Despite this being an afternoon island I get out in the field a bit earlier today than has been the case but within a matter of minutes it's obvious there's not a lot happening. I keep telling myself the clear skies last night triggered everything to leave and new stuff will be in by mid morning but by dinner all I have to show are a handful of Lap and Snedge Bunts and one of the Little Bunts seen previously. All enthusiasm gradually drains away despite my location and I get ready to clear off back to Tingwall.

A visit to Kergord is in the cards as there's 2 OBP's there, I quickly realise that the birds are pretty approachable and wait for the crowd of about 6 to fuck off and leave me in peace. In the 20 minutes or so I spend near these lads I realise how used to having birds to myself I've become lately, I'm sure they were really good blokes but I found myself being a grumpy bastard and being relieved when they'd gone, sorry fellas!

Anyway with a bit of patience and fieldcraft I got crippling views down to 15-20 feet. When so close I could hear the birds givign a contact call, like the normal call but really quiet and unhurried lacking the normal explosiveness. Shame the light had gone, I had to whack the ISO up to 1000 to get this shot.






Just realised Tues is missing, not sure what happened there. In the morning it was cracking loads of Thrushes and Brambling arriving but despite a brief scare with an islander claiming a Geat Snipe we failed to find it didn't amount to much. By the afternoon the wind had got up from the west and I got fed up it felt like Foula all over again!

Thurs 8th
Fair isle isn't really living up to expectations, I manage to refind a Richards Pipit that has been missing for the best part of a week, I think I know why it's become a skulker!





Other than this we struggle to find anything worth writing about.
It's supposed to be going east tomorrow but people keep telling me it's an afternoon island so being booked on the 3.30 flight is slightly nerve wracking!

I get invited to play darts with some of the islanders and the lads building the new obs, it's a good night and I keep thinking I could never imagine it happening on Foula.

Wed 7th
Less migrants around today but maybe the best bird got away from us! Whilst walking down to the shop a loco flushes out of the roadside and lands in the crop at Lower Stoneybreck it wasn't the River Warb being much smaller, normally groppers look olive to me and this thing was clearly brown. We pushed the crop but nothing came out. Walking back from the shop the little bastard comes out of the ditch and again goes straight into the crop. We call Deryk and Si over but nothing comes out, Deryk comments that he'd be surprised if a Gropper didn't flush again, there is a Lancy on Shetland so draw your own conclusions.
I do the trap round with Jack and although we catch nothing of interest he nearly explodes when a Merlin chases a Redwing into one of the dyke traps! I'm totally impressed with the gulley trap it looks rare as fuck!
The foreman gives us a tour round the new obs which looks mega impressive, it's massive.
Spend an hour or so at North Haven with a tame Bluethroat and a nice bright Little Bunt











Later I walk to the southern end of the island and kick out a Barred Warbler and see another of the 3 Little Bunts on the island today.

Mon 5th
Arrived on Fair Isle on the first plane of the day and dumped my bag at the chalet before wandering down the road to see a Blyth's Reed which gives great views and calls plenty.





After walking the south end of the island to get my bearings I've seen a few migrants but nothing else really of note. I get back to lower stoneybreck for another look at the Blyth's to be greeted by the news there's a River Warbler in the same garden. Bastard thing has gone to ground so it looks like i've dipped. They manage to catch the Blyth's which has a marginal wing formula, I'm pleased when they take bios and it turns out to be one. I was confident of the ID in the field so would have had to rethink how easy they if it had been a Reed!
ERJack shows me round the island so I get a better idea of where I can go without upsetting the locals, it seems pretty much anywhere is on the cards apart from gardens, quite a difference to Foula.

After ditching Jack to get some peace and quiet I take in lower stoneybreck on the way back. The dog here comes up to me for some attention and repays me making a fuss of it by jumping into the roadside grass and kicking out the River Warbler which sits on top of the wall for a minute, result. Fecking typical I'd left my camera behind cos of the earlier rain! Deryk and Si come armed with nets and although the bird flushes a few times it won't go anywhere near them.

Sun 4th
Gav is leaving at 3 today so I have to get him to the airport, we decide to do the south mainland.
Whilst wating for the garage to open for fuel we check loch of clickimmin and have 2 scaup, Gav hears a buzzy flava call twice but we can't find it and assume it's just a Starling fuckin about.
After a bit of discussion we decide to check Wester Quarff as I've never been there, turns out to be a cracking move as one of the first birds we see is a superb Arctic Warbler.








Pretty chufffed after scoring a bird we've both mentioned in the previous couple of weeks as something we'd love to find we head south with high expectations of pulling out a mega. Stopping off a Boddam we get a Barred Warbler (second of the day, there's one in the Arctic garden) then move to Sumburgh where I nearly disappear as I sink into the bog underneath the Virkie willows! Can't find the Bluethroat in Rob frays Garden or the Yellow browed in an admitedly quick search so we clear off to the Hotel where another Yellow browed gives itself up instantly, the little git won't sit still for it's picture taking tho!





After dumping Gav at the airport I check Sumburgh head and Grutness then head back to Lerwick. A walk round Seafield produces nothing but 2 more Yellow broweds at Helendale rounds the day off nicely. News coming in of 2 possible eastern .flavas on Shetland makes me think it may not have been a Starling after all! Off to fair isle in the morning so here's hoping it starts getting some birds it's definately been in the shade of Foula and the rest of Shetland the last week, which is surprising

Sat 3rd
The day started off pretty uneventfully with me and Gav having a lay in whilst the others gett up at stupid o'clock to get the 05.45 boat to yell so they can get to Fetlar and back to Lerwick in time for their ferry back to Aberdeen.
We meet up on Unst after they have crackin views of the Fly and score a Rosefinch at Valyie, there is a mobile Horny poll on Lamba ness but none of us can be bothered to go look and instead split up to check various sites, nothing of interest is forthcoming.





About 3pm we say see ya to the others as they set off south and gav and me go to Uyeasound, I drop him off and drive back up the road to get some phone signal so I can speak to my beloved and WHAM the feckin scouser finds a Pechora in my absence, what a total twat thats right up there on my self found wish list! I don't even have time to look for it as we're booked on the half 4 ferry to Fetlar for the Fly.
We see the Fly in really crap light as its pissing it down the whole time but it looks striking, and useful experience as I've only seen spring birds before.

Fri 2nd
Got up at first light and quickly got to Ham after a thrash round turned up nowt two of the three of us that hadn't seen the Veery were trudging round dejected after missing the best bird of the trip whilst having endured so much shite weather. We were talking to Frenchy and Kev Shepherd when a bird just materialised on a gate next to the pumping station right in front of us, it was class you could hear the cogs turning as we took in the brightness of the upperparts and then in unison we all remarked variations on 'shit its there!'. The bird performed amazingly showing down to a few feet at times, at one point we were a bit worried as it sat in a ditch for 15 mins as it struggled to swallow a worm 3 times its length and at times appeared to be choking on it! The Pechora also showed a couple of times as usual sitting in the road when it flew out of the irises. A crew arrived from Shetland on a charter boat at half eightish and all managed to score both birds plus the Buff bellied Pipit. When we got to the plane a couple of foreign west pal listers were getting off, at first we thought they'd come from France but it turns out they were already in Shetland!








When we got back to mainland Shetland news came through of a second Veery on Whalsay, unbelievable. Also new in were Pechoras at Virkie and on Whalsay so it looked like game on for trying to find new stuff.
Frenchy, Janne and Hanna went south to the Sumburgh area whilst Gav, Paul and I went to try connect with the ferry to Fetlar for the Taiga Fly (found but slightly overlooked by my mate The F). After a swift journey durung which Mr Eele was nearly sick we realsied the connections didn't work out so we backtracked to Voe for the Blyth's Reed, got pretty good views and a few pics.





Seems strange how these birds really are id'able in the field these days after being nearly mythical not too long ago. After this we were fired for finding something so tried Vidlin in vain meanwhile Janne found a Short-toed Lark at Sumburgh farm which Frenchy tried to poach!
The night was rounded off by a cracking curry with The F and Vaila, then gav and me getting elephants trunk!