Shetland Autumn Birding

Professional and exceptional – highly recommended. Dominic Mitchell (Birdwatch Magazine, Managing Editor)

Shetland’s track record for attracting migrant birds is legendary. Year after year, a mouth-watering selection of rare species are recorded in the islands, many of which have become known as ‘Shetland specialities’, and which remain almost unknown elsewhere in Britain. There is also nowhere better in Britain to find a wide range of scarce migrants. It is undoubtedly a paradise for rarity hunters, finders and ‘listers’.

Our exclusive autumn birding breaks present the chance to indulge in the finest migrant birding in Britain. Our trips are led by experienced birders, well-known names in birding circles, including: Martin Garner, author of sell out ‘Frontiers in Birding’ and a current member of the Rarities Committee; Roger Riddington editor of ‘British Birds’ and a former warden of Fair Isle Bird Observatory; and Paul Harvey, another former Fair Isle warden, BBRC member and currently manager of Shetland Biological Records Centre.

When I visited Shetland in rarity-laden autumn 2009, I was lucky enough to be in the capable hands of ‘Shetland Nature’. What more could anyone want? Brydon’s birding team of Roger Riddington, Martin Garner, Rob Fray and others, need no introduction to hardened birders. These ornithological gurus are also welcoming, instructive and undoubtedly leaders in their field of bird identification. If you want to connect with the next First for Britain, I’d recommend placing yourself in their charge come migration season. Fiona Barclay (Manager, Birdguides)

Autumn Trip Itinerary

Day 1: We begin by exploring the best ‘mainland’ Shetland birding hotspots as we make our way north, the route chosen to take advantage of the birding opportunities on offer. We arrive in Unst, the most northerly island in the UK, late in the afternoon to check into the comfortable, well-appointed Saxavord Resort. After dinner, enjoy a tantalising introduction to birding in Shetland as your guide presents an illustrated talk to outline the week ahead and give you a taste of what to expect.

Day 2: The second day is spent on Unst, a spectacular island that serves as both the first landfall for tired migrants crossing the North Sea or, alternatively, the last for birds moving north in spring. Unst is undoubtedly one of the premier rarity hotspots in Britain, and each year attracts a wealth of species from both east and west.

Day 3: A visit to neighbouring Fetlar, another stunning island which, as well as boasting an impressive list of rare migrants during spring and autumn, is famous for its nesting Red-necked Phalaropes and the Snowy Owls which bred there in the 1960s and 1970s.

Day 4: Another day, another island and we head south and east to Whalsay. Its position on the east side of Shetland, the variety of habitats and the few resident birders mean that there is plenty of migrant-hunting potential on this island.

Day 5: After two days of island hopping, today we take time to catch up with new arrivals on Unst. At the end of our second full day exploring the island, we shall have covered most, but by no means all of the good spots on the island, such are the number and diversity of good places to go birding!

Day 6: For the last full day, we visit the mini archipelago of Out Skerries. These tiny islands are the easternmost of all the Shetland islands and this, combined with their isolation, explains their track record for attracting numbers of migrants in spring and autumn. Famed as one of Bill Oddie’s favourite autumn birding haunts to ‘get away from it all’, a day on Skerries is always a highlight.

Day 7: To end a wonderful week of island birding, we travel south to Shetland mainland again, where we explore some of the prime sites in the north and west mainland.

Throughout the week, your guide will be fully in touch with the local grapevine and news of what is turning up throughout the islands and our itinerary may be juggled to take advantage of the situation. Shetland is larger than most people realise so migrant arrivals are not always uniformly spread throughout the isles. Shetland Nature’s Birding Breaks are perfectly placed to adapt to local conditions.

Booking

Dates:

• Friday 1st October to Friday 8th October (reader holiday with Birdwatch magazine – view magazine article pdf 9mb)

Cost: £890

To book direct, call John Leask & Son on 01595 693162.
Contact us for more information or to enquire about alternative dates for your own exclusive / tailor-made holiday.