every bit as welcoming as we expected. Grace loves the beach, the cows, the other children, the Obs (pretty much everything really!), which has been important for us and we love it here as well!

I'll introduce the full team during the next few weeks (we've not met them all yet!) and keep you up to date on the bird sightings (full details of which will also be published regularly at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest, where you will find the sightings so far this year) as well as mentioning the goings on of our life on the island.

We're inheriting a great legacy from Hollie and Deryk and they have provided us with lots of support in the move up here and the settling in period and we wish them the best of luck with their crofting at Burkle (just down the road), although hopefully Deryk will leave a few birds for us to find!

I'd love to hear your comments and questions about all things Fair Isle, so please get in touch.

Cheerio!

This is my final post on this blog however anyone can still follow my infrequent ramblings on my new blog http://www.theburklebirder.blogspot.com/ The new Warden, David Parnaby may take this one over. It has been a great 12 years in charge of FIBO and I wish David & Susannah great success and hope they get as much enjoyment out of running the Obs as Hollie & I had. Sincere thanks to the Directors, all the wonderful staff and the many guests who have since become good friends. The new Obs is a truly magnificent place to stay and Fair Isle is a fantastic place to visit......and live! Many thanks for reading my blog and the many positive comments. To keep abreast of FIBO happenings please keep an eye on the Obs website http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/
Cheerio
Deryk

Bewick's History!

I have found out where my neck-collared Bewick's Swan 124E came from. It was first caught in the Netherlands in late December 2009, where it acquired its jewellery. It stayed there for a week into 2010 before relocating to Norfolk where it was last seen on 10th January 2010. It then went missing until mid-October 2010 when it was spotted in Latvia, presumably on its way back west, having bred somewhere in the Russian arctic. By early November it was back in the Netherlands, then hopped over the border into Germany for December, back to Netherlands for a few of weeks on its way to Norfolk, where it was spotted on 28th January 2011. On 10th February it was back in the Netherlands once more, then six days later arrived on Fair Isle!! It, and its four companions, appear to have gone again already. Where will it turn up next?
The lone Whooper Swan is still here though.
The last few days has seen a bit of passage with the first Ringed Plovers arriving, 40+ Oystercatchers, 80+ Lapwing, 60+ Curlew, 40+ Skylark and one or two Black-headed Gulls and single male Wigeon and Goldeneye moving through.
The Bewick's (Tundra) Swans have by far been the birding highlight of the year so far but there have been other sightings of note......, a Grey Plover in early January, two groups (3 & 6) of Waxwings in January, an Icelandic colour-ringed Sanderling in early February and a 'fuscus' type Lesser Black-backed Gull and at least three each of Iceland and Glaucous Gulls. Small stuff has included a few (5) 'Mealy' Redpolls and single Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Linnet.

Aside from birds, the Obs has survived the winter well although I am currently struggling to get the heating to work in the Wardens house (and the new Warden is due to arrive next week! Aaaargh!!!).
It has been a poor winter for the animals, with everybody having to start supplementary feeding several weeks earlier than usual. Just recently our sheep have increased their intake of silage so I am having to give them more, however many of the bales are really mouldy when I open them and cannot be fed to them. At this rate I am going to run out. I would just start giving them nuts however the whole island is waiting for the nuts to arrive as the Good Shepherd has not managed to sail for weeks due to the strong winds and high seas!!!
We did however get a plane in on Thursday, which meant that Lachlan (and his girlfriend, Mhairi) came home, fresh from finishing his Higher Prelims. Its great to see him. He has offers from both Glasgow and Edinburgh University Vet Schools but can't make his mind up which to take up!
Yesterday was a sad day on the isle as we all gathered together to say our final goodbye to Stuart Wilson, who passed away on Sunday morning aged 76. It was an understandably moving occasion with all the men taking it in turns to help carry the coffin and fill in the grave. The wind and rain even abated slightly for the couple of hours so that, although still cold, we didn't get soaked. We all converged at Aesterhoull afterwards to give him a good send-off - in the manner he would have wished!
But life goes on and, being Thursday, it was Darts Club in the evening where a good evening was enjoyed by all, including Stuart's son, daughter and grand-daughter and I was highly delighted to score a maximum 180!!!!

Ahem! Happy New Year!!

Well, I am ashamed that this is my first blog entry of 2011.......and with just a few weeks left before I hand over to the new Warden!Anyway, this isn't going to be a massive catchup but I felt compelled to write as I've just had a Fair Isle tick! Five Bewick's Swans on Da Water......one of them sporting a neck collar and rings! I'll have to wait for the ringing details. For a nice comparison there was a Whooper on Golden wWater. And whilst on the 'big white' theme......a second winter Glaucous Gull on Vaasetter!