Mousa Wildlife visit and Shetland Mainland

Posted byMichael CookPosted in1. Scotland & UK, Coast, Islands
Atlantic puffin with bright beak standing among pink sea thrift flowers in Shetland wildlife scene.

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 Mousa wildlife visit for the Storm Petrels. Throughout this time we were staying at the excellent Voortrekker accommodation which made a great base for birdwatching.

Contents hide
1 Sumburgh Head
2 Esha Ness
3 Mousa Wildlife Visit
4 Otters
5 Grutness and Pool of Virkie
6 Other locations
7 Share this:
8 Related
9 Discover more from WildScot Photography

Sumburgh Head

Sumburgh Head is the most southerly point of mainland and the cliffs host a strong variety of birds.

Well let us get the pictures of Puffins out of the way. Don’t get me wrong I love this bird, but it is almost too easy to capture an okay picture of Puffins and very hard, if not impossible to get a great picture of Puffins. What do I mean? Well Puffins are so well photographed that once you get a sharp, technically correct and in focus picture (not hard as they allow you close) you only have an OK shot because it has all been seen before. And how do you get anything new and different when so many shots have been taken? At least the sea pink allowed a pretty foreground to elevate the shot and of course I love spending time with this confiding bird.

  • Puffin with outstretched wings standing among pink flowers in Shetland.
  • Atlantic puffin with bright beak standing among pink sea thrift flowers in Shetland wildlife scene.
  • Puffin in Shetland Islands among pink sea thrift flowers. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
  • Puffin standing among pink sea thrift flowers in Shetland.
  • Puffin standing in a field of wildflowers in Shetland.

More of a challenge is getting a good shot of Puffins in flight and coming into land.

  • Puffin in flight over the Shetland Islands, wings spread, orange feet dangling.
  • Puffin in flight near Shetland cliffs, wings spread.
  • Puffin in flight over the ocean, Shetland wildlife.
  • Puffin in flight near the Shetland coast, Mousa Isle in the background
  • Puffin in flight near a cliff face, Shetland wildlife.
  • Puffin in flight over the Shetland Islands' coastline.

Other birds visible here include the Fulmars and Guillemots far below in their thousands.

  • Northern Fulmar perched on a cliff with pink flowers in Shetland. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Nesting Fulmar
  • Guillemots nesting on a rocky cliff face in Shetland.
    Guillemots far below
  • Shetland wildlife: Guillemots nesting on a rocky cliff face near the sea.
  • Guillemots nesting on a rocky cliff in Shetland, part of the Shetland wildlife.

Esha Ness

Heading east to Esha Ness lacks the sheer volume of cliff birds found elsewhere but more than makes up for it with spectacular scenery.

  • Shetland coastline view: Rugged cliffs meet the turquoise sea near Mainland & Mousa.
    Esha Ness
  • Dramatic cliffs of Mainland, Shetland, with crashing waves and wildflowers. Shetland Wildlife.
    Esha Ness
  • Dramatic cliffs meet the turquoise sea in Shetland, part of the Mainland & Mousa wildlife series.
    Esha Ness
  • Person sits on a rock overlooking Shetland's rugged coastline with crashing waves, part of Shetland Wildlife.
    Esha Ness

Walking along the clifftops revealed good number of Dunlins in breeding plumage. I managed to lie down and allow them to come to me which enabled some much stronger backgrounds.

  • Dunlin bird in a field of Sea Thrift flowers, Shetland wildlife.
    Dunlin
  • Dunlin in Shetland, showcasing its mottled plumage. Part of the Mainland & Mousa wildlife series.
    Dunlin
  • European Golden Plover in Shetland. Brown and white bird standing in green grass.
    Dunlin

This also caused me to get close to the flowers and decide they were worthy of some attention too.

  • Shetland wildlife: Close-up of delicate sea thrift flowers in a grassy field.
  • Pink sea thrift flowers in a Shetland meadow, part of the Mainland & Mousa wildlife series.
  • Purple orchid flower in Shetland grassland, part of the Mainland & Mousa wildlife series.
    Orchid

Plenty of Wheatear were around too.

  • Young bird perched on a mossy rock in Shetland. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Juvenile Weatear
  • Northern Wheatear bird perched on a rock in Shetland. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Adult Male Wheatear

Fairly ubiquitous across Shetland are Oystercatchers always making their presence known and here was no different.

  • Oystercatcher bird in a field of pink sea thrift flowers in Shetland wildlife habitat.
    Oystercatcher
  • Oystercatcher in flight over a grassy field in Shetland.
    Oystercatcher in flight

I was also pleased to photograph adult and juvenile Ringed Plover

  • Shetland wildlife: A young ringed plover chick stands on seaweed.
    Juvenile Ringed Plover
  • Shetland wildlife: Ringed Plover bird standing on a rock in a grassy field.
    Adult Ringed Plover

Mousa Wildlife Visit

We took an evening Storm Petrel Mousa Wildlife Visit with the Mousa Boat.

People boarding the "Solan IV" boat in Shetland, for Mousa wildlife visit

Since our Mousa wildlife visit only left at 10.30pm and the action was mainly between midnight and 1am I really don’t have any bird photos to show for it. What I will say this was an absolutely spectacular wildlife encounter with hundreds, if not thousands of Storm Petrels flying all around the ancient Broch. Also the sounds were amazing with the constant purring (or inelegantly put fairy being sick) sound coming from every wall or rock. This Mousa wildlife visit was about the sound as well as the sights.

  • Sunset over water with gentle waves and silhouetted hills in Shetland. Mainland & Mousa landscape.
    Summer Dim on the boat over
  • People stand by a wooden bench marked "60 N" in Shetland.
    Chair marking 60 deg north
  • Mousa Broch, an Iron Age round tower, stands on a rocky Shetland coastline at dusk.
    The Broch in failing light
  • Mousa Broch, an Iron Age round tower in Shetland, with people exploring the green hilltop at twilight.
    Mousa wildlife visit
  • Shetland coastline view at dusk near Mousa Broch, with people watching seabirds.

Otters

We didn’t see as many Otters on the mainland as we did on the North Isles but we did see a couple and one allowed a few photos to be taken as it came ashore to eat a crab.

  • Shetland otter yawning in seaweed. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Otter eating crab
  • Shetland otter foraging in seaweed on the shore.
    Otter eating crab
  • Shetland otter resting in seaweed.
    Otter eating crab
  • Shetland otter swimming through seaweed on the coast.
    Otter departing

Grutness and Pool of Virkie

These areas in the south were fruitful for views of a wide variety of waders, terns and other birds.

  • Shetland wildlife: Arctic tern perched on a rock in the water.
    Juvenile Arctic Tern
  • Duckling drinks from water on Shetland. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Mallard Chick taking a drink
  • Mallard duckling standing on a rock in the water, Shetland wildlife
    Mallard Chick
  • Shetland Sandwich Tern perched on a rock in shallow water.
    Sandwich Tern
  • Bar-tailed Godwit wading in shallow water on Shetland, looking for food. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Bar-Tailed Godwit

Other locations

Driving all over the Mainland we did see lots of other birds too and I include a few of the highlights here. I won’t include any locations and be assured the birds were never disturbed nor did I approach near any nests (photos were mostly taken from a car on public roads which after all makes the perfect hide).

Red Throated Divers were visible on most small lochans across Shetland

  • Red-throated diver swimming in water, Shetland wildlife.
    Red Throated Diver
  • Red-throated diver swimming in Shetland waters, showcasing Shetland wildlife.
    Red Throated Diver
  • Red-throated diver swimming in water near Shetland, showcasing Shetland wildlife.
    Low down shot of Red-Throated Diver
  • Black-throated diver swimming in Shetland waters, another diver blurred in the background.
    Red Throated Diver Pair
  • Two red-throated divers swimming in the water; Shetland wildlife.
    Red Throated Diver Pair

I was delighted to get excellent views of Red-Necked Phalaropes in addition to the pair I had seen flying in Fetlar.

  • Red-necked phalarope in shallow water, reflected. Shetland wildlife.
    Reflections
  • Red-necked phalarope wading in shallow water, Shetland wildlife.
  • Red-necked phalarope wading in shallow water, Shetland wildlife.
  • Red-necked phalarope wading in shallow water on Shetland, part of Shetland wildlife.
  • Red-necked Phalarope wading in water, Shetland wildlife.
  • Red-necked phalarope in Shetland, wading in shallow water.
  • Red-necked Phalarope in Shetland, with brown, white, and orange plumage, standing in shallow water.

We saw several Whimbrel from the car both perched and in flight.

  • Eurasian Curlew in Shetland grass. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Whmbrel
  • Whimbrel in a Shetland meadow, part of the Mainland & Mousa wildlife series.
    Whimbrel
  • Whimbrel in flight against a clear blue sky, Shetland wildlife
    Whimbrel in flight
  • Curlew in flight against a clear blue sky, showcasing Shetland wildlife.
    Whimbrel in flight
  • Curlew in flight against a clear blue sky, seen in Shetland wildlife.
    Whimbrel in flight

Snipe and Redshank were frequently seen taking up prominent perches such as fence posts.

  • Snipe bird perched on a mossy post in Shetland. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Common Snipe
  • Redshank bird perched on a wooden post, Shetland wildlife.
    Redshank
  • Redshank bird perched on a post in Shetland. Mainland & Mousa wildlife.
    Redshank

I did twitch a few birds too including Broad-billed Sandpiper, Pacific Swift and Marsh Warbler (all life ticks for me) and heard a Quail singing.

  • Dunlin bird wades in shallow water on Shetland, surrounded by green algae.
    Broad-billed Sandpiper
  • Dunlin birds foraging in shallow water with yellow algae, Shetland wildlife.
    Broad-billed Sandpiper with Dunlin
Shetland Killer Whales
Noss Seabirds
Black bird in flight, "Wild Scot" text. Scottish Wildlife Photos.

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Published by Michael Cook

Wildlife Photographer based in Scotland

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