If you were to think of the top things that draw people to visit Scotland’s Shetland Islands, the book and TV mystery series Shetland would probably come to mind; before that wool and knitcrafts might have topped the list, but never far behind would be the views and wildlife, and especially seals and seabirds.
And, of course, there are tours to cater for that; among the most popular are a few small boats that offer cruises from Shetland’s only real town, Lerwick, to Bressay and the Cliffs of Noss, where the serious birdlife hangs out. They are fast, equipped with indoor and outdoor seats, and an impressive supply of high-tech navigation aids.
The seals? They’re volunteers for the cruise. The boat we took, Ruby May, particularly attracts them, partly because there’s a flat dive platform at the back that they can climb partway onto, and partly because the crew, Stewart and Frank, keep a cooler of fishy treats handy for them.
They ‘came on board’ almost as soon as we and the crew did, and when we left, they followed us, with surprising speed, out of the small harbor. Only when we were well away and the engines were opened up full on did they fall behind.
It didn’t take long before we saw birds passing close by, but they were one at a time: the real birding would come later. We also passed a number of working fishing boats of different kinds.
And the Bressay lighthouse, one of four lighthouses designed by brothers David and Thomas Stevenson, who designed more than thirty Scottish lighthouses. David at first declined the commission, saying that it was impossible to build a lighthouse in Shetland waters, and that any captain who took the route was mad, anyway.
Thomas’s son, Robert Louis Stevenson, disappointed him by declining to learn the family trade. Robert later wrote What a damned curse I am to my parents! As my father said “You have rendered my whole life a failure”. As my mother said “This is the heaviest affliction that has ever befallen me”. O Lord, what a pleasant thing it is to have damned the happiness of (probably) the only two people who care a damn about you in the world.
The cliffs we passed along our way around the island of Bressay show the power of wind and water and time on even the strongest of rocks; the area has numbers of natural arches and caves deep enough for a tour boat to enter and look around (we did).
For some birds, the relatively-sheltered areas around the caves are a useful refuge; often enough while looking at a rock formation and taking a picture I would find a bird in it.
And there were more seals, but not as energetic as our harbor companions; these were generally lolling on the rocks, waiting for an opportune time to feed or perhaps just enjoying some time off.
As we came closer to the cliffs of Noss, we saw more birds, but still mainly singles or small groups, such as these.
Occasionally we saw birds of different feather flocking together…
And I learned again that shooting bird pictures when they’re flying in a light sky is tricky if you’re using a camera that does not allow control over whether your values are taken from the bird or the sky…
That became a serious issue, because by that time, my camera had slipped out of my cord and grip while using a ladder on the boat, and I was down to using my phone camera! Nonetheless, I think I have a taste of the ultimate Noss bird sights: Thousands of them, mainly white, flying in and out of nests in the cliffs.
As you can see from the many-year-old white accumulations on the cliffs, flying in and out is not all they do there! And, congratulations to George G and Michael Fong II, who both recognized where we were!
Oh…while we’re on animals starting with the letter ‘S’ I can’t forget Shetland’s other S animal. They’re not only everywhere, but these are the only inhabitants of the tiny isle they’re grazing. The owners come by boat when it’s time to shear or attend to other chores.
