Everyone knows Shetland is great for breeding birds and exciting rarities, but it can also offer fascinating historical
sites, whales, dolphins and so much more!
Shetland is internationally esteemed for its wildlife. Thousands of breeding, wintering and migratory birds, regular sightings of whales and dolphins, nationally important populations of seals and otters and a plethora of wild flowers makes Shetland the ideal venue for wildlife holiday.
Several factors contribute to Shetland's ornithological richness being one of both quality and quantity. Lying just six degrees south of the Arctic Circle has meant that the islands have been included in the breeding range of many Scandinavian and Arctic birds. The seas which surround the islands are extremely rich fishing grounds and attract thousands of seabirds to breed during the summer months. Furthermore, Shetland's isolated position acts as an important crossroads for migratory species that visit the islands in order to 'fuel up' before continuing their fascinating seasonal sallies.
The
most important group of birds breeding in Shetland are seabirds. From the diminutive Storm Petrel to the stately Gannet,
it would be hard to find a cliff without a seabird colony in Shetland, but there are several outstanding locations.
These include the national nature reserves of Noss and Hermaness, Sumburgh Head, the west cliffs of Foula and Shetland's most
southerly island, Fair Isle. A visit to one of these 'seabird cities' between April and August is guaranteed to leave
you in awe - the raucous cacophony of thousands of Guillemots, Razorbills, Gannets, Kittiwakes and Puffins will remain
etched in your mind forever!
Our vast, expansive moorlands are also full of ornithological richness and one could be forgiven for thinking that the
birdlife here is more akin to that of the Arctic! Great and Arctic Skuas can be found here along with rare breeding
waders such as Whimbrel, Golden Plover, Dunlin and Greenshank and Europe's smallest falcon, Merlin. The damper margins
and peat bogs are home to Common Gulls, Snipe, Redshank and Lapwings and the many freshwater lochs are home to Teal
and Red-breasted Merganser. The smaller lochs host important populations of Red-throated Divers and in recent years,
breeding Whooper Swans. One of Britain's rarest waders, the Red-necked Phalarope breeds in marshes on the island
of Fetlar and can be seen from late May to early July. In 1967, Fetlar hit the world's ornithological headlines in
hosting Britain's first ever breeding Snowy Owls. Breeding is now a thing of the past, but we are blessed with the
odd vagrant bird from time to time.
Outside summer, Shetland's avifauna changes dramatically. During spring and autumn, thousands of migrants pass through the isles in a variety of different guises. Spring migration gets underway during the latter part of March and spans until the middle of June. The last two weeks of May and the first week of June is the optimum period to visit for migrants, but weather conditions dictate their arrival. High pressure over the near continent combined with easterly airflow produces large falls of common migrants and amongst them you may find Bluethroat, Wryneck, Golden Oriole, Icterine and Marsh Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Common Rosefinch and Ortolan Bunting. Rarities occurring in spring with a degree of regularity include Short-toed Lark, Thrush Nightingale, Subalpine Warbler and both Rustic and Little Buntings. Extreme rarities like Pallas's Sandgrouse, Needle-tailed Swift and Calandra Lark have been recorded.
Autumn migration starts in the middle of July and spans until November. Autumn is perhaps the best time for rarity enthusiasts and among the masses of common migrants, regular drifters include Richard's, Olive-backed and Red-throated Pipit, Arctic, Greenish, Barred and Yellow-browed Warbler. Shetland specialties like Lanceolated Warbler, Pechora Pipit, Great Snipe, Citrine Wagtail and Yellow-breasted Bunting are just about annual, especially on Fair Isle. Extreme rarities are also annual and have included Little Bustard, Pallid Harrier and Great Knot.
The
short winter days are not without compensation. Long-tailed Ducks, Purple Sandpipers, Whooper Swans, Great Northern
Diver, Little Auks and Snow Buntings are all easy to find. Slavonian Grebes winter in sheltered inlets and both Glaucous
and Iceland Gull appear in respectable numbers. The winter months are not without their rarity value either. White-billed
Divers and King Eiders are recorded almost annually while other rarities like Gyrfalcon and both Ivory and Ross's
Gulls have put in appearances on a number of occasions.
But Shetland is not all about birds! We boast the highest density of Otters in north west Europe with around 1100 individuals resident. They prefer sheltered inlets and are reasonably easy to find on the island of Yell. In searching for Otters you will invariably come across Common and Grey Seals, which number around 6,000 and 3,500 animals respectively.
Those of you who enjoy seawatching may well be rewarded with the thrilling sight of whales, dolphins and porpoises. The Sumburgh Head watch-point is an excellent place to sit on a calm summers' day and look offshore for Harbour Porpoise, Minke and Humpback Whales. White-sided, White-beaked and Risso's Dolphins are regular and sightings of Killer Whales have increased dramatically in recent years.
We
also have a botanist's paradise on our doorstep! Over 800 species of flowering plants and ferns grow here and in summer
the landscape is a mosaic of truly vivid colour. We have a number of species with restricted distribution in Britain
like Northern Rock Cress and Norwegian Sandwort. One species is particularly famous - the Shetland Mouse-ear Chickweed.
Discovered in 1837, it is found only on the island of Unst - and nowhere else in the world!
Add 6,000 years of history, a pristine natural landscape and traditional island hospitality and you know you've reached
the land of the Simmer Dim - Shetland.
Why not pay us a visit? See www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk
for more information…