Being a calm dry morning we were just ready to head out when a hailstorm arrived to be followed by light snow that was enough to lay as a dusting. Replaced by blue skies we headed to Uyeasound and started to walk the coast south. A search through plenty of Eider and Long-tailed Ducks failed to produce anything else when another hailstorm arrived that soon became heavy rain so it was beginning to feel a mistake! Undeterred, after the shower had passed through, we continued towards Belmont. A scan across Loch of Heogland produced a few Teal, Wigeon and Goldeneye so it seemed worthy to take a look through the scope. Among the first Teal I looked through and there was a vertical white stripe I've been hoping to see for years - of a drake Green-winged Teal - a long overdue find tick! Whilst we enjoyed views of it through the scope and obtaining a few distant record shots, for no apparent reason, it suddenly took flight alongside a pair of Teal and flew off high towards Fetlar until we lost the trio from view. A scan of the bays beyond the loch produced 23 Red-throted Divers and then a huge White-billed Diver. Whilst we both enjoyed some nice scope views it was really too far to photograph so as it was low tide I scrambled across the seaweed-covered tombolo and onto the Holm of Heogland. Whilst closer, I was now looking into the sun and it soon put some distance between us heading south in the direction of Linga.
