Feb 161 minWinter whitesIt has been a pretty grim winter in Shetland so far, with almost continual gales, plenty of rain, and a distinct lack of calm, cold,...
Dec 31, 20214 minCovid-19 - archiveMuch as we would all rather forget Covid-19 and the associated devastation caused by it, I thought I would store the Covid updates from...
Sep 23, 20201 minGreat Spotted WoodpeckerWhilst standing outside our house at Bakkasetter during the evening of 17th September 2020, I noticed a bird with a bounding flight...
Jul 31, 20202 minSpring 2020 - lockdown birdsIt is unlikely that anybody will remember spring 2020 with any great affection. Wild Shetland Tours, in line with the tourism industry as...
Jul 3, 20201 minMore Two-barred CrossbillsAfter the massive influx of Two-barred Crossbills in the summer of 2019 (see here), it seemed very unlikely that there would be more...
Jun 29, 20201 minNutty crossbillsDuring late June 2020, we were fortunate to have three Common Crossbills take up temporary residence in our garden at Bakkasetter, in...
Jun 1, 20201 minBooted WarblerThe highlight of the spring as far as birds were concerned, for me anyway, was the appearance of a Booted Warbler in our garden at...
Nov 2, 20191 minWaxwingsThere was a small arrival of Waxwings into Shetland during October and the early part of November. This species is always eagerly awaited...
Oct 1, 20192 min2019 mothsMoth recording is a big interest of mine. For those who are unaware of this pastime, it involves basically having a big wooden box with a...
Sep 16, 20192 minA grand day outA massive westerly storm had passed through Shetland over the weekend of September 14th/15th 2019, which looked ideal for bringing...
Sep 1, 20193 minCitrine WagtailWhilst guiding a day-trip on 2nd September 2019, and after visiting Eshaness, we called in at Hillswick to look for Otters before heading...
Sep 1, 20191 minTwo-barred CrossbillsThe summer of 2019 will long be remembered by Shetland's birdwatchers due to the enormous influx of the usually very rare Two-barred...
Jul 31, 20191 minOttersWe've had lots of nice encounters with Otters over the spring and summer, on Mainland, Yell and Unst in particular. The individual below...
Jul 30, 20191 minA lost PuffinDuring the night of 29th/30th July 2019 I went outside to check the garden moth trap as usual, and was a little surprised to see a...
Jul 18, 20191 minDolphinsWhilst guiding on 18th July 2019, we were fortunate to discover a large pod of Atlantic White-sided Dolphins off the east coast of Yell....
Jun 23, 20191 minButterfliesShetland has a very small butterfly list; only 13 species have reliably been recorded in the islands! Of these, eight are classified as...
Jun 5, 20191 minGreat KnotIn a magnificent spring packed full of scarce and rare migrant birds in Shetland, what was probably the highlight was the appearance of a...
May 15, 20191 minFirecrestMay 15th was a gloriously sunny day in Shetland. Just prior to heading out guiding for the day I was putting the recycling out and heard...
May 1, 20191 minFair IsleI was lucky enough to spend three days in late April guiding on Fair Isle, my favourite island in Shetland. The weather was beautiful,...
Feb 22, 20191 minTengmalm's OwlThe big bird news in Shetland recently has been the discovery of a Tengmalm's Owl in the west mainland. It was first seen by Jackie and...