Category Archives: Shetland

Eastern Grasshopper Warbler – are they do-able in the hand?

Posted on May 18, 2013 by

Now that I’ve rediscovered the login details for the BF site, here’s another bird from Shetland, a Grasshopper Warbler trapped last weekend (11th May) in my garden in the south mainland. I was chuffed with my first locustella in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Shetland, Uncategorized, Warblers | 1 Comment

Pacific Diver in Shetland?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

Grutness, 16th May 2013 by Roger Riddington and Paul Harvey A quick post from Shetland to get some feedback about an interesting diver seen earlier this evening. At about 7.30 I got a phone call from Paul Harvey, who’d just … Continue reading →

Posted in Divers, Shetland | 8 Comments

Siberian and Desert Lesser Whitethroats

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

New Paper, New Perspectives Most recent autumn and winter seasons, the subject of  ’Eastern Lesser Whitethroats’ rises up with the appearance of interesting looking (and sounding) individuals. A long-awaited paper has just been published here by a host of birding luminaries. Of interest to West European observers, as expected, blythi (Siberian Lesser … Continue reading →

Posted in Shetland, Warblers | Leave a comment

Siberian Chiffchaff and Common Chiffchaff: Part 2

Posted on January 2, 2013 by

Calls (or Medleys and Mash-ups) by Martin G. Life was simple, back then. Common Chiffchaffs called an upward inflected ‘hweet’ (very similar to a Willow Warbler call) and Siberian Chiffchaffs called a flat monosyllabic ’peep’ (bit like a Bullfinch or Dunnock call). Sorted, or so we thought. n.b. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Shetland, Warblers | 3 Comments

Siberian Chiffchaff and Common Chiffchaff: Part 1

Posted on January 1, 2013 by

Plumage Morphing by Martin G. Here’s the first of a 2 parter on Siberian Chiffchaff ID. Part one is on plumage. Part two is on calls. Trying to make sense of my own experiences, even if limited, has helped forge much of my current thinking. … Continue reading →

Posted in Shetland, Warblers | 19 Comments

Siberian Chiffchaff – The Edges of I.D.

Posted on December 16, 2012 by

Call and Plumage Variation by Martin A quick post by way of advance notice and apology. I have been working on a piece about Siberian and Common Chiffchaffs. I posted it ‘privately’ to facilitate excellent input from others, expecting to publish soon after. Then I … Continue reading →

Posted in Shetland, Warblers | 8 Comments

All the Redpolls (nearly)

Posted on December 7, 2012 by

Shetland, Autumn 2012 We did wonderfully well for redpolls overall this autumn’s Shetland tours scoring 5 types out of six possible. I’m very pleased with sound recordings  obtained and combined with Mealy and Arctic Redpolls  from Norway they make for fascinating study. Redpolls are a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Finches, Shetland | 2 Comments

Pipits, Pipits, Pipits

Posted on November 29, 2012 by

Shetland, Autumn 2012 You never know what’s wandering through the long grass… This is an Olive- backed Pipit which gave wonderfully close views in Hestingott, South Mainland on our first morning. Never the same. I look forward to each autumn on Shetland. Because you never know…This year the weather … Continue reading →

Posted in Pipits, Shetland | 8 Comments

The best date in the birding calendar?

Posted on October 31, 2012 by

What’s the one date in the year you’d want to book off work? Here in the far north of Britain, the week just gone has been one of the best of the autumn. No great surprise there – some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Buntings, Chats and Thrushes, Pipits, Shetland, Warblers | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment