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| There were plenty of warblers to enjoy (and ponder over) during our week on Unst at the end of September, and Yellow-browed Warblers were happily a common occurrence, present in almost every suitable patch of shrubbery. The one above frequented a garden in the village... but can you find it? |
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| The classic east-coast-curled-sycamore-leaf-and-sibe-sprite shot |
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| And of course they weren't confined to bushes and trees - new arrivals in particular were routinely found in along fence lines, in tall grass... |
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| ...and feeding on the sunny side of walls |
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| Of the five or more Lesser Whitethroats we had, all morphologically fitted blythi (Siberian)... |
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| .... while the Willow Warblers were a fascinating mix of plumages - from the clasic trochilus (above), to much less colourful birds, to those with pale greenish-grey and yellow, Hippolais-like colour schemes (below). |
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| And then there were Chiffchaffs. A few were regular collybita-types, but many were on a dull, brownish-grey spectrum including many like the one above..... |
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| .... and several tristis-types which, while not precisely fitting the traditional Siberian template, surely were (and doubtless would be if DNA'ed).... |
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| .... as well as several 'classic' tristis, pheeping away like timid Bullfinches. The Phylloscs up there were endlessly interesting and would make for a seriously fascinating project if there was the possbility of a co-ordinated pan-island ringing and DNA effort. |
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| A classic commoner-acting-rare - a Garden Warbler among the pine needles of a local garden.... |
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| ... and finally, a legit rare acting, looking and feeling the part. This Blyth's Reed Warbler was a joint find in the Health Centre garden in Baltasound, which we found in a flurry of new arrivals in this fantasy walled garden that I'd happily spend all autumn birding in.... |
