Shetland - Week 1

Steve Wilson and I arrived onto the islands on Tuesday morning and were treated for the first three days with fine weather and some good birds, but as the week progressed, so did the wind increase, and fair to say it's been hard work in the past few days. Such struggle has been emphasised by the fact I've only found two Yellow-browed Warblers! 

Highlights from the first week:

Western Bonelli's Warbler
King Eider
American Black Tern
Kingfisher
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Glossy Ibis
Lapland Bunting
Baird's Sandpiper
Citrine Wagtail 
Yellow-browed Warbler

Common migrants have pretty much been non-existent, with totals comprising the following:

Blackcap - 1
Lesser Whitethroat - 3
Garden Warbler - 1
Willow Warbler - 5
Chiffchaff - 3
Song Thrush - 1
Reed Bunting - 1
Tree Pipit - 1

Stoat at Esha Ness

Lapland Bunting at Esha Ness

Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Esha Ness

Western Bonelli's Warbler at Ocraquoy

Twite at Melby

Final week before Shetland

This year I'm on Shetland for three weeks in what looks to be a period of rather un-inspiring winds, however, if last year was anything to go by, winds can almost be irrelevant to the success of an autumn visit here, so we'll see. Once again, Steve and I will be based up at Housetter, away from the southern crowds!

On the lead up, it's been a quiet week, but on Friday I managed to escape and head out west to search a few beaches and wader groups in the hope of uncovering an American wader, but all I could muster were some scary looking juvenile Sanderlings, a smart first-winter Mediterranean Gull at Gairloch and a flock of 82 Pale-bellied Brent Geese seeking shelter.

On Saturday, I took Fly for a lovely walk from Tain, all the way out to Innis Mhor, that juts out five miles from Tain and comprises mostly of a sand dune system. This is where Pete Stronach last week found a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, somehow only the 10th Highland record. Being an active military site during the week meant it had to be the weekend before I could attempt it. Thankfully it was on view immediately upon arriving after an 80-minute march! Also along the way was a Grey Plover (very scarce up here) and another flock of Pale-bellied Brent Geese... these westerlies are certainly delivering many flocks to our shores. 

On my final night at home, just before bedtime a flock of Brent flew over the house, but being dark meant it was an educated guess at 30 birds.

Mediterranean Gull at Gairloch

Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Cove

Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Innis Mhor

departing Aberdeen

Stoer Lighthouse 12th September 2026

It's been a week of a few miles under the belt. Mid-week I caught up with a juvenile Sabine's Gull off Embo which has been present for a few days. Then for Saturday, the winds were looking very promising for NW Highland. I have yet to visit the area around Stoer Head, but it did look promising so I ventured up to there very early, arriving in the dark, but seeing a Barn Owl and a perched Long-eared Owl along the way was a good start. 

The wind was certainly howling and with on and off rain, it felt good. Due to the angle of the lighthouse, I had to find a sheltered bit right on the cliff edge, but it was at least sheltered! 

Unfortunately during prolonged periods the visibility dropped somewhat, halting any movement, but when it eventually cleared, a trickle of shearwaters and other bits started moving, with the undoubted highlight, and my reason for venturing to the NW, being a superb Great Shearwater. At only 1/4 distance, the views were excellent and this certainly made the journey worthwhile. In the far NW, sat on a remote clifftop, there are few better things than watching a Great Shear cruise past below you!

I then walked a long coastal route to try and find a Lapland Bunting, but it wasn't to be, although seeing the Old Man of Stoer was pretty good.

Totals between 0640-1240:

Great Shearwater - 1
Sooty Shearwater - 8
Manx Shearwater - 35
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - 22
Red-throated Diver - 18
Arctic Skua - 3
Great Skua - 6
Arctic Tern - 2

Great Shearwater passing Stoer Lighthouse

Strathy Point 8th September 2026

Having been in Romania over the weekend for my big brother's wedding, I missed surely one of the year's best seawatches in Highland, so I had to try and make up for that with somewhat promising winds forecast for Tuesday. 

I didn't arrive until late morning, one quick scan and Sooty Shearwaters were moving, so I wish I had arrived much earlier. Anyway, it wasn't the best of seawatches, but there was just about enough moving to keep me interested, with the undoubted highlight being a superb Leach's Petrel watched for ca. four minutes as it slowly progressed westwards. Unbelievably, no Sabine's!

Totals 11.30 - 1600:

Sooty Shearwater - 101
European Storm Petrel - 2
Leach's Storm Petrel - 1
Arctic Skua - 3
Great Skua - 7
Fulmar - 1000+

Sooty Shearwaters

Twites

Strathy Lighthouse