1st June 2008 – east Mainland, Noss NNR and north west mainland
The weather was generally bright and sunny but it did cloud over later.
The highlight today, and one of the highlights of my whole trip, was the visit to Noss NNR, a huge seabird colony on a small island to the east of Lerwick
. What an awe-inspiring assault on all your senses!
Apart from the huge numbers of birds, the sight of a
Great Skua taking ginger biscuits from the hand of the captain of the boat
will also stay in the memory! Feeding park pigeons or ducks on the pond will never seem the same again!
Here is a summary of my sightings:
Nesting area: 1
Red-throated Diver (at Billister), 1
Arctic Skua plus varying numbers of
Fulmar,
Gannet,
Guillemot,
Razorbill,
Puffin,
Dunlin,
Oystercatcher,
Curlew,
Heron, “drumming”
Snipe,
Red-breasted Merganser,
Mallard,
Common and Arctic Terns,
Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls,
Hooded Crow,
Wheatear and loads of
Rabbit and
Starling.
Swinning Voe: c.10
Curlew, c.10
Oystercatcher, 3 summer plumaged
Dunlin, 6
Redshank, 1
Ringed Plover, 4 summer plumaged
Golden Plover, 1
Lapwing, 1
Heron, 1
Red-breasted Merganser, 1
Eider plus several
Common Gull,
Wheatear,
Meadow Pipit,
Skylark, and
Hooded Crow.
East Lunna Voe: c.30 nesting
Arctic Tern on the beach plus 3
Common Seal and several
Oystercatcher,
Ringed Plover,
Wheatear and
Skylark.
Arctic Terns ....
Lerwick Harbour: 2
Red-throated Diver seen from the boat to Noss.
Red-throated Divers ....
Noss NNR: huge cliffs, large numbers of
Gannet,
Fulmar,
Kittiwake,
Guillemot,
Razorbill and
Puffin, smaller numbers of
Black Guillemot,
Shag and
Great Skua plus 2 mixed groups of
Common and Atlantic Grey Seals.
Passing Bressay on the way to Noss ....
Gannets ....
A Great Skua that likes ginger biscuits ....
Common Seals ....
Sand Water between Tingwall and Voe: 2
Red-throated Diver.
Eshaness area: amazing cliffs and seascape, 3
Red-throated Diver plus small numbers of
Great Skua,
Arctic Skua,
Fulmar,
Gannet,
Guillemot,
Black Guillemot,
Shag,
Great Black-backed Gull,
Rock Dove,
Rock Pipit,
Oystercatcher,
Curlew,
Lapwing,
Ringed Plover and
Wheatear.
Red-throated Divers ....
Eshaness ....
Dore Holm ....
Sullom Voe at Punds: 12
Greylag Geese plus a few
Lapwing,
Razorbill,
Black Guillemot,
Fulmar and
Common and Arctic Terns …. but no sign of the hoped for
Otter 
.
Sullom Voe at the oil terminal: a few Arctic and Great Skuas …. but no
Otter .
The day closed with a few
Arctic Tern and
Razorbill plus 2
Common Seal at Toft whilst waiting for the last ferry over to the island of Yell and a stunning sunset on Yell itself overlooking Yell Sound, the northern tip of mainland Shetland and the Ramna Stacks.
Sunset over Yell Sound ....
Richard