Unst 2017: Days 6-7

The last two days have been complete contrasts. Yesterday (29th) was wet and wild, with strong south-easterlies and rain making birding extremely difficult - and it probably making staying alive extremely difficult for those migrants which had made it across the North Sea. We had morning and afternoon visits to Valyie, where a few migrants were doing their best to find some shelter, including a Dunnock, 2 Redstarts, 4 Redwing, 2 Song Thrush, 1 YBW, 1 Brambling, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 3 Blackcaps, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Tree Pipit, and 1 Mealy Redpoll. 

Its never good when waterfalls are flowing upwards...

A very bedraggled Redstart by the road to Skaw

Paul looking at a Little Bunting

After a long (2 hour!) lunch break back at Scraefield to dry out, we checked Skaw, where we had 1 Robin, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Reed Warblers, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Wheatears and a new Little Bunting (or maybe the bird from the cliffs 2 days ago?). A thrash up the burn at Burrafirth produced single Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting, and 2 Swallows. And that was it for the day.

Another bedraggled bird - a Reed Warbler

Today (30th), and the wind had dropped right off, the sky had cleared and the sun came out. Lovely! We began early at Valyie, seeing 1 Little Bunting, 2 Blackcaps, 6 Robins, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Goldcrests, 2+ Redstarts, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Mealy Redpoll, 6+ Song Thrush, 2 YBW, 2 Willow Warbler, 3+ Chiffchaff, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Swallow and 1 Merlin. It was looking promising, and good to see that everything hadn't departed overnight once conditions calmed. But we couldn't find anything particularly notable...

Little Bunting

A nice frosty Mealy Redpoll

Tree Pipit

Reed Warbler

Heading to Skaw, we decided to check the north cliffs. It was shaping up as a good day for Redstarts (with another 3) and Song Thrushes (another c.10), and we also saw out first Fieldfare of the trip, plus 2 Wheatears, 2-3 Chiffchaffs, 3 Robins and one each of Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Siskin, Willow Warbler, Grey Wagtail and Common Sand, plus a heard only Tree Pipit (hopefully not an OBP!). 

Returning to the croft, there were evidently new birds in, with 5 Blackcaps and at least 5 Chiffchaffs, the latter all feeding in the grass around the sheep pens, plus 2 Siskin and single Lesser Whitethroat, Redstart, Whinchat, Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Song Thrush and House Martin, with 2 Peregrines off towards Saxa Vord. Oh, and a Red-throated Pipit! 

Hoping our luck would continue, we worked the cliffs on the north side of Lamba Ness, adding 2 more Redstarts, c.7 Song Thrushes, 1 Wheatear, 3 Robins, and another Fieldfare. On to Burrafirth, there was just 1 Chiffchaff in the burn, and another Chiff at the shore station. We finished off at Houlland, which we haven't done for two days, seeing a Sedge Warbler in the burn, along with single YBW, Blackcap, Chiff, Redstart (number 9 of the day), Redwing and Song Thush  (number c.25 of the day).