Shetland. Day 4. Shrikes.

After breakfast the team split up with Mark, Pod & me electing to go to Levenswick to see a juvenile Isabelline Shrike that had been frequenting a local garden. The very friendly house owner welcomed us into his garden with the news the shrike hadn't been seen! Knowing Shrikes can be late risers we gave it an hour before giving up - not before we were entertained by another two Yellow- browed Warblers though.

Unbelievably it appeared the shrike had relocated to Quendale where the other car fad just arrived. Imagjne our surprise when we arrived to find an adult female impaling it's prey on a varied wire fence. A different bird!

With Al deciding he needed his beauty treatment more than spending more time in the skin battering wind we headed back to the apartment to drop him & Mike off before the rest of us headed back to for a search for a juvenile Pallid Harriet that had been 'oiled' by a spitting Fulmar and was regularly coming into roost. Staking out Loch Hillwell and Brake it was Pod, returning on foot from Quendale Mill who found the Harrier sat on a post behind us!

Eventually everyone got good views if it perched up & in flight. Our efforts were doubly rewarded when an American Golden Plover was located with the Golden Plover flock on the opposite side of the road!