Stuart Rae

Greenshanks

Double-red back on his feeding-lochan

I have spent the past few weeks studying Greenshank in Sutherland, in the northern Scottish Highlands, where I soon found the bird colour-ringed with double red, which was caught three years ago at the same site. He has also been seen since on the same wintering grounds in Suffolk. So he is very site fathfull for breeding and over-wintering.

This study is a cooperative voluntary one, done by a few members of Grampian and Highland Ringing Groups, with the aim to determine where Greenshank which breed in northern Scotland overwinter. But first we have to find the birds on their breeding grounds by searching the lochs for feeding birds and the moors for nesting birds. They are notoriously difficult to find.

A Greenshank lies low on its nest as I passed by - so easy to miss