We were at Vaylie as it is one of the areas on the island that we can get signal so we headed there in the hope of getting news about the pg tips that was on the mainland yesterday. The birds were pretty mush the same but we did have a two tree pipits behind the house along with a redstart and reed warbler along the road. A calling crossbill in the top of the garden flew down into the small pine plantation before heading up the valley towards Saxa Vord. Both of us commented on the size and that the call 'sounded different' We didn't get anything on it so left it. Nick also had a second bird fly out and head towards Skaw but I didn't see that one.
Ken Shaw joined us a short while later and also commented on the crossbill that the size and call were interesting
We headed to Baltasound to get some signal and any news on the pg tips. No sign so we gave up waiting and went birding.
With the wind now in the south-west, much of Haligarth was sheltered so we had a boot around the walled garden. 2 spotted flycatchers and a bunch of chiffchaffs we feeding around the edge and Nick had a single pied fly within the trees. The common rosefinch was still in the scrubby rosa bushes next to the ruined house. While I was on the outside of the garden a crossbill came in from the east calling. I thought it was going to drop into the wood but it just circled and headed towards Setters Hill. The bird was strikingly big and had a bright pink rump as it flew away.
I grabbed a couple of pics of the tree pipit and then we headed up to Setters Hill.
We took a side each of the small pine belt but only managed to locate a robin and a female blackcap. We walked along the back of the estate where the little bunting was still present along with a female redstart. At the end, I decided to cross the moor to the next estate while Nick retraced our steps. At the bottom of the estate, Nick radioed to say that he had found the crossbills, lucky really as his radio was about to die and he wouldn't have been able to reach me.
I headed back along the road towards the estate, flagging down Ken Shaw and his team, to find Nick watching the birds feeding in the pines. Nick had decided to walk through the trees and could hear them feeding above his head!!
With 2 males and 2 females present, it looked like the birds that were being seen around the area throughout the morning had come together into a little flock. A lot of discussion was had around the identity of the birds with the males almost certainly parrot crossbills and the females probably were too.
Watching them feeding amongst the trees you could really get a feeling of how big they were with large deep based powerful bills. They were certainly nothing like any common crossbill I have seen. It was really interesting watching the way the birds were feeding, pulling the cones off and dropping onto a lower branch to feed on them. Great birds but tricky to get a good photo.
As more people arrived we had out own twitch, we didn't realise there were that many birders on the island. Later in the day there were even people from South Mainland at the site. There were plenty of photos being taken and at least two people got some sound recordings so that should help with the description process.
With the weather getting poorer we headed to Skaw to seek some shelter. We didn't but we still had a boot around the area before the rain got too bad. Both the red throated pipit and little bunting were still present but the rain beat us.
After a short break to dry off and change waterproofs, we headed up to Burrafirth but there were only a few birds about and nothing new in.
Final stop of the day was a visit to our Houlland patch. The chiffchaff, robin and redstart were still present along with some frustratingly brief view of a warbler sp flushed from the wet areas below the croft. We concluded it was probably a grasshopper warbler but it disappeared before we could pin it down. Maybe tomorrow....
Last bird of the day was a new yellow browed warbler outside our digs.
It started as a frustrating day but ended up pretty good.
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