Seabird Spectacular to the Shetland Isles with Mike Dilger
As you venture north-east from the Scottish mainland you will discover the remote and rugged Shetland Isles. TV naturalist Mike Dilger will guide you around this subarctic archipelago for a wildlife spectacle like nowhere else on our Shetland wildlife holiday.
The cacophony of calls alerts you to the sheer scale of the seabird breeding colonies as you approach the National Nature Reserves of Sumburgh Head, Noss and Hermaness. These cliffs seasonally serve as coliseums for vast breeding colonies of seabirds. Guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars and great skuas are just some of the 21 different species breeding around the Shetland coast, where seabirds substantially outnumber people. Gannets bombard the water by the thousand as they feast on the rich supply of fish while puffins, beaks brimming with their catch, return to burrows amongst the dramatic towering cliffs.
Amidst the tapestry of heather, crowberry, bog bilberry and bog cotton we comb for the carnivorous round-leaved sundew and butterwort, discovering how these strange and beautiful insectivorous plants thrive on the heathland. Wildflowers, including several species of orchid, adorn the unspoilt terrain that is plentiful with passerines. In addition to the grouse, godwits and golden plovers we may be lucky enough to encounter one of Shetland’s rarest breeding raptors, the merlin. Our attention turns to migratory aquatic birds, diving ducks and waders and before exploring the island of Fetlar for red-necked phalaropes which represent 80% of the UK’s breeding population, whilst on Unst, Britain’s most northerly island, we visit one of the world’s largest breeding populations of great skuas, locally known as ‘Bonxie’.
The summer sun barely dips below the horizon at this time of year, allowing ample time to search the unspoilt coastline and inlets for agile European otter as they forage and play. This iconic and charismatic mammal thrives in Shetland’s saltwater coastal environment and population densities here are the highest in the UK. These sheltered bays are shared with common and grey seal which languidly bask in the summer sun or bob in the adjacent clear waters.
Offshore marine mammals thrive in the pristine waters. Keeping your eyes peeled for harbour porpoise – known as ‘Neesicks’ in Shetland – traversing the channels, you may see a pod of resident orca hunting close to the shore, a school of white-sided dolphins pursuing a shoal of fish, or even minke, pilot and sperm whales. These remarkable islands north of the Scottish mainland boast an abundance and diversity of wildlife both on and offshore.
Together with an expert local naturalist guide, Mike Dilger will be your tour leader throughout, bringing passion and experience in equal measure. Mike has travelled extensively to Britain’s remote locations and describes Shetland as the ‘ultimate British wildlife destination’. Having carried out research on skuas in Shetland and filmed across the islands for television, he is thrilled to be returning. In addition to the world-class wildlife, Mike can’t wait to sample the famed warm welcome from the locals who call this astonishing archipelago home, sweet home.
Contact our team to find out more about our Shetland Islands wildlife holiday led by Mike Dilger.
