Hugh Harrop

ORCAS!!! We enjoyed absolutely brilliant views of the 27s pod today out in a very windy east Mainland of Shetland. Here's bull '34' photographed just off Laxo this afternoon with the low winter sunshine illuminating his massive dorsal fin.

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It's the ringers grip technique that does not put any pressure on the tarsus or tibia. If I can also add that the bird was ringed by fully licensed personnel.

Shetland Wildlife That moment last night when TV''s Shetland Sgt Billy shows off his bird ID skills to Jimmy Perez & 'Tosh' by nailing a Jack Snipe as a winter visitor to Shetland from 'evidence' provided by Hugh's...

I'm already assisting with evidence from a previous series - see tinyurl.com/56u9m5pn - but my wife and daughter are in this latest series, so they'd surely not want to nick their dad!

Kingfisher illuminating Loch of Clickimin, Shetland today with its dazzling colours. Kingfishers are very rare birds here in Shetland with <30 records. This one has been in the area since 22nd October 2025 but it can disappear for days on end.

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Red-necked Grebes are less than annual here in Shetland so it was nice to find this individual on the home patch of Hillwell over the weekend. Also a very welcome addition to the house list...🏡✅

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A quick dash to Spiggie this afternoon to see this female SIBERIAN RUBYTHROAT released back in to the ‘Bumblebird’ wild bird crop. Clearly autumn isn’t over for us here in Shetland!

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Orca by Hugh Harrop

Oysterplant - found at just a few locations in Shetland. Pic by Hugh Harrop.

Red-necked Phalarope by Hugh Harrop

Waiting for Storm Petrels to arrive at Mousa Broch in the 'Simmer Dim' light. Image taken at midnight! Pic by Hugh Harrop.

How was your spring and summer? Read about ours here in Shetland at shetlandwildlife.co.uk/news.htm

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Another amazing day for watching Humpback Whales off the south Mainland of Shetland with still at least seven individuals recorded along a 10km stretch of coast between Levenwick and Fladdabister!

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The Queen of Scalloway: female King Eider in Scalloway Harbour, Shetland today illuminated by beautiful, soft winter sunshine.

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None - we tried - but dorsal profiles on two very distinctive individuals has thrown up a match from earlier in the month.

One of at least seven Humpback Whales off the south Mainland of Shetland today. Amazing!

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Fabulous views of this female King Eider (perhaps better called a 'Queen' Eider) in Scalloway Harbour, Shetland this morning.

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Volume up 🔊...

The wonderful sound of a couple of hundred Twite - known here in Shetland as 'Linties' - at Loch of Spiggie in one of the 40 'Bumblebird' wildlife-friendly crops grown by crofters and the Shetland Species on the Edge team in 2025. 👏

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Early in the month, these two Oriental Turtle Doves occasionally roosted in our Shetland garden and would feed up on seed before spending the rest of the day in the barley. That's now three OTDs we've had in our garden this year! Bonkers!

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Lovely views of this Hume's Warbler in the morning sunshine at Gremista, Lerwick, Shetland today.

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A marshmallow with wings: one of two beautiful white-headed 'Northern' Long-tailed Tits in Scalloway, Shetland today.

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All the way from Siberia: a Dusky Warbler at Sannick, Shetland last week.

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Still buzzing from our amazing encounter with this nursery pod of Bottlenose Dolphins over the weekend. They constitute only the fourth confirmed record of this species in Shetland inshore waters.

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Jack Snipe in typical habitat and in typical 'you cannot see me' pose. Amazing birds! Pic taken over the weekend here in Shetland.

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I remember and happy to hear you saw Orca!

A short video of the nursery pod of Bottlenose Dolphins in Vidlin Voe, Shetland yesterday. Check out some of those tiny calves! Only the fourth confirmed record of this species in Shetland waters.

#MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK #UKWildlife

Mother and calf Bottlenose Dolphins in Vidlin Voe, Shetland today. Part of an incredible nursery pod of 120+ individuals.

Only the fourth-ever documented record for Shetland inshore waters following sightings in Dec 2002, Aug 2024 & Sep 2025.

#MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK #UKWildlife

Thank you!

Enjoying point blank views of this gorgeous Firecrest at Sandwick, Shetland on Wednesday when it was joined by a second individual! Unlike their commoner cousins, Firecrests are much rarer here with only a handful of records every year.

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The reason why our local Blackbirds were going absolutely nuts at dusk today: this magnificent migrant Long-eared Owl perched on a bale handler behind the barns here at Hillwell, Shetland.

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One of which was Baroness Young of Old Scone - RSPB Chief Executive from 1991 - 1998.

You couldn't make it up.

Petition: Stop the Guga Hunt. Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to remove the power to grant licences for killing young Gannets.

Please sign and Repost.

#BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #UKWildlife

A few more images of the Steppe Grey Shrike at Scousburgh, here in Shetland last week.

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The spring bird here presented a challenge to myself and Paul Harvey too and a Fair Isle bird to @kevinshetland.bsky.social. It's not as though the literature is wrong, it's subjective and doesn't really justify how much variation there really is and how tough these duo of species can sometimes be.

We assume to bird on the left of the two to be a meena. As for the bird on the right there isn't an emoji for a big enough shoulder shrug but...