Let's
get to Fair Isle. Yet first . . . . .
Monday
29th August fresh to strong SW very sunny
Hot on the heels of my Mum, Happy
Birthday Dad. 85 years young and going strong.
New shoes! Now to get down to
South Shetland where hopefully one or two of yesterday's will still
be around, especially the booted and icterine warblers.
I count the roadkill victims along
the way and sadly have a white wagtail, the continental form of our
pied wagtail, die in my hand as I pick it up having seen it just hit
by a van.
By the time I reach Cunningsbrough
there have been nine dead hedgehogs, four polecats of various colours
from all yellow to all dark, two rabbits, a couple of gulls and the
aforementioned wagtail. The hedgehogs and polecats reflect a problem
population of these invading predators.
News from The Oracle, Phil
Andrews, an arctic warbler is at Geosetter. The wind may be in my
face but the tarmac is good and the news puts impetus into my
pedalling feet.
There is hardly a cloud and the
strong sun is behind me as I search along the willows of the beck on
arriving there. A warbler flits over from the adjacent crop field,
famous for having a thick-billed warbler three years ago. It is a
willow warbler. Further up the hill, as I cross a small bridge I see
the arctic warbler and it dives into cover. It continues up the hill
and eventually gives views when in a small valley with just a few
less dense willows. It then flies uphill into the garden of a nearby
house.
Roger Riddington arrives with
another birder. Roger is the editor of the superb British Birds
magazine and a brilliant birder. Together we circumnavigate the gate
but can't find the arctic. Roger goes to the head of the valley and
heads downhill. I go downhill and search uphill.
The arctic warbler shows itself in
a small willow. Three more birders arrive; Chris Dodds from Fair Isle
Bird Observatory, Hugh Harrop, the very well known bird photographer
and author and Craig Nisbet from Noss. Soon having seen the bird
extremely well most birders leave for pastures new leaving me and
Hugh. He talks of the recent publishing of the bird identification
book,
He talks honestly about the few
errors that are in it and of the ten years it took to collate all of
the images. Having seen the book in the bird observatory lounge at
North Ronaldsay, it is a magnificent book.
Arctic warbler, bird number 278.
The cycle ride to Quendale in the
sunshine gives beautiful views of Spiggie and the coast. Searching
the bushes around the watermill doesn't give me yesterday's icky
warbler, just three willow warblers.
Tuesday
30th August strong SW cloudy with mizzle
Cycling towards Grutness is only
possible when going downhill and only then by leaning into the gale.
The occasional larger vehicle, a lorry say or a transit van, has me
almost fall off by the suck back from the wind.
Uphill I struggle as I push hard.
The barrier is down at Sumburgh
airport and the guard relates the reasons why he is on the island;
years in the army this mancunian (from Manchester – red/United by
the way) is bitter over the way life has dealt him jobs that
apparently have a habit of failing him. Still he is a pleasant chap
and a warm handshake sends me on my way over the runway once
clearance is given.
A visit of the Iron Age houses of
Scatness is interesting; it is just a shame that the visitor's centre
doesn't open until 10:15am. It would have been lovely to be
re-acquainted with the staff.
To Grutness and into the harbour
waiting room with its heater and magazines. These include a couple of
British Birds magazines and BBC Wildlife, as well as the RSPB's
Nature's Home and various chat ones.
I don't expect the Good Shepherd
to arrive for the crossing to Fair Isle, surely the wind is too
strong. Yet arrive it does and the less said of the next three hours
of my life the better. Hell, sheer hell with vomit and fear, two of
us in the hold and both sick; one moment the cry comes from aloft
“hold on!” The boat makes a sickening and sudden dive and crash
and I am hurled along the back bench. An hour of filling sick bags
and listening to music to try to take my mind away from the motion
goes by. Maybe I fall asleep. I know I dream.
Calmer waters, purgatory and then
redemption and sanctuary, we arrive at North Haven, the harbour of
the paradise that is Fair isle. Massive thanks to Neil Thompson, the
Captain of the ship, a hug from Elena, a Fair Isle native and friend.
A hug from Lee Gregory too. Actually I think he is shocked by the
hug. I am just so happy to see him, a brilliant birder and friend.
Rachel is there too, the kind young lady who last year allowed me to
camp on her croft's lawn for three weeks.
Lee points out a long-tailed
duckon the nearby rocks, the first of hopefully many Fair Isle birds.
It is an earlier than usual arrival and has a wing depleted of flight
feathers for some reason.
There is a booted warbler at
Shirva and I cycle there past the magnificent building that is the
Fair Isle Bird Observatory.
I search the small garden and on
not finding the rarity turn around to find another friend perched on
a stone up the grassy hill, Cath Mendez. Together we spot three
people converging on the Meadow Burn and head that way ourselves.
Booted warbler, bird number 279,
goes onto the list but what a fast moving bird; one minute in front
of us, the next half a field way.
Cath needs to get back to the
Observatory where she is working as a volunteer and I go in search of
birds.
I walk around the east of the
island and inquire about the availability of Springfield, a
self-catering croft in the south. Fully booked up I head back north
via Daa Water and Pund.
I arrive at the bird observatory
just in time to see Lee holding a mist netted barred warbler.
The Bird Log at 9-ish, with its
usual tolling bell start details amongst others; 176 wheatear, 63
willow warblers, 106 white wagtails, 180 twite, 684 meadow pipits and
singles each of barred, marsh and booted warblers and a common
rosefinch.
Afterwards the walk back to my
abode for the month of September is under a star-filled sky.
Wednesday
31st August light to fresh SW Sunny AM showers PM
It is a glorious, very sunny and
calm morning. I walk to watch the trap run but miss it.
So to the North Haven and back
along the road and dykes to the crofts Setter, Pund, Chalet and
Barkland. Fascinating to see lines of wheatears on the stone walls
and willow warblers sometimes in pairs on angelica stems.
At Shirva an acrocephalus warbler
sp. eludes me. Twice it flies fast over the thick vegetation and
twice it dives straight into the same. I try sitting on a pile of
uncomfortable stones on the other side of the garden but it offers no
views. It seems to be of a rather too warm brown to be anything other
than a reed warbler but I would like views that would confirm that.
To the shop for provisions, I meet
Mati, the wonderful Venezualan lady who is one of the crofters who
makes original Fair Isle garments. She invites me to look at a book
of indigenous tribes in the Amazon and I accept her kind offer of
coffee at her croft half an hour later.
Years ago Mati and her partner
David cycled from London to Greece with a two year old toddler,
Sebastian in a bicycle chair. Incredible.
A friend of Mati's, Kathryn, calls
in with her two young children. Kathryn talks about being a library
analyst on Anglesey a few years ago and of her love for the bird
artist, Charles Tunnicliffe. She relates about how funds were raised
to buy the Tunnicliffe artworks that were put on sale at Christie's
auction house of London by the Tunnicliffe family upon his death. The
successful purchase by the Anglesey Library brought the collection
back to the island he loved.
Outside once more, whinchat and
wheatear, willow warblers and waders, the way is slowly made towards
the Obs for the log call. A juvenile rose-coloured starling has been
seen there, found by Cath Mendez.
Log -
wheatear down to 126, twite down
to 145.
167 rock pipits. Now why does Fair
Isle have 167 whereas North Ronaldsay, just twenty five miles away,
have none?
No stars on the way back to my
abode and the wind is strong in my face.
The
Year List is 279, twenty five more than this time last year.
Importantly the list includes twenty five birds I didn;t see last
year.
Distance
cycled/walked in August – 397.91 miles
Total
mileage for 2016 – 5313.74 miles
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