Birds, moths and snails
SOUTH-EAST winds at this time of year mean one thing – the start of autumn migration. And fairly predictably, it was Whalsay and Skerries where…
READ FULL STORYStories tagged with Tag: Wildernews
Impressive whale sighting
A POD of four killer whales provided an impressive spectacle on the morning of the 15th, travelling south from Gulberwick to Mousa Sound where they…
READ FULL STORYNo concoction can defeat the midge
DEMONS! Perishing peerie menaces! I am absolutely certain that this year’s midges have been genetically engineered by aliens, intent on depopulating the isles. We have…
READ FULL STORYRare warbler among the visiting vagrants
A MELODIOUS warbler, a rare vagrant from Southern Europe, was at Sumburgh Head this week, first being recorded on the 6th. In Scotland it is…
READ FULL STORYStars include two-barred crossbills
TWO star birds for the North Isles last week were an aquatic warbler at Skaw, Unst, on the 4th, and at least four two-barred crossbills,…
READ FULL STORYWill fate of world’s tigers be eclipsed by venal China’s Olympic celebrations?
ROLL on the Olympic Games! Terrorism, weather, earthquakes and smog permitting, there will be many days of fabulous sport and life-changing experiences ahead for both…
READ FULL STORYRare butterfly sighting
ANOTHER two-barred crossbill, a juvenile this time, appeared at Eshaness this week and was still around on the 4th. Common crossbills are still present with…
READ FULL STORYSeen any sea beans?
SWIMMING through milk could be the nearest experience to standing on a ridge in a Shetland summer fog. Swirls and clouds of whiteness surround you;…
READ FULL STORYRare visitor from Siberia and hot time for waders
WADERS, returning from more northerly breeding grounds, are beginning to move through Shetland now. On the 26th there were 32 knot, a green sandpiper and…
READ FULL STORYWhales, birds and moths – a real cornucopia
WOW! For once I was on the right ferry when, thanks to being alerted by the crew of the Bigga, several of us got the…
READ FULL STORYMad livin’ beetle we’ll keep captive
A PEACEFUL scene – sun warm and bright, barely a breath of wind; the ground remarkably dry here, a light, sandy soil covered with a…
READ FULL STORYA bank where the wild thyme blows
SOME lucky folk had an amazing view of a pod of killer whales off west Unst last Friday. A phone call from Brydon Thomason to…
READ FULL STORYThe mystery of our masses of mosses
WHAT splendid moss weather we have been having recently. Nice wet, windy, chilly days with plenty of time for the water to seep down among…
READ FULL STORYHere is a species that is still doing well: the wheatear
ONE species of bird that seems to have done really well this year is the wheatear – just about every area of suitable habitat has…
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