If you have been reading my previous blogs you will have noted they are mostly of the outer Isles (North Isles, Noss, Foula) along with an amazing encounter with Orcas. Well in this post I will wrap up what we saw on the mainland along with a late night trip to Mousa for the StormContinue reading “Mainland & Mousa – Shetland Wildlife Part 5”
Category Archives: Coast
Noss from above and below – Shetland Wildlife Part 4
Noss is an island off an island (Bressay) off an island (Mainland Shetland) off an Island (Britain) but don’t let this put you off getting there, it is actually quite easy. Noss National Nature Reserve (NNR) features one of the three great seabird cities on Shetland (the others being Herma Ness and Sumburgh Head). ItContinue reading “Noss from above and below – Shetland Wildlife Part 4”
Orca – Shetland Wildlife Part 3
In this post I set out my top 8 steps to having an amazing encounter with Orca in Shetland. I have just come back from the most amazing wildlife encounter… ever. I was about 5m from the mouth of a bull Orca. Put another way I was closer to its mouth than it was toContinue reading “Orca – Shetland Wildlife Part 3”
Foula – Shetland Wildlife Part 2
So Shetland is remote, you know this because when you look at a map of the UK it is often shown as an insert box. In fact Shetland is closer to Norway than it is to Edinburgh. But if you look at a map of Shetland, you will see that two islands (Foula and FairContinue reading “Foula – Shetland Wildlife Part 2”
North Isles – Shetland Wildlife Part 1
For our summer holiday this year we have taken a trip to Shetland for the first time and here is my first blog about what we have been seeing. First up the northern isles of Yell, Unst and Fetlar. Yell Now if there is ever an example of why you should always have your cameraContinue reading “North Isles – Shetland Wildlife Part 1”
Isle of May (in May)
It appears that a visit to the Isle of May is an annual pilgrimage for me one way or another. So it was good to connect with one old and three brand new birding friends to pay another visit this week. We saw the usual sea birds on the way out including a Sandwich Tern,Continue reading “Isle of May (in May)”
Christmas birding and the year of the Snow Goose
Nothing like a couple of weeks off to plan to get out and see some wildlife after a busy few months with work. And I thought I would just share what I have been seeing over the Christmas and New Year break. Taking a walk from my house in Menstrie and I see the KestrelContinue reading “Christmas birding and the year of the Snow Goose”
Aberlady Bay & Esk Mouth
It is often a rare Scoter (small black duck) that takes me east of Edinburgh. Previously I have been out this way looking for the over-wintering White-Winged Scoter. But this week it was its very close relative (until recently the same species in fact), the Stejneger’s Scoter that peeked my interest. I haven’t been outContinue reading “Aberlady Bay & Esk Mouth”
Birding on North Ronaldsay, Orkney
Over the last few years we have used the October break to get away for a bit of birding and hopefully find some new rarer migrant birds. That has taken us south to Norfolk the last few years (and outside the scope of this blog) but this year we headed North, took the ferry acrossContinue reading “Birding on North Ronaldsay, Orkney”
Isle of May
Last week I took my annual pilgrimage to the Isle of May. I go here once or twice most years and for sheer numbers of seabirds it never disappoints. I had planned the visit to coincide with some friends going but this was really just an excuse as we were mainly going to do ourContinue reading “Isle of May”
Wild Scot 