More Musings From Fair Isle

South Lighthouse, Fair Isle

A nice picture of the South Lighthouse to start this post off. A few birds have started arriving in the last few days with Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Red Breasted Merganser and Knot all being added to the list (this is being written retrospectively, there are some exciting birds here at the moment!). In the mean time, our attention has turned to fungi and this rather scarce plant! This is Oysterplant, Mertensia maritima. It gets its name due to the fact its leaves taste like oyster, but having never tried oyster I can't comment. It is rather pretty though, and Shetland is an important site for this declining beach-loving species. Its seed can be spread via the sea so it can colonise new beaches readily, however grazing and disturbance often means these new colonies are unsuccessful.


Oysterplant, Mertensia maritima


Our second Arctic Warbler of the season (possibly third) is still showing well in one of the crop strips, so I was able to grab some nice shots of it.



Arctic Warbler, Phylloscopus borealis





Arctic Warbler, Phylloscopus borealis

 

Another Update From Fair Isle

So, in Fair Isle terms, the last few days have been rather quiet in terms of new arrivals. This does not include the arrival of a new Arctic Warbler which was trapped and ringed and two Common Rosefinch which I was lucky enough to get my hands on!



Arctic Warbler, Phylloscopus borealis




Common Rosefinch, Carpodacus erythrinus


In the mean time we have kept ourselves busy trapping waders in various ways, resulting in Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Sandling. There are still 5 very elusive Knot that keep evading us! Also, by way of wading into the sea at 11.30 at night, we managed to catch this juvenile Common Gull, the photo of which is courtesy of Sammy Fraser.




Sanderling, Chalidris alba




Common Gull, Larus canus



An Arctic Rarity!

So this is a rather special post, but before we get to the real excitement, I took this nice photo of a Raven making a racket on top of North Light yesterday, just after I found my first BBRC rarity!!


Common Raven, Corvus corax


An Arctic Warbler! Keep an out next October, I'll be getting my name published in the annual report (hopefully!). This stunning little bird was flitting around Kirn O'skroo on the north of the island! I knew it was either an Arctic or Greenish Warbler, but on return a few hours later with a small army of experienced birders it was confirmed as the Arctic Warbler, Fair Isles' 80th record and only the second bird in the UK this year! This bird breeds right up in the northernmost forests of Scandanavia (Fennoscandia) and Russia and winters in SE Asia; meaning it has one of the longest migration routes of any Old World insectivorous birds.



Arctic Warbler, Phylloscopus borealis




Some of the assembled birders. Joe, Me, Jason and Becky.


I also got another treat yesterday morning when Jason caught a Common Rosefinch in one of the heligoland traps. This was the first time I'd seen one of these nice little birds anywhere near close and was a nice start to the morning, on a day which also produced a Little Gull at South Light and a nice flock of 20 Whimbrel that flew past us while we were on the cliffs.



Common Rosefinch, Carpodacus erythrinus




Common Rosefinch, Carpodacus erythrinus