Scarborough Birders do the Skerries! DAY 10

After a couple of hours easy birding during the morning we all reluctantly headed for the jetty where we boarded the Ferry and headed back to Vidlin on the 10.00 crossing.

That morning we didn’t see too much on the Skerries, a Yellow-browed Warbler and 3 Blackcap being the highlights.

The crossing aboard the Filla was eventful, great views of the Skerries were had as we left but there was some Cetacean action caught our attention.
None of us profess to be experts but Risso’s Dolphin were present (a species I have seen very well in Australia), as were Common Dolphin as well as possibly a third species, not confirmed yet though.

Fetlar showing well on the crossing

Out Skerries shrinking in the distance - until next year....

Risso's Dolphin

On the mainland a little birding around Vidlin returned us Yellow-browed Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and an interesting Lesser Whitethroat, initially tacking it then regularly gave a very Great Tit like trill. Unfortunately it never showed well and eventually disappeared into a thick plantation where it never called from again.

From there it was time to indulge in some dirty twitching, our first stop was Sandgarth.
We arrived there, a place I’ve never been, and began to look around for the reported Booted/Sykes’s Warbler as well at the Blyth’s Reed Warbler.
Not too long after arriving Dave picked up and Acro, a bird we all got on pretty quickly, and cue the expert field craft of twitchers, as they all rushed towards us like a heard of Elephants (so were certainly as heavy)! 
Luckily the bird didn’t spook too much (presumably now well used to this sort of behaviour) and showed fairly well – for an Acro.
An interesting bird it was, over an hour or so we had a few opportunities to watch it feed, though unfortunately much of that time it was in the Iris beds so views were often restricted.
Just a Reed Warbler was the eventual conclusion.
Also in the area were 2 Yellow-browed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Water Rail.

Reed Warbler

A juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Laxo was then checked off before an unsuccessful search for a Bluethroat nearby.

From there we hit Gott, the place we stayed two years ago and it just so happened the place we found Pallid Harrier two years ago to the day! Happy memories.

Red-backed Shrike

Well today in Gott was as it generally was back then, quiet. We managed a Goldcrest, a Blackcap and 2 Lesser Whitethroat. A juvenile Gannet was also discovered in a field, it was duly caught and released on the nearby loch, it will presumably die soon enough unfortunately but hopefully been on water and with a little wind it will lift up and make it back to the coast.

Gannet

That evening, once aboard the MV Hjaltland we settled in for the evening crossing back to Aberdeen. With good seats at the bar, unfortunately Golf was on the TV, a little downer, we enjoyed a pint whilst reflecting on an extremely successful trip.
With a decent list of species, despite less than optimum weather we were all incredibly pleased.
So much so that my trip to the Skerries next September is already booked!
I can’t wait!
But for now – it’s back to Scarborough with the whole of October ahead, here’s to some easterly blows and a few more good birds, cheers.