Siberian Accentor

Too late to get to Holy Island on Tuesday for the Siberian Accentor before dark, I was there, stumbling around in the dunes well before dawn on Wednesday morning. With the area littered with birders who had been marooned on Scilly, the Azores or even further afield I was full of hope. Unfortunately despite extensive searching there was no sign and by mid afternoon when Rich asked if I wanted to go to Orkney I could only say yes.

Arriving on Orkney after no sleep it became clear that the postcode we had for the bird was wrong. After some frantic phone calls we got some proper directions and hurtled over to the correct side of the island. A couple of birders had the bird pinned down on our arrival and we were relieved to see it immediately, crawling around some bare earth. For the next hour we had the bird to ourselves and to eventually flew to land and feed just 15 feet away, giving stunning views. Thanks to Rich for driving and getting me to a bird that I couldn't miss.

Siberian Accentor

Back home I was absolutely knackered through lack of sleep, but late news of an Isabelline Shrike at the Leas, South Shields dragged me out. Through some nightmare traffic, the light was fading as I got there, but the shrike performed superbly.

Isabelline Shrike