It was an extremely wet and windy start to the day and so I headed out a little later and began the day at Fladderbister at 09:05, even then when I eventually emerged from the car after a coffee it was still very wet and it was not long before I was drenched and with very few birds to show for it, the highlight being an Otter running around in the field just below the ruins and a small flock of Redwing. I then headed to Wester Quarff for a long staying King Eider and while the rain had eased a little the birding was still slow and tough going and I failed to see the King Eider. I then headed back to Lerwick where a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull has been present for a while, at least this is a species little effected by the weather.
As I was leaving news broke of a Lanceolated Warbler at Wester Quarff and so I headed back south and enjoyed fantastic views of this mouse like bird in the grassland alongside the road near to the bay. Having failed to see the Great Grey Shrike (possibly of the subspecies homeyeri which would be new for the UK) I headed back north to Hillswick. After a bit of a run around the bird showed reasonably well in one of the gardens near to the cemetery. Satisfied and the light fading I headed quickly to Eshaness Lighthouse where a flock of 46 Snow Bunting were feeding on the grassland south of the light. At around 18:00 I began the drive back south to my hotel in Lerwick.
