Shetland day 7: Ah White's!

Looking like it was going to be another day of toil, when we finally managed to twitch one of the few Red-breasted Flycatcher found on the islands, successfully!  Buoyed by this success we lacked a plan and were basically revisiting old haunts, when a White's Thrush was found on Fetlar.  Since we were half way up mainland this seemed possible: 2 ferries and the timing thereof, and a lot of driving for Hawky.  The extras of a slightly damaged Swainson's would be just the icing on the cake.

Shetland day 6: Cresting

Another slow start, but another day notched up with me not falling flat somehow, somewhere.  All good.  Goldcrest appear to be on the increase, we will be knee deep in them in a day or so, as do Wheatear–seen more this year than probably all my other visits combined.  Rarities had we none, but if the lads had followed my sage advice we could have probably scored. About 10 Yellow-broweds, they still arriving!

Finally we caught up with a Black Redstart behind a Brake farm, and so perhaps tomorrow might be a goody, or might just be more hard work.

Things added to the growing list today: Red-throated Diver, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Ruff, Black Redstart and Barnacle Goose (over 400 south during the morning–with some arse shooting at them at Grutness).

Shetland day 5: When things go quiet

Interestingly yesterday's flycatcher at Toab is probably a Collared (kerching!), appears to the way people are reacting to Hawky's pic posted last night on social media, however without DNA we are screwed–which also appears to be the consensus.  Of course today it had scarpered, as had most , if not all, of yesterday's goodies.  Today was slow but we managed to pick up along the way: Velvet Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Great Northern Diver, a brace of Winchat, upwards of 10 Yellow-brows, Merlin, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Slavonian Grebe, Scaup, Whooper Swans, Arctic Tern, Bonxie–which anywhere else would be a good haul–but this is Shetland.

So quiet at one point we went back to Scalloway for one of its more boisterous inhabitants 

Best bird of the day: A Belted Galloway