In September 2015 I joined a bunch of top birders on a trip to Fair Isle. There were eight of them and me.

‘I cannot think of anything worse’ is what my daughter said.

Needless to say, I had a fabulous time and so, I believe, did they!

Below is a selection of photos from the trip.

Torness, on the road up.

Aberdeen

Overnight ferry to Shetland

My flight onto Fair Isle was a day later than the rest of the team. I spent a very comfortable night with  Rebecca Nason at her B&B in down town Lerwick. Rebecca is an extraordinary photographer and naturalist. I loved her house, brimming with fine things including a delightful collection of bird bones and bills!

Sumburgh, Shetland

Fair Isle, Church of Scotland

View of Sheep Rock from Bu Ness

Heligoland trap

Bu Ness, whale tale.

Hunting for petrified fish having dipped on the Thick Billed Warbler found at Quendale the evening before. This rarity pulled all the local birders and  left an audience of may be 4, plus the 8 of us for the Shetland bird club talk that 2 of our team were due give.

The bird of the trip was Yellow-browed Warbler. On 21 September 53 birds were seen and 12 were ringed. These birds, weighing just 5g, are likely to have travelled from the Urals, 3-3.5,000 miles away, to winter in Britain.

Fair Isle’s roads are lined with Angelica, a kind of wild celery. Their flowers are host to numerous insects that Yellow-browed warbler’s find utterly irresistible after their long flight. The photo below was taken by Andy Mason.