Mainland Shetland; Day 3

At first light, we were walking up to the quarry to look through the Finches. On the way up i flushed a Crake sp, from a roadside drainage ditch. Resembling either Little or Baillons, i quickly got Dan and Garry as it ran up the left hand-side of this ditch. Totally dark in appearance, and very small. We followed the ditch up to the end, where it seperated into three ditches. The bird has disappeared, presumably up one of the pipes. As some of the group stayed put watching the entries to the pipes, i went back down to the house with Dan to get torches etc. I got down in the ditches looking up the pipes, but i couldnt see anything. Very mysterious. We checked the ditche at various times of the day, to see whether the bird had come back out.


Also in the area was 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, Garde Warbler, Slavonian Grebe, and Siskin.

Scatness provided 2 Purple Sands, 6 Wigeon, 4 Sanderling and Red-throated Diver. At Quendale there was a Barred Warbler in the dunes. 2 Ruff were at Hillwell. A Common Rosefinch at Spiggie, 11+ Whoopers and c120+ Wigeon.