Fabulous views of these two American Golden Plovers at Pool of Virkie, Shetland this afternoon. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

One of two Bohemian Waxwings continuing to grace our Shetland garden today. Long may they continue to do so! #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #UKWildlife

This Cattle Egret roamed the Dunrossness area last week spending time at Clevigarth, Fleck, Spiggie, Culsetter and Noss Hill - yes, you guessed it - wherever all the cows are! Still exceptionally rare in Shetland with <15 individuals ever recorded here. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #UKWildlife

Amazing views of this Grey Phalarope feasting on kelp flies just a few metres offshore in the Wick of Ireland, Shetland today. Incredible to think that something 20 cm long weighing 50 grams can spend the whole winter swimming around on the Atlantic! #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #UKWildlife

One of two Bohemian Waxwings gracing our Shetland garden today. Stunning birds! #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

We enjoyed amazing views of four Short-eared Owls hunting in the Spiggie / Brow, Shetland area late this afternoon. Here's one of them... #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

On Monday I was watching a flock of 50 Barnacle Geese at Spiggie, Shetland and found one with a colour ring inscribed S3. Today I received news from Dr. Larry Griffin that the bird was ringed as an adult female at Nordenskiold, Svalbard 11 years ago on the 27th July 2015! #BirdingScotland #UKbirding

This first-winter Red-breasted Flycatcher was another special garden visitor and spent several days with us last week. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

Nice to relocate the Hoopoe that flew over our Shetland garden yesterday. A couple of close views as it probed for food around the barns at Brake and away it went. Amazing how something so vivid can be so elusive and vanish so easily! #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

A magical morning in our Shetland garden: two migrant Long-eared Owls in the trees and as we watched them with local birders Carol, Julia & Bernard I picked up a HOOPOE flying through which bounded north out of sight. Nice garden tick! #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

After spending several hours trying to track down the pod of six ORCAS that we'd seen over consecutive days here in Shetland we struck lucky and relocated them off Weisdale. Here's three of them - including the huge male - as they passed us heading south. #MarineLife #MarineMammals #UKWildlife

Fabulous views of the long-staying Chestnut Bunting at Buness, Unst, Shetland this morning - a classic Shetland 'twitch' with just five of us enjoying what is currently only the second-ever accepted record for Britain. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

Another day of Orca-watching for us here in Shetland with the six individuals seen yesterday moving north to Tresta Voe in the west Mainland. Torrential rain all day but managed this brief snippet of footage during a five minute weather window this afternoon. #MarineLife #MarineMammals #UKWildlife

ORCAS!!! We spent a wet and windy afternoon watching a pod of six Orcas from the shore between Trondra and Burra, Shetland. The pod were very active with lots of spy-hops, belly rolls and tail lobs. Magical! #MarineLife #MarineMammals #UKWildlife

A newly-arrived migrant Long-eared Owl at Grutness, Shetland this morning. A beautiful bird. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #UKWildlife

When you see a sign telling you it's going to cost £1k to step on to the grass at Boddam, Shetland. Fortunately this lovely first winter Bluethroat was at the southern (and frankly much nicer) end of the township last week. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

Lovely to watch this extremely confiding first winter Red-breasted Flycatcher zipping around the sycamores at Quendale Mill, Shetland this morning. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

A big splash of colour at Tresta today with this beautiful first-winter Golden Oriole offering lovely views. Golden 'O's are scarce migrants to Shetland with the vast majority of records in spring and only a handful of records in October. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

Exceptional views of the North American Grey-cheeked Thrush at Quarff, Shetland today. With just five of us watching it, the bird hopped around unconcerned and fed just a few metres away. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

Lovely views eventually of this very elusive Dusky Warbler at Virkie yesterday afternoon - a scarce Siberian migrant but one of three recorded during the day here in Shetland with others on Unst and Fair Isle. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

All the way from North America: wonderful views of this Grey-cheeked Thrush at Quarff, Shetland today. The twelfth record for Shetland with five of those records coming from Fair Isle, including Britain's first in 1953. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

Lovely views off this Arctic Warbler at Fladdabister, Shetland today in glorious Autumn sunshine. As we were watching it, we could also see two Minke Whales feeding offshore! #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

A few highlights from our 2026 'Ultimate Shetland' trips on which we enjoyed amazing wildlife in amazing scenery. Find out more about joining our flagship week-long wildlife tours which will be operating in May, June and July 2027 at www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... #UKWildlife

Finders-in-the-Field: Siberian Blue Robin, Shetland. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #UKWildlife

Finders-in-the-Field: Siberian Blue Robin, Shetland

Thursday 1 October 2026 dawned calm after the previous day saw south easterly gales gusting to 50mph and a band of heavy rain crossing Shetland.

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Slowly coming back down to earth after finding this Siberian Blue Robin in our garden here at Hillwell, Shetland last week. The 5th British record and only the 7th for the Western Palearctic. A Holy Grail moment for sure. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

The first year male SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN that graced our Shetland garden this morning. A fifth for Britain and one hell of a garden tick! Thanks to all that visited and enjoyed this special bird today. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

Over the moon (to put it mildly) to find this first year male SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN in our garden at Hillwell, Shetland this morning. The fifth record for Britain and a first for Shetland. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

The long-staying North American Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Eshaness. One of at least seven individuals to have made landfall here in Shetland so far this autumn. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

The 200th species for my 2026 south Shetland 10km Patchwork Challenge: a first winter Red-breasted Flycatcher in the stunted sycamores at Sumburgh Hotel garden this evening. #PWC2026 #patchbirding @patchbirding.bsky.social #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #UKWildlife

Fabulous views of Lapland Buntings along the cliffs at Eshaness, Shetland today. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #UKWildlife