18/09/2015 to 25/09/2015 Fair Isle

Friday 18th September to Friday 25th September 2015
Fair Isle, Scotland


The long-awaited trip to Fair Isle turned out to be as spectacular as we expected.  With excellent accommodation, good food, lovely scenery and lots of birds (and birders) we had all the ingredients needed for a successful trip.

• On arrival, the most significant bird present was the Pallid Harrier.  We found it flying low over the fields south west of the observatory and over the course of the week it showed really well on at least 4 occasions.  In the bright sunlight it looked terrific as it  went about it's business with it's white rump showing prominently. 

Pallid Harrier
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory

Pallid Harrier
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory



•  Also on the first day, we spotted our first Barred Warbler, nestling among the Angelica in a garden close to the shop. 

Barred Warbler
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory

• Twite flocks were seen all over the place and continued to show all week much to the delight of all present.

Twite
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory

Twite flock
Courtesy of RSPB

• Several Rosefinches were seen, the best view being of one in the garden of the observatory at the end of the first day. 

Common Rosefinch
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory

• No trip to Fair Isle at this time of year would be complete without seeing Yellow-browed Warblers and this one was no different.  After drawing a blank on the first day we eventually located a couple in the garden of a nearby croft on the second afternoon.  However this was trumped a day later after a "fall" of these beauties resulted in a record 53 being reported.  There were Yellow-browed Warblers everywhere and with hardly any trees on the island they were quite easy to see in the Angelica's, on the walls and fences and even on a pebble beach. 



Yellow-browed Warbler
Courtesy of Shetland Nature

• On Sunday our first new "rarity" arrived on the island. James, visiting from Bedfordshire, spotted a Blyth's Reed Warbler skulking in the gardens of Stoneybrek.  It was trapped for ID verification before being released back into the garden.  Thankfully it stayed around, allowing us to enjoy splendid views, from close range, all afternoon.  It subsequently moved to another garden a few hundred metres further south  for the next couple of days.  Paul had arrived by now and was able to catch up with the bird in it's new environment. 

Blyth's Reed Warbler
Courtesy of James Walsh

• One of my favourite birds is the Great Skua or Bonxie.  Even though we visited after the breeding season, there were still 100+ remaining on the island and boy did they make their presence known.  They totally dominated the skyline on the higher grounds.



Bonxie
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory





• Fair Isle is famous for it's Gannets and Fulmars.  We managed to get to both Gannet colonies.  Fulmars occupied most of the cliff-top positions and were a delight to see.

Gannet colony at Fair Isle (north)
Library picture

Fulmars
Library picture

 

The final species count for the visit was 67, most of which were "rarities" or "scarcities". 

• Snow Buntings were present in huge numbers.  We saw at least 17 but 90+ were recorded.

• A single Ring Ouzel was seen when Paul and I headed to the North Lighthouse.

• There are few if any Corvids on the island other than Ravens and Hooded Crows and we saw huge numbers of both.

• Black Guillemots or "Tysties" breed here and we saw lots of these on the seas, close to the eastern shoreline.

• Eiders were also seen in good numbers on the seas.

• Lapland Buntings were seen but in flight view only.

• Good numbers of Merlin were seen.

• 2 Ringtail Hen Harriers were seen within minutes of the plane touching down on the island.

Species List for Fair Isle Trip
Barred Warbler
Black Guillemot
Blackcap
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Chiffchaff
Collared Dove
Common Gull
Common Rosefinch
Cormorant
Curlew
Dunlin
Eider
Fulmar
Gannet
Goldcrest
Golden Plover
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Skua
Grey Heron
Grey Wagtail
Hen Harrier
Herring Gull
Hooded Crow
House Martin
House Sparrow
Jack Snipe
Kestrel
Lapland Bunting
Lapwing
Lesser Whitethroat
Linnet
Mallard
Meadow Pipit
Merlin
Oystercatcher
Pallid Harrier
Peregrine
Pied Wagtail
Raven
Red-breasted Merganser
Redshank
Redstart
Redwing
Reed Warbler
Ring Ouzel
Ringed Plover
Robin
Rock Dove
Rock Pipit
Ruff
Shag
Skylark
Snipe
Snow Bunting
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Swallow
Teal
Turnstone
Twite
Wheatear
Whinchat
Willow Warbler
Wren
Yellow Wagtail
Yellow-browed Warbler
(67)




Additions to BUBO UK Life List of Birds:
Pallid Harrier   (301)
Blyth's Reed Warbler   (302)

Additions to BUBO UK 2015 List of Birds:
Pallid Harrier   (255)
Barred Warbler   (256)
Twite   (257)
Common Rosefinch   (258)
Yellow-browed Warbler   (259)
Blyth's Reed Warbler   (260)
Lapland Bunting   (261)





Other Wildlife Sightings

• The highlight had to be the 7 Killer Whales (Orcas) seen on Saturday as we returned to the Observatory for breakfast after the early morning bird trap round. 

• Two species of Butterfly were seen - a Painted lady and a Red Admiral.

A Typical Day on Fair Isle

We stayed in the observatory in a 3 star double room with en-suite shower on a full board basis (breakfast, lunch and evening meal).  It is situated on the NE side of the island. 




The Observatory
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory

• The day usually started with an early morning (07.00) walk around the Heligoland traps in the north of the island with one of the Observatory wardens.

Heligoland traps
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory

• Trapped birds were then taken to the observatory for ringing at 07.45.  This was an open session which we followed religiously each day.

• A substantial breakfast was served at 08.30

• Everyone headed out for the first bidwatching session of the day after breakfast.  The default route was south where the bulk of the migrants are usually found.

Map of Fair Isle
Courtesy of Fair Isle Observatory

• We returned to the observatory each day at 1 p.m. to enjoy a substantial lunch of soup (with home-made bread) and a second course.  Fair Isle is only 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide so we could get there and back fairly quickly.

• Dinner was served at 18.00 each night.  Although there was no choice, everyone seemed to enjoy the 2 course meal that was served up

• 20+ birders were were staying at the observatory, including a large group of BTO top brass.  So having drinks in the bar was a must do, after dinner activity.  On 2 occasions we attended a talk by the BTO staff - one entitled Migration and another on birding in the Middle East.

• The day finished with the Wardens Log when the wardening team (3) reported on their survey results for the day before we were invited to add our own results if needed.

Final Comments

• 2 "lifers" and 7 "year ticks" was not bad going for a week in which the elements did not work in our favour.  The winds were invariably from the south each day and never looked like changing to the much-needed north easterlies. 

• The trip was unique in many ways  with so many rare birds to see and loads of birders around to help and share information.  Steve and Bert from Cleveland, James from Hertfordshire and Graham from Norwich became particularly close colleagues. 

• The observatory staff were all geared up to supporting the birders and they created a real community feeling.  The room was excellent and the food was just right for hungry birders on an isolated island in the north sea in autumn.  

Every birder should visit Fair Isle at least once in their life!

 

  

Pallid harrier biology

• The pallid harrier preys on small mammals, birds and large insects. These include voles, mice and gerbils, larks and pipits, grasshoppers and locusts . It spends a large part of its day hunting , foraging over 20 kilometres from its roost . It flies low over the ground, dropping down to capture prey spotted on the ground . Tall grass provides valuable cover as the harrier steals up on flocks of larks feeding on the ground.

 

• The pallid harrier’s present breeding range extends from the Ukraine and southern Russia, to north-western China and western Mongolia . Formerly, the breeding range used to be much greater, extending further into Eastern Europe. It winters mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, and from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, east to south China.

 

• Globally, pallid harrier populations are drastically declining, particularly in Europe, where numbers declined by up to 30 percent from 1970 to 1990 and the species continued to decline from 1990 to 2000 . The declines are so significant that the pallid harrier no longer occurs in Moldova, Belarus and Romania, where it used to breed .



Barred Warbler

• Infrequent visitor to UK on passage between breeding grounds in eastern Europe and winter home in Africa.

• In late summer first winter birds are sometimes seen on south and east coasts of England.

• Look for them foraging in mixed forest, open woodland, scrub areas, and in towns.

• This warbler was one of the birds included in Morris's British Birds, 1891.

• Its song can be confused with that of Garden Warbler, but it is less melodious.

Twite

• Breeds on the moorlands of the Scottish Highlands, northern England and N Wales.

• In winter some remain in N and W Scotland, near the coast, while others, including Continental birds, move to the coast of eastern England where they can be found on saltmarshes and coastal fields.

Common Rosefinch

• Found in throughout Western Europe and much of Asia.

• Breeds across northern Eurasia and winters across southern Eurasia.

• Rare vagrant to the western Aleutians and Alaska during migration.

• Preferred habitats include scrubby areas, especially near water and often near human habitation.

Yellow-browed Warbler

• Scarce passage visitor to Britain.

• Birds breed in arctic Russia and then head south. Birds are most likely to be seen on autumn passage near east and south coasts of Britain, though records in Ireland exist.

• Can be found in the canopies of open forest and woodlands.

• This tiny warbler is prone to vagrancy as far as western Europe, despite a 3,000 km distance from its breeding grounds. For example, this species occurs in late autumn in Great Britain regularly enough that it is not classified as rare there.

Blyth's Reed Warbler biology

• It breeds in temperate Asia and easternmost Europe.

• It is migratory, wintering in India and Sri Lanka. It is one of the most common winter warblers in those countries.

• It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.

Lapland Bunting

• Winter visitor and scarce breeder in Britain. Birds are found along east coasts of Scotland and England.

• Though birds can be seen from autumn through late spring, highest concentrations are visible during the winter months.

• Can be found in coastal wetlands and wet grasslands.