I don't normally do these - mainly because I rarely go anywhere - but this one was so good, it deserves a write-up.
Two relatively unspectacular trips to Fair Isle had left me still waiting for my first British tick on the magical isle, and although I'd done much better on the Shetland mainland, I approached my third trip wishing for some slightly better luck. The past trips were both in October and as a result in 2007 I missed five Lanceolated Warblers by a week, so this year I deliberately went for the 'classic' late September period, hopefully to get that particular monkey off my back.
It didn't start too promisingly. British Airways managed to lose my luggage in Edinburgh and at Tingwall, we had to endure a five and a half hour delay due to technical problems. I always think you've never had a proper airport delay until you see bits of the plane being taken off in front of you. News of the Cretzschmar's Bunting on North Ronaldsay did nothing to improve the collective mood. And it gets worse before it gets better. When we did get to Fair Isle, the first thing we heard was that there had been a massive clear-out of the good numbers of migrants from the last few days. But we did get Arctic Warbler, Barred Warbler and a couple of Red-backed Shrikes on our stop-over on the mainland, so hopes were not entirely at rock-bottom. Two days later, they'd been fairly well dampened. In particular, the 22nd was calm, bright, sunny and warm, and most of the birds took advantage of it to bugger off.
Then it happened. I've got no idea why, since the weather forecast was indifferent at best, with mainly settled conditions and light south-westerlies, but it clouded up overnight, there was some evidence of rain, and that seemed to be enough. It began quietly, when one of the early-morning club - of which I am never a member - found a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at North Light. A walk up north revealed no sandpiper and hardly anything else either, so we killed some time practising our photography skills on flying Fulmars instead, when the pager sparked into life. What's more, it was the one I wanted: Lanceolated Warbler! We began our walk back south, and then we saw what we wanted to see - Hollie with the legendary 'red flag'.
For those who don't know, most of the time one walks round Fair Isle but in the event of a rarity being found, the observatory staff will drive round the island picking people up, trying to get everyone onto the bird as quickly as possible and flying a red flag from the vehicle to alert those who haven't heard. It's a brilliant system, and it ensured that we were onto the warbler in about fifteen minutes. Not all Lancys are as co-operative as the ones which virtually walk over your feet, but this one was. It wasn't always easy to get a clear view through the undergrowth, but it gave stunning views down to a couple of feet, and I had to abandon the big lens in favour of a small hand-holdable one instead. Even then, it kept coming within minimum focusing distance! Finally - a Fair Isle British tick!
It was a rather more enjoyable lunch than we had had for a couple of days, and it was interrupted by more good news: Red-throated Pipit near the shop. So we were off again, and eventually satifactory - if rather distant - views were obtained, augmented by the all-important flight calls. And later on in the afternoon, it got even better: Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler in Busta Geo! Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as good as the Lancy; at the bottom of a cliff, virtually in a cave, feeding on seaweed. No photos of this one; I could barely even see it.
Never mind, it had been a fantastic day. The next day, the weather was much the same: cloudy, light winds with perhaps a bit of easterly evident? With the tick in the bag, we had no right to expect much more and a second visit to the Lancy site drew a blank. But mid-morning, the red flag was out again and the bar was raised still higher: Brown Flycatcher at the mast!
The 'red flag' system, as already mentioned, is designed to get everyone to the bird as quickly as possible. However, in the case of birds on the north-western uplands and cliffs there is a problem, in that the vehicles can only go as far as the airport in the centre of the island. After that, you have to walk; a mile or more, over rough ground and at the brisk pace demanded by a really good bird. It's even worse with a big lens. At least the mast (the communication tower near the highest point of the island) has a well-marked path up to it and the bird showed well enough, using the tower itself and the surrounding fence as makeshift trees. Perhaps not the best-looking of birds, but very rare, only the third British record (unless they 'D' it!)
That afternoon, the flag was out yet again for another high quality bird; this time a Red-flanked Bluetail in the south of the island. Perhaps because of the flycatcher, it wasn't found until late in the day when the light was going and didn't allow close approach, meaning that only record shots were possible. Still, that's four top quality birds in two days - one per session - and an unpromising-looking week had suddenly gone haywire. It couldn't get any better, could it?
Oh yes it could. Another day, another red flag, another bird from the top drawer. This time, a male Siberian Thrush, the first for Fair Isle no less and one of those really sought-after birds. Only problem was it was on the western cliffs, so more stamina-sapping moorland tramping required! But perhaps it's right that one has to work for birds of this calibre and it was worth every step. This geo was much smaller than the one the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler was in and the bird was half-way up, so much better views were possible and even photography wasn't too bad. It was just getting better and better and better.
So five stunning birds in two and a half days, and thoughts turned to the afternoon. It was our last full day, and what could possibly round the trip off? Siberian Rubythroat? White's Thrush? Siberian Blue Robin?
Sadly not. The red flag did come out one last time, for an Arctic Warbler, and it was an enjoyable afternoon picking up some of the more normal scarcities for the time of year - Common Rosefinch, Red-breasted Flycatcher (our fourth species!) and Little Bunting. The following morning we added Bluethroat, and the magical trip was over. Not to be forgotten in all of this was the huge influx of Yellow-browed Warblers, with daily counts topping 40, including a flock of ten newly arrived birds on Ward Hill.
Of course, Fair Isle didn't have a monopoly on the rarities. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler on Foula, Thick-billed Warbler on Out Skerries and Blyth's Reed and Sykes's Warblers on the mainland reminded us of that. We were hoping to pick up the Sykes's on returning to the mainland but it wasn't to be. A Wryneck at Quendale and a Western Bonelli's Warbler near Vidlin the following day would have to do.
But we had nothing to complain of. I'd gone for a Britsh tick and returned with three, and while mega-rarities on Fair Isle is nothing new, to have so many in such a short space of time is truly exceptional. We were also very lucky with the weather; we'd had to change our stay on Fair Isle from seven days to six and if we'd stayed that extra day, we'd have been stranded. It's the one thing I don't really like about Shetland; the unreliability of the planes. And a quick word about Heathrow Terminal 5 - exemplary on the way out; the return journey was marred a little by the fact that the jetty (that big tube thing you walk down to get on the plane) was broken, so they had to get some steps. But the steps are supplied by a different company and there was no-one around 'because it was Sunday evening'. Result: we were stuck on the plane for 20 minutes. Great.
The Observatory is supposed to be closed in 2009 for refurbishment so it'll be at least two years before I return, but I can't wait to go back. It'll never be as good again though, of course....
Photos to follow.
A great account - and more or less the one I've already heard from my old friend from university days, Robin Griffiths. He picked the same week for his first ever trip to Fair Isle (and I'd guess his first ever full-on birding holiday). As I recall he ended up with 13 ticks! Terrific stuff!
John
I also went with someone who'd never been to Fair Isle before. The result of that is he has Siberian Thrush on his Fair Isle list but not Blackbird.