Aurora borealis

Eastern promise

Am frantic today, as winds have finally dropped away, leaving a residue of promising indicator birds on the island - a few northern Bullfinchs, Brambling, and annoyingly a text from both P and JL today to tell me of 10 Waxwings sitting on a wall below my croft. Can only hope against hope they'll stick around until I get home this afternoon.

I guess Shetland birders might be fairly cool about Waxwings, but hey, I'm from the south-west and they're dead special still for me. Plus v photogenic, and what a bird to add to my garden list... Kestrel was new last weekend, as of course was the Pied Wheatear. I really ought to figure out what the croft list is - am being sufficiently elastic with it to allow birds seen from the croft even when they're not actually on the croft. A necessary move to incorporate Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, scoped from my conservatory window last year after hours of impatient waiting. A bit desperate, but tell me hand on heart you wouldn't do the same? Well, quite!

Was really hoping that the Yellowthroat would still be at Maywick today, as I could have made a work-trip south before lunch, then dropped in on it at lunchtime. Unfortunately it seems to have been a brief stay. Hopefully it'll keep moving north-east and end up in our heligoland...

Being realistic, there should be agood chance of something respectable on the island this weekend, now the wind has eased up a bit. A week of south-easterlies in October on Shetland surely has to bring something good in? Will be spending tomorrow digging up tatties, but with more than half my attention on birds nearby - even at work today there are Redwings calling as they fly overhead, and Goldcrests on the banks outside the office. My prediction is for Black-throated Thrush - but of course secretly hoping for Siberian... there's no pleasing some people, and no limits to my optimism - but on the strength of this autumn so far, why not?!

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