Bit soft lad

 Yes indeedy, its hard to know where to start really. I'd been up on Galley for a morning seawatch and had 10 great shearwaters and 125 sooty shearwaters through in 1.5 hrs. Conditions did look good but I had some brown envelopes needing opened so I bailed and headed home. 

A mere 45 minutes later I got a call that a soft-plumaged petrel had just gone west past Seven Heads (approx. 15km east of Galley). Panic ensued and I changed my trousers (obscure Whalsay reference). Grabbing scope and bins I drove back up to Galley but was worried I wouldn't have enough time to walk out to the seawatch spot. I opted to stop at the "bad bend" and scan from there. Unbeknownst to me, Old Spoons had reached a similar conclusion and was up the lighthouse road a bit. A quick call confirmed our locations.

We waited. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. 40 minutes - how long could it take for it to cover 15 km? My phone rang. "I have it" stated Old Spoons, and I tried hard to fight rising panic that I could easily miss the bird. Eventually I got on a "Fea's-type" with bold black underwings and ridiculously white underparts - "I'm on it" I stammered into the phone, and continued watching as it swung about in the wind, shearing and zipping around. It was hard to stay on it, but I could see that the tail was dark grey, similar in colour to the mantle and wings, and those underparts were so striking. Old Spoons was at a better angle and managed to see the complete breast band, also seen on the bird as it had past Seven Heads.

All too soon, I had a last view as it disappeared west around the rocks at Galley Head, and it was all over. I was shaking for the rest of the day.