Easterlies come good.

Fair Isle: southeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
And so it goes on. The weather has continued in a similar vein and, as would be expected, more birds are arriving. A very enjoyable day’s birding saw the North cliffs sheltering most of the migrants, with the feeling that we could be building towards some even better stuff; the forecast suggests the wind will stay in the east until next weekend. If you want to join us for the chance of some decent birds then there are still a few spaces available at our 25% discount offer, so you could cash in on some good birding for £45 a night full board.

A common enough migrant, but a Collared Dove on the cliffs of Dronger looked somewhat incongruous.

The rarest bird in local terms was the juvenile Marsh Harrier that went north over the island. Several species made their autumn debuts today, with a Barred Warbler in the Plantation the best of them; others included Pied Flycatcher (5), Spotted Flycatcher, Garden Warbler (2), Grasshopper Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat and Crossbill.

Finding four Pied Flycatchers feeding at the bottom of Wester Lother (in a 'flock' alongside 2 Willow Warblers, 2 White Wagtails and a family of Fair Isle Wrens!) was an exciting sign that there was a fall in progress. This one was on the clifftop at Guidicum.

Amongst the other migrants, the four Wood Warblers deserve a special mention (yesterday's bird lingering at the Obs, with three more on the West cliffs including two together at Guidicum) with totals of other species including 17 Willow Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, one Blackcap, one Collared Dove and 3 Swift. Waders included 2 Ruff, 10 Dunlin, 3 Green Sandpiper, and a Greenshank, whilst there were 3 Teal and 4 Shelducks.

A Ruff and Dunlin share Easter Lother Water with a couple of Bonxies.

Scanning the cliffs at Dronger for migrants led to the discovery of this Fair Isle Wren feeding chicks behind the rock it is shown sat on here. Britain's rarest bird seems to be having a good breeding season.

Ok then, here's a Fair Isle picture quiz for you to finish the blog post for today. Which Actor (who sadly passed away a couple of years ago) is represented by the following pictures of today's sightings:

Answers on the blog tomorrow!

The start of things to come (touch wood)?

The wind was indeed from the east on Saturday and so it was a very excited wardening team that set off on census. Although there weren’t a huge number of migrants in, there was definitely a certain promise in the air. The first Sedge Warbler of the autumn was backed up by 4 each of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, 2 Swift, 8 Grey Heron, 5 Shelduck, 2 Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper. There were four Porpoise seen in the mirror calm seas off Buness and a Sooty Shearwater and a few Storm Petrels were noted from the Good Shepherd crossing. The most admired seabird of the day though was a juvenile Puffin that flew into the Obs garden during the afternoon before getting stuck behind a fence. It was rescued, ringed and boxed up before being released in North Haven after last orders.

Bird of the day also pitched up in the Obs garden in the afternoon, when a Wood Warbler was found and went on to show brilliantly a few feet from the window before disappearing for a while, then turning up in the Gully trap. Not the rarest of migrants, but a real privilege to get views like that of such a little stunner.

The day finished with clear skies enabling a few of us to go out and watch the Perseids. A few shooting stars have been duly wished upon and if Fair Isle gets the Birdguides ‘red exclamation marks’ tomorrow, you’ll know what we asked for!

Promising forecast...

Fair Isle still looks very summery, with many flowers still in bloom and some lovely weather (although some foggy spells as well), but the autumn is here...

We’re now open again after the break for staff holidays and it couldn’t be better timing to get the following shipping forecast: Fair Isle, southwest backing southeast 4 or 5.
On Fair Isle in the autumn with an easterly wind it feels like anything is possible, but we’ll just have to wait and see what turns up. In the meantime, there have been a few signs that autumn is already with us.
The rarest sighting (in Fair Isle terms) were two Sandwich Terns in South Harbour on 3rd, totally eclipsing (for me at least) the 30 or so White-beaked Dolphins that were cruising north past Meoness at the time! Even better news from the world of terns was the Common Tern that fledged from Buness, the same site that still hosts our only surviving Arctic Skua youngster. Young Puffins are also on the move, with several fledglings heading out to sea.

'Alan' the young Arctic Skua follows a parent across Buness. The only Arctic Skua chick to survive long enough to be ringed, it's amazing it has gone on to survive to fledging and has (so far) avoided the Bonxies.

Storm Petrel trapping has continued (with almost 600 ringed this year), the 4th Leach’s Petrel of the year was caught (in the early hours of the 4th) and others were heard that night and 5th.

A good year for Leach's Petrels, with more heard and seen around the nets than usual. Hopefully there'll be more caught, as petrel ringing can continue into September, weather permitting.

Waders have been well represented, with the lingering Wood Sandpiper remaining until 7th and being joined by a second bird on 4th. There were up to 3 Greenshank, 6 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling (with the first juvenile from 8th), occasional Whimbrel and a Green Sandpiper (4th & 9th). There were fewer wildfowl, although 3 each of Greylag and Wigeon, along with a single Teal, were seen.

A juvenile Dunlin on Easter Lother Water, one of six here.

The first juvenile Willow Warbler appeared on 5th, with up to 3 seen later in the week, and a couple of ‘new’ Chiffchaffs joined the summering birds. A Dunnock (2nd) may have been a summering bird, like the four Robins and Blackbird, but the Fieldfare at Skerryholm on 6th was definitely a new migrant, as were Kestrel (8th), Collared Dove (1st – 7th) and Swifts (3rd & 9th).

Juvenile Willow Warblers are usually amongst the first autumn migrants.

The alba Wagtail roost in the Obs garden started to build up and included the first Whites of the autumn, whilst ringing activity also showed the presence of three juvenile and an adult female Linnet.

The Linnets were all trapped separately over a few days, but the presence of three young juveniles and a female in active primary moult, combined with the sighting of birds nest building at Schoolton for two days in the spring and the presence of at least one adult until mid-July, would strongly suggest breeding on the island. Although Linnets are now relatively common in southern Shetland, this would be a first breeding record for Fair Isle.

Dusky Brocade, one of several species attracted to the moth trap recently.

Bog Asphodel, one of the more beautiful flowers on the island.

Field Gentian is in flower at a few sites on the island now.

Autumn 2012: availability and special offers

Visit in the autumn and you'll see Fair Isle Wren, but who knows what migrants will drop in.

The Obs has now closed for ten days to give staff the chance for a break, although there are still enough people here to take bookings and hopefully find some good birds! We are now taking bookings for accommodation in 2013, but we also still have some spaces in autumn 2012.

August: there are still some spaces scattered from 11th onwards, the whole month qualifies for a discounted rate of 25% off standard room rates. There’ll be Storm Petrel ringing when the weather allows and migrants will include scarcities like Barred Warbler and Common Rosefinch, with the month also having a good track record for rarities like Arctic Warbler, Thrush Nightingale and Citrine Wagtail (along with Pallid Harrier and Great Snipe in August 2011). Recent years have produced Grey-necked Bunting, Siberian Accentor and Syke’s Warbler in August in Norway, so perhaps that gives a hint of things to come…

September: late cancellations mean we’ve still got rooms right up until the 23rd. Anyone in Shetland who fancies popping over to get a taste of the place for one night could do worse than take up the spare room available on the 28th. The Young Person discount (£30 per night full board for under 21s) applies up to 15th September. There’s surely no need to mention the possibilities for the birds you could see in September on Fair Isle…

October: Rooms are available from 4th October to the end of the month. From 13th October there’s a discounted rate of £45 per night per person (full board). For many years in the early 2000s, the 3rd week of October was the time to visit Fair Isle, with a string of megas appearing; who knows what you could turn up if you visit this year…

To make a booking, give us a ring or drop an email with the dates you’d like to visit. If we’ve got availability, we’ll pencil you in whilst you confirm transport – only after that is sorted will you pay us a deposit (the remainder of the bill is paid when you are on the island). All prices are full board in en-suite rooms. Call us on 01595 760258 or email fibo@btconnect.com for enquiries.

Moonlight Shadows

The start of August was heralded by a Petrel ringing session in the Havens in bright moonlight, not exactly the best conditions for trapping birds, but the fact that a Leach’s Petrel was singing in South Haven before we even switched the tape on was a sign of things to come. A total of 28 Storm Petrels trapped was reasonable, but the star of the night was the Leach’s Petrel that was caught.

Tails you win: a comparison of Storm (left) and Leach's Petrel.

All through the night there were regular bouts of calling from unseen Leach’s and occasionally one would circle the nets (showing quite well in the moonlight). At least two birds were involved, but possibly more – whatever the numbers, it was a special night.

Storm Petrels are always a favourite with staff and visitors alike. The amazing lifestyle of these tiny birds adds to their appeal.

By the end of the session, the breeze had picked up from the SE and by Wednesday it was quite strong, with frequent rain. No migrants have been noted yet, but with a calmer day due on Thursday, there'll hopefully be something to be found.

Late July update

 

Seabirds dominate the workload of the Wardening team in July and Bonxies in particular make a big impression.

Puffins seem to be having a reasonably good year, this colour-ringed bird is part of a study into adult survival rates at Roskillie, the colony just behind the Obs. 

Late-July is not usually associated with much in the way of migration, so a Coue’s Arctic Redpoll on 14th was a pleasant surprise. After being glimpsed briefly in the Obs garden, it flew south leaving us with a frustrating ‘pale redpoll sp’ sighting for the Log. Thankfully, Jason took a punt on it having headed to the Plantation, so drove down there and caught it! The combination of measurements, plumage (including virtually unmarked undertail coverts, white rump, white wing bars and build (including the ‘loose’ plumage and small eyes) all clinched the identification as Coue’s Arctic Redpoll. As would be expected for a worn summer bird, the plumage was quite dark and it certainly didn’t look like a ‘classic’ autumn bird, making it a particularly interesting individual. Although a July Arctic Redpoll may seem unusual, one was also caught here in 2007. In recent years at least, the occurrence of a few ‘northern’ finches has become a regular feature of the summer and this year there were two Mealy Redpoll (23rd), a flyover unidentified Redpoll  (21st) and two Siskin (21st) to accompany the Arctic Redpoll’s arrival. 

Coue's Arctic Redpoll, an interesting identification challenge (photo by Will Miles).



In the field it looked an even paler bird (photo by Will Miles).

The River Warbler lingered to 15th but the Paddyfield Warbler wasn’t seen after 11th. Other lingering birds included the Whinchat (to 14th), a Dunnock (to 15th), three Chiffchaffs, a Blackbird and at least two Robins (including one in Hesswalls on 16th and a bird trapped in the Gully on 18th, which may have been new arrivals). Other migrants included a Willow Warbler (16th – 20th), Sand Martin (26th), two Swifts (to 17th) and Collared Dove (21st).
Waders and wildfowl tend to move early and the latter were represented by lingering Common Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser and highlights of the former included a Wood Sandpiper (on Da Water on 27th), three Black-tailed Godwits on Meoness (26th) that increased to five the following day and a Common Sandpiper (24th) amongst small numbers of commoner species. There were also two Grey Herons in the south and two Red-throated Divers over the island (21st).
Good news on the breeding bird front included the single remaining Arctic Skua chick fledging (28th), a record year for Bonxie chicks, with over 300 ringed (and the first fledged one seen on 24th) and fledged Arctic Tern chicks (from 23rd), although only a few of the latter survived.

The first fledged Bonxie of the year takes to the wing over Suka Mire.

The only Arctic Skua chick to survive to fledging on Fair Isle since 2010, this bird relied on blending into the background on Buness to avoid detection by Bonxies.

Away from the seabirds, four Swallow chicks were ringed at the airstrip, although a fifth was found dead under the nest, apparently having choked on a Map-winged Swift.

Storm Petrel ringing has resulted in over 300 being caught so far this year, with Leach’s trapped on 17th and 25th (and another seen around the nets on 22nd) and hopefully there’ll be more to come if we get a few more calm nights.

The Leach's Petrel on 25th, this one was heard singing as it approached the nets and continued to do so in the hand.

Eiders with ducklings can be seen in several places around the island, the youngsters are not quite as adept as their parents at dealing with the surf.

The scarce Bog Pimpernel is currently in flower, one of several bonny plants that repays a bit of time spent on your hands and knees in the boggy areas of the island!

July birds update.



The River Warbler continues to scuttle around mouse-like through the garden, although occasionally it comes out into the open where it sometimes feeds alongside the Paddyfield Warbler.

We've had a bit of fog and quite a lot of northerly wind so far this month, but in the better spells we've been able to carry on with our monitoring work. Seabirds are still doing OK by and large with the positives including: Gannets doing well, Bonxies up in number and (so far) having plenty of youngsters, Guillemots and Razorbills doing OK (although not great), Puffins bringing in more food than last year (we're waiting on the sea state to improve to get to Greenholm where we'll be able to check productivity) and Arctic Terns with chicks (although the Shalstane colony has totally failed). Common Gulls surprised us, when we found 8 chicks had survived so far in the small colony (which was predated in its entirety last year) and for the first time since 2005 Common Terns are breeding on the island. Some Shag chicks have fledged, but not in great numbers. A fledged Black-headed Gull chick on Meoness (9th) was not from Fair Isle though and showed just how far newly fledged (and apparently weak-flying) birds can travel - this one must have come at least 25 miles. Sadly Arctic Skuas have now almost totally failed, with numbers down this year and, although some pairs hatched young, only one chick is currently still alive. Storm Petrels are virtually impossible to monitor, but away from the breeding colonies we have started getting some good numbers in late night ringing sessions in the Havens, with over 50 caught last night (or early this morning, the ringing team finally making it back at 3am!).

Plenty of the landbirds have youngsters on the wing now, with Meadow Pipits, Wheatears, Twite and Rock Pipits all around in good numbers. At least two broods of Curlew are doing well and there are several young Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers wandering the island now. Three fledged Hooded Crows were also seen near the Obs this week.

The Paddyfield Warbler in the fog...

Not much new going on migration wise, although a Whitethroat appeared (6th) and is one of four warblers in the garden today, alongside Paddyfield Warbler, River Warbler and a Chiffchaff (with at least one other Chiffchaff lingering in the south of the island). Two Marsh Warblers and a Reed Warbler stayed at the Obs until 2nd but have not been seen since, whilst a Dunnock skulked at Schoolton until 4th. A Whinchat also looks comfortable hanging around in the south, whilst a Goldfinch (1st) was another unseasonal occurrence, being only the second July record for Fair Isle. We also have two lingering (and presumably summering) Robins and a Blackbird present, all in the Obs garden. Elsewhere around the island there have been  a couple of Swifts (10th), House Martin (2nd), wandering wildfowl have been represented by up to four Red-breasted Mergansers, three Common Scoter, Teal (1st - 2nd) and a Red-throated Diver (2nd). A few passage waders are yet to include anything unusual, but have included our first 'autumn' Purple Sandpiper (10th), up to 3 Whimbrel and Redshanks increasing to ten.

..and in the sunshine, posing almost perfectly (except for hiding its bill!).