Alan Curry

The Marden Quarry Cetti’s continued to offer more tantalising glimpses this morning. Fingers crossed it’s the beginning of a protracted stay! #NEbirding

Fab!

Yep

Tyneside’s tiniest typha bed came up trumps today when it pulled in this patch first Cetti’s Wblr. A quite unexpected addition! #NEbirding

Magic!

Ginormous crops of a distant 1st W Casp off the prom @ SMI this morning. The 10th of the season thus far here #NEbirding

Fraid not!

The regular SMI foreshore Water Pipit gave itself up good and proper on the wetland mid morning. #NEbirding

The SMI Wetland Mudfest continued this morning making for a compelling couple of hours with the Water Pipit, Jack Snipe and several Water Rails being the obvious highlights. However a small group of Sanderling scuttling around on the mud was perhaps the most unexpected sighting! #NEbirding

Some fringe benefits of draining SMI Wetland! #NEbirding

Mud glorious mud! We’re intending to replace the bungs in the sluice Sat morning and remove the sand bags from the inlet pipe if that suits?

Cheers Gary, fortunately the digger driver is pretty wetland savvy, so hopefully we’ll see some significant improvements.

Not this time round, we’ve got the digger for 3 days so have had to prioritise. Next time!

NT Council, bless their cotton socks!

Diggerland: with the best of intentions we’ve drained SMI Wetland and embarked on some badly needed silt and vegetation clearance! #NEbirding

Yes this one can, it was massive.

Well said that man!

Another 1st W Casp off the prom @ SMI this morning. Hopefully the CR details will offer some insight into this geezers past history. #NEbirding

The regular Water Pipit back along the prom @ SMI for its 5th consecutive winter #NEbirding

A late Willow Warbler that sat up nicely in Shetland last week. #UKbirding #Shetlandbirding

Freshly arrived Shortie at SMI yesterday pm. The local Magpies were having none of it and soon drove it off inland! #NEbirding

Firecrest @ SMI Wetland yesterday, not as showy as the image suggests! #NEbirding

Ha, no idea why this hadn’t attached!

The incredibly elusive Haroldswick Blackpoll gave itself up briefly this pm. Got to love those orange feet! #UKbirding #Shetlandbirding

Ha nice one, it looks like birding by the bogs has become quite a social get together 😂

Much calmer day today and we managed to encounter our first Unst YBW of the trip #UKbirding

Tree Pipit slinking through the long grass and looking really rare at Norwick this pm. #UKbirding

Bluethroat in classic Shetland fence post habitat #UKbirding

A canny first few days on the Shetland birding roller coaster. Despite some fierce winds we’ve still managed to connect with some great quality from all points of the compass! #birdingUK

1/2 tide up or down is probably better as any gulls present will be closer to the prom. Good luck.