Monday 5th October

Well a lovely clear sky greeted us this morning - would the target bird have flown overnight?

Well we set off for Fetlar anyway! As we journeyed it was the flat calm as we ferried our way to our destination. We met up with other birders and the twitch was on!
6 guys crammed into one car looked a bit keen - but they were staying for a week.

On route we watched a Yellowbrowed Warbler in a garden with chiffchaff(s)and a chaffinch, along with the numerous Shags. oh for Pauco - Great Blackbacks (GBH), Commons(lots), Herring(need to be searched well) and a few BH Gulls - We spotted one Kittiwake today as well - most have left.

News came through the the bird had been seen, what a relief.

Three ferry stops later we reached Fetlar,and on went the convoy. We all parked up and as we approached the garden the bird had been favouring, it hopped out into the road and would have stayed there except we were all walking towards it, surprised us and itself!.Birders mainly went over the fence and set-up opposite.
The Taiga Flycatcher showed wellon occasions,but was flitty to say the least but some birder even managed photos.(from a distance)
There were Merlin around as a tiny distraction.
Then on to see if the Blyth's Reed Warbler was still in the field,no but we flushed up Twite and Snipe, oh and another YBW was seen along with 2 in the TF garden!
H and D stayed with the Taiga and got much better views than I had had.

Back on mainland, it was off to find an Arctic Warbler.Once located(took a while) was photographed and even I managed a hand held digiscoped shot! Well one that was presentable! What a supercilium! Another really lovely bird.Here we also had great views of our first Brambling of the trip!

News had broken earlier of a Hornimanns Arctic Redpoll,on route for our Hotel we diverted and arrived there to find the finder and various local birders, a Shetland Twitch!
What a confiding bird, probably we were the first humans it had ever encountered.
Fab pics taken and I got a couple of nice shots! What a little stunner!

We finished by watching a large flock of Twite feeding in a field.

Throughout today news was reaching us of Fair Isle birds,please stay til next Monday when we arrive! Oh more birds may land but none to leave please!

Gales forcast for the next two days at least!