Holiday Highlights Shetland and Orkney 28 June 7 July 2015

Transcription

1 Holiday Highlights Shetland and Orkney 28 June 7 July 2015 Leader: Guests: Day 1: Day 2: Craig Round Kate and Henry Edwards, Jill Rigby, and Arlene Long After all meeting up at Inverness Airport we are soon boarding our flight to Shetland. The plane makes a short stop off at Kirkwall on Orkney, before landing at Sumburgh on Shetland, where after picking up our luggage and hire vehicle at the airport we drive north to our stunning hotel just outside Brae. Our first full day on the islands starts with dry and bright weather and some breath-taking Shetland scenery as we drive north for the island of Fetlar. We arrive at Toft at the North end of mainland Shetland having seen several Great Skua s or Bonxies as they are called in Shetland, as well as numerous Lapwings and Redshank during the short drive north. Around the ferry terminal Curlews are calling and we see noisy Arctic Terns displaying around us, as well as some Turnstones that fly over. Several Razorbill give great views very close by and a cracking Dark phase Arctic Skua is chasing the terns overhead. Welcome to Shetland! During the ferry crossing to Yell Craig spots an Otter just out from the shore as the boat heads out! What a start! We also see a good selection of seabirds flying through Yell Sound including Gannets, Black Guillemots and Shags, before the ferry lands on Yell. As we drive north across the island to catch our next ferry we pass two Whimbrel flying over the road and also see two Red-throated Divers flying over before we arrive at Gutcher where we are to catch our next ferry over to Fetlar. Three Eider and a Common Seal are in the harbour here as well as a Ringed Plover on the shore nearby. During the crossing to Fetlar we see masses of Gannets and get eye level views as small parties of Razorbill, Guillemot and Puffins fly through the sound as well as the odd Great Skua, Arctic Tern, Kittiwake and Fulmar. Some large flocks of Greylag Geese are also on some of the smaller islands we pass along with a few Raven. Landing on Fetlar, Henry thinks he has spotted what looked like a Swift over the harbour! More on that later... before we drive a short distance across the island towards the freshwater Loch of Funzie. Craig soon comes to a stop near the loch however as he has spotted a stunning Female Red-necked Phalarope on a small lochan nearby! We get out and manage to get some lovely views as this rare and

2 dainty arctic wader spins on the surface of the loch feeding and also bathes and preens itself for some time before it takes off, spooked by a Great Skua that also drops in onto the loch to bathe! Moving on we take lunch beside the Loch of Funzie and get great views of two Red-throated Divers on the loch through the scopes, whilst here another two Red-necked Phalaropes drop in onto the loch, but only land for a few seconds before they both fly of chasing each other overhead and giving us some great inflight views before disappearing high into the distance! Incredibly a Swift also flies over here and it has to be the same bird that Henry glimpsed earlier! A summer plumaged Dunlin drops in onto the loch shore as well as a Redshank and the sky is full of displaying drumming Common Snipe as we take a short walk down to the bird hide overlooking the Mires of Funzie. As the sun comes out two Red Admiral butterflies fly by and whilst it proves fairly quiet at the Mires itself, we do see Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, Redshank and more Snipe here as well as a Golden Plover calling from the hillside behind the hide. On the walk back from the hide Craig spots a Shetland Bumblebee which has been impaled on a branch and is no doubt the work of a Red-backed Shrike from a little earlier in the Spring!! Moving on we head up onto a higher part of the island, seeing a Twite near the township at Houbie en route. Up here the views are stunning out across the island and we are surrounded by the calls of Skylark, Golden Plover and Whimbrel filling the air, pure Shetland magic! As well as hearing them we also get great close views of the birds including a Golden Plover in it s smart summer plumage, Whimbrel calling and chasing off passing marauding Great Skuas and Common Gulls, and several pairs of Arctic Skuas including a lovely pale phase bird on it s nest. Our last stop of the day is back down to the coast nearby where we see three Arctic Skuas chasing Arctic Terns as well as more Great Skuas, two Red-throated Divers offshore among a scattering of Black Guillemots, Razorbills, and Fulmars and a pair of Ringed Plover are seen along the beach before we head for the ferry back to Unst. Day 3: 3 Today dawns wet and windy from the south east with poor conditions at sea, sadly this means our planned boat trip out to Noss has to be cancelled at the last minute and so instead we head down to explore the South of mainland around Sumburgh. Our first stop is alongside the tidal bay at Pool of Virkie where we see a male Red-breasted Merganser and also Eider Duck, before we drive to Grutness as the rain begins to stop and clear. At Grutness there are masses of Arctic Terns nesting amongst the boulders beside the harbour along with many Common Gulls, whilst on the small pool here we get nice views of two smart summer plumaged Dunlin along with a Ringed Plover and a Redshank. There are more Eider Duck out in the bay here as well as Shags and Black Guillemots and a Chiffchaff is seen singing from the gardens nearby.

3 As the sun starts to break through we drive up to Sumburgh Head and take our lunch in the sunshine on top of the cliffs and spend some time enjoying the masses of seabirds on the cliffs. We get some superb close Arctic Skua's and Bonxies cruising over the cliffs whilst Fulmars ride the up draughts and many Puffins whizz by. After lunch we take a walk up to the lighthouse. It's a seabird city here and we enjoy superb close views of the many Puffins on the cliff ledges as well as Shags, Guillemots, Razorbill and Fulmars. Encouragingly for this years seabird breeding season we also see both Kittiwakes and Guillemots with chicks on the ledges. Arctic Skuas, Bonxies and Great black backed Gulls cruise past us patrolling the cliffs and chasing and intercepting the seabirds at sea as they come back in to the cliff top colony. Several Twite fly over and the views are stunning from the lighthouse looking across the south end of Shetland. We take some time here enjoying this incredible seabird spectacle and Craig finds three stunning Common Crossbills feeding on the pink thrift seed heads on the cliffs here! Wren and Wheatears dot the dry stone walls and Rock pipits are seen feeding young beside the lighthouse road as we slowly make our way back down and begin the drive back to the hotel. In the evening there are signs that the Common Crossbill influx into Shetland is continuing as four are found in the hotel garden! Day 4: 4 It s a beautiful warm sunny morning as we drive north to catch our first ferry of the day over to Yell. Arctic Terns again greet us at the ferry terminal along with a few Tysties (Black Guillemots) and Rock Pipits, whilst on the crossing we again get good views of more Bonxies, Gannets, Kittiwake, Guillemot and Black Guillemots. We drive across Yell and catch our next ferry over to Shetlands most northerly island Unst. On Unst our first stop is to make a quick check of the wooded plantation at Haligarth. It s fairly quiet here though we do find a late Willow Warbler here along with Woodpigeon, Shetland Wren and Blackbird. On the marsh nearby a flock of roosting Redshank and Lapwing are seen with Curlews calling overhead. From here we drive up to the shore station at Burrafirth and take a look in the Hermaness National Nature Reserve visitor centre. It s a perfect day for a walk today, though with a strong south/south east wind blowing and as we head out to the seabird cliffs of Hermaness numerous Bonxies are already circling overhead. The boardwalk crosses the open moorland and our walk takes us through the Great Skua colony where the sky is full of calling and displaying Bonxies. In fact there are Great Skua's just everywhere! The more you look the more Skuas you can begin to see, dotted around on their nests. We also get nice views

4 of a Dunlin singing and display fighting high overhead as well as numerous singing and displaying Meadow pipit and Skylark as we continue onwards towards the cliffs, and also views of a pair of Bonxies feeding their two chicks. Arriving at the seabird cliffs a very close Puffin is there to greet us and we take our lunch on the clifftop with stunning views to Muckle Flugga, the most northerly point in the British Isles. Numerous sea birds sweep past, around and below us, with the azure blue sea below and a sky full of seabirds, it really is an incredible spot! After lunch we walk on further around to the dramatic 'Saito' cliffs. The views are staggering and we are greeted by the sights sounds and smells of a 'blizzard' of thousands of Gannets wheeling around and below us. There are literally thousands of birds nesting on the sheer cliffs and birds are seemingly filling every available ledge below us. We take some time here taking in this incredible seabird spectacle before making our way back across the island and seeing some incredibly confiding Bonxies right next to the boardwalk on the way back. Heading back for the ferry we have time to drop in at the famous Bobby s Bus Shelter where oddly enough the theme is Puffins this year! Day 5: 5 Overnight there are thunderstorms and rain but the weather has certainly done the trick, as a cracking flock of 22 Common Crossbill drop out of the sky into the hotel garden first thing this morning! After breakfast we drive north towards Toft via Sullom Voe where we find a drake Red-breasted Merganser. A dark phase Arctic Skua is again seen chasing the Arctic Terns around the ferry terminal at Toft and we also find four Red-throated Divers here in the bay along with Black Guillemots and both Common and Grey Seals. Another Red-breasted Merganser is seen at Catfirth and we also find two Whooper Swans amongst the Mute Swans on Loch Benston, with another Common Crossbill dropping into a garden nearby briefly before flying off. We drive over to one of the largest bits of woodland on Shetland at Kergord, where a walk through the woodland gives us some new birds for the trip including two male Blackcaps singing, Chaffinch, Siskin and Rook! Several more Common Crossbills are also heard and seen flying over the woodland here, before we head into Lerwick in time for lunch and some sightseeing before we have to catch our re-scheduled boat trip out to Noss. It s lovely, warm and sunny as we climb aboard our boat the Dunter III and cruise out from Lerwick harbour towards Bressay, passing small rafts of Razorbills and Guillemots as we head out as well as some Common Seals hauled out on some offshore skerries. A small mini-sub R.O.V is dropped over the side and beams back incredible live pictures to the boat showing the multitude of undersea life

5 to be found in Shetlands rich waters, including Sea Anemones, Sea Urchins, Feather Stars, Tube Worms and shoals of small fish amongst the kelp forest. We also trawl up a sample of Plankton and are able to look at a sample on the boats TV monitors. Gannets fly by carrying nest material and we pass feeding flocks of Arctic Terns as we continue around the coast of Bressay, before we enter the narrow channel of Noss Sound. Passing a flock of 40+ Arctic Terns roosting on the rocks and also a few Grey and Common Seals, and Eider Ducks with duckilngs where we have a welcome cup of tea and a ginger biscuit or two! From here we head towards the 'Noup of Noss' where we are greeted by the incredible noise and spectacle of this vast seabird colony. The dominant birds are Gannets and the sky is full of wheeling birds overhead as we look up to the towering sea cliffs above us, it really is a breath-taking spectacle! We spend some time taking in the views of this immense sea bird city and also pass the gruesome spectacle of four Bonxies eating an adult Gannet on the sea, before we cruise back in past Bressay and back into Lerwick. After our dinner at the hotel and a little down time we are soon heading out again for our night visit to the island of Mousa to see Storm Petrels. Driving through some amazing fog and mist we arrive at Sandwick where we cross on the boat to the island in the 'simmer dim' and amazing pink afterglow of stunning Shetland night, even though its gone 11 o'clock at night it's still pretty light this far North. Landing on Mousa there is a sudden flash of lightning in the sky, ominous signs indeed! Because within a few minutes the heavens open and torrential rain pours out of the sky as begin we walk round the coast! We arrive at the Iron Age Broch a little wet to say the least! And try to seek some sort of shelter inside, but it seems wetter inside the Broch than out! Thankfully the rain eases off and stops, and as the light begins to fail we hear our first Storm Petrels beginning there bizarre 'purring' calls from the walls of the Broch. As we listen the walls of this incredible 2000 year old structure slowly come alive to the calls of more Storm Petrels and more and more birds swirl like bats around the tower, as more petrels are seen arriving in off the sea. It's simply a magical experience and we spend a magic few hours here before making our way back to catch the boat back. What a night! Day 6: 6 Today thankfully is a slightly later breakfast after our 2am finish on Mousa this morning! We leave Shetland today for Orkney so after checking out of the hotel and loading up the luggage we drive south and stop for some lunch overlooking the magnificent sand Tombolo linking the mainland to St Ninians Isle. Three Ringed Plover and three Turnstone are on the beach below us as we have lunch, and there are Eiders with chicks in the bay and Arctic Terns settled on the rocks. Three Red-throated Divers also fly over along with two Ravens.

6 After lunch we take a walk out across the Tombolo onto the isle and have a look at the ruins of the 12 th century chapel on the island and see a few migrant Silver Y moths flitting amongst the grasses and flowers around the ruins. On the walk back along the Tombolo we get fantastic close views of two Red-Throated Divers just offshore as well as two Common Terns on the beach and a dark phase Arctic Skua that flies over. Next stop is at Sumburgh where we see three Swallows around the Sumburgh Hotel as well as more Silver Y moths, a few Red Admirals and Curlew and Arctic Terns flying over. The weather and scenery is glorious and with good visibility today we can even see all the way south to fabulous Fair Isle on the horizon and some 25 miles distant! Finally from Sumburgh we drive north back up to Lerwick to catch our ferry to Orkney. It s a lovely calm evening as we cruise to Orkney and during the crossing we get some great views as we sail right past the West Cliffs on Fair Isle and the islands South Lighthouse. We see a good mix of seabirds including Gannets, Puffins, Fulmars and the occasional Bonxie before arriving into Kirkwall on Orkney. Day 7: 7 Our first full day on Orkney dawns windy, cool, misty and wet! Hmmmmmm! Still undeterred by a little soft weather we head out, driving past masses of Oystercatchers, Lapwing and Curlew in the roadside meadows as we drive out to some impressive coastal cliffs. Here we take a short walk and Craig soon comes up trumps finding some great clumps of the rare and absolutely tiny Scottish Primrose, still in flower near the cliff top. This tiny but stunning flower grows in only a few spots in the far north of Scotland and is still flowering in profusion at the moment. Some stunning dark and pale phase Arctic Skua s cruise past us along the cliff edge, as well as Bonxies and Gannets and there are Fulmars on the cliff ledges below, as well as several Wheatears dotted along the cliff top. With the weather by now less than pleasant we move on, and drive around to the Bay of Skaill for a welcome hot drink in the Skara Brae visitor centre and for an exploration of the superb prehistoric settlement here. Skara Brae has to be one of the most remarkable prehistoric monuments in Britain, a complete 5,000 year old Neolithic village, preserved under the sand with some of the Neolithic houses even still complete with stone dressers and beds! Towards the end of our visit here the weather again takes a turn for the worse with heavy driving rain and wind so we seek shelter again this time around in the hide overlooking The Loons RSPB reserve. From the hide we see a good selection of birds including Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Oystercatcher, Moorhen, Coot and a flock of 40+ Curlew calling and displaying over the marsh. A Sedge Warbler is glimpsed several times amongst the reeds and there are masses of vivid pink Ragged Robin in flower around the edge of the marsh. With the weather

7 improving a little we drive around the edge of the reserve and pass a large flock of Lapwings in a field by the road and also see Teal, Redshank and a flock of 30 Wigeon that fly over. Our last stop of the day is round at the impressive Stones of Stenness on the shore of the Loch of Stenness. A fantastic henge monument and standing stone setting thought to have been constructed early in the 3rd millennium B.C and also the Neolithic settlement at Barnhouse. Whilst here a pale phase Great Skua flies over mobbed by Oystercatchers and a Common Seal is hauled out on a rock on the Loch of Stenness. Day 8: 8 After yesterdays iffy weather, today is a beautiful warm and sunny summer s day on Orkney! Today we drive north to catch our ferry to the island of Rousay. En-route we drive across some high moorland and spot two superb Short-eared Owls hunting low over the moorland near to the road. The sky is full of singing Skylark up here as well as displaying Curlew and we also see three Great Skua s flying over. Heading back down off the moors we drive to catch the ferry over to Rousay. The crossing is very quiet and calm as we cruise through Eynhallow Sound and past the Island of Wyre though we do see a few Fulmars, Auks and Terns flying past before the ferry arrives into the island. Landing on Rousay we drive around the island following the coast, alongside beautiful coastal scenery with stunning seascapes and dramatic cliffs below us, before we make a stop for lunch at a sheltered bay by the coast. Near Loch Wasbister we pass several Stonechats beside the road and see a female Tufted Duck with chicks beside the loch. We take some lunch here on the coast overlooking a sweeping bay and seeing a few more Arctic and Common Terns and Fulmars just offshore as well as a Sedge Warbler singing nearby. The fog sadly starts to roll in off the sea, so after lunch we continue our circuit around the island making a stop to look at the impressive Neolithic chambered tomb at Midhowe and the amazing Iron Age Broch right next to it. As we walk down to the coast alongside the tomb we manage to spot an Otter feeding just offshore with at least three Common Seals for company! We watch the Otter for some time before having a look around the Tomb and nearby Broch, with time getting on we drive back to the harbour to catch our ferry back over to the mainland, as the fog rolls in to finally envelop the island. Our last stop of the day is at the evocative standing stone circle the 'Ring of Brodgar. The henge monument here was originally almost three metres deep and cut into solid bed rock whilst the standing stone circle contains only 36 of the original 60 standing stones, but it is still a very impressive and special site.

8 Day 9: 9 Today we drive towards Kirkwall and make our first stop overlooking Scapa Bay. Two Sandwich Terns are on the beach here an adult and juvenile, and a flock of Oystercatchers fly noisily over mobbing a Great Skua. Before we head south again and drive over the first of the famous Churchill Barriers which were built from some 66,000 concrete blocks each weighing some 5-10 tonnes during World War 2. This was in an attempt to restrict enemy submarines and ships access into Scapa Flow. Crossing onto Lamb Holm and with Arctic Terns screeching overhead we make a quick stop at the Italian Chapel, built out of two war time Nissen huts by Italian prisoners of war who were working on the Churchill Barriers. From here we cross the other Churchill Barriers and across onto South Ronaldsay where we make a stop for lunch at a beautiful sandy bay on the coast. The weather is lovely, warm and sunny during lunch, perfect weather for a paddle in fact! Whilst here apart from paddling we also see a Great Skua flying over as well as a feeding party of Arctic Terns just offshore and a Ringed Plover along the beach. We drive south again to visit the Neolithic chambered tomb at Isbister also known as the 'Tomb of the Eagles', passing a flock of Lapwing en-route as well a seeing a few Redshank and Shelduck. At the Tomb of the Eagles we head into the farmhouse which also doubles as the visitor centre and get to see some of the human skulls that were unearthed during the excavation of the tomb. We even handle some of the incredible prehistoric artefacts including pottery, beads, stone tools and Sea Eagle talons that were also found during the excavation and that now give this famous site its name. A short walk from here through meadows full of Marsh Orchids, takes us out to the tomb which sits in a very dramatic location on top of the sea cliffs. We all get to crawl inside to take a look at the inside of this incredible 5,000 year old stalled cairn which was found to contain the Neolithic remains and bones of more than 300 people when it was excavated! There are stunning views out to sea from the cliffs here also and we see Great Skua s, Gannets and Fulmars offshore with a few Wheatears along the cliff top and some Twite perched along the fence line here. We also have time to have a look at the enigmatic Bronze age burnt mound nearby, which when excavated was found to have the remains of a prehistoric Bronze age house underneath it. Though the function of the house, if it is a house, is still open to debate amongst archaeologists today! On the drive back north to mainland Orkney, Craig spots a Short-eared Owl hunting near the road, which gives us some fantastic close views! Day 10: Our last day on Orkney dawns very wet and very windy! This morning we make our first stop round at Loch Harray and the Barnhouse Neolithic settlement. There are lots of Sand Martins and Swallows hawking low over the fields in the poor weather as we seek some shelter from the weather in a hide overlooking the loch. Not surprisingly, given the weather it s fairly quiet here though

9 we do see a Reed Bunting along with more Sand Martins and a few Terns out over the loch, so we move on for our visit to the stunning Neolithic chambered tomb at Maes Howe. This incredible tomb dates to sometime before 2,700 BC and is surrounded by an equally impressive bank and ditch of a Neolithic henge monument. It is a testament to the Neolithic builders of Maes Howe that this incredible and awe inspiring tomb still stands today some 4,700 years later! With time getting on we head to Kirkwall to take in the sights of Orkney's capital, before finally driving to the airport where we catch our flight back to Inverness at the end of a fantastic trip! Species of the trip: t Place of the trip t rip: Magic moment oment: Red-necked Phalarope Puffin Short-eared Owl Gannet Common Crossbill Noup of Noss Scapa Bay Bu of Burray Short-eared Owl flying straight toward us! Close Short-eared Owl and Redshank Meadow Pipit on the Ring of Brodgar Fossil Fish The Midhowe hill climb

10 Birds Red-throated Diver Fulmar Storm Petrel Gannet Cormorant Shag Grey Heron Mute Swan Whooper Swan Greylag Goose Shelduck Wigeon Teal Mallard Tufted Duck Eider Red-breasted Merganser Hen Harrier Kestrel Moorhen Coot Oystercatcher Ringed Plover Golden Plover Lapwing Dunlin Common Snipe Whimbrel Curlew Redshank Turnstone Red-necked Phalarope Arctic Skua Great Skua Black-headed Gull Common Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Kittiwake Sandwich Tern Common Tern Arctic Tern Black Guillemot Guillemot Razorbill Puffin Rock Dove Wood Pigeon Collared Dove Short-eared Owl Common Swift Skylark Swallow Sand Martin House Martin Meadow Pipit Rock Pipit Pied/White Wagtail Wren Robin Stonechat Wheatear Blackbird Sedge Warbler Blackcap Chiffchaff Willow Warbler Rook Hooded Crow Raven Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Greenfinch Siskin Common Crossbill Linnet Twite Reed Bunting

11 Mammals Otter Rabbit Brown Hare Common Seal Hedgehog (Deceased) Butterflies/Moths & other Insects & addenda Large White Small Tortoiseshell Red Admiral Common Blue Silver Y moth Shetland Bee Fossil Fish sp Scottish Primrose