Shetland's Wildlife

Naturetrek Tour Report 20 - 27 June 2016

Muckle Flugga Arctic Tern

Female Red-necked Phalarope Hermaness Gannets

Report compiled by Jonathan Willet Images courtesy of Alison Faigniez and Martin Hancock

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report Shetland's Wildlife

Tour participants: Jonathan Willet (Leader) with eight Naturetrek clients

Day 1 Monday 20th June

The Ferry from Aberdeen The weather today was 16°C; sunny with some cloud. The ferry trip began with everyone meeting up at the ferry terminal and collecting their tickets from me. We were all on board nice and early and had time to get settled into our cabins onboard the boat. We met up on the top deck as the ferry was leaving the impressively busy harbour. There were plenty birds about with Kittiwakes and Eider Duck in plenty. We saw all the breeding gull species in the harbour, and out at sea we spied some Gannets, Razorbills and Guillemots zooming past. Of course, there were also Fulmars cruising close to the ship. There were a few Bonxies (Great Skua) about, harassing the Common Terns we saw. The views back to the mainland were amazing and there was a superb sunset. As we left the north eastern corner of Aberdeenshire behind, we caught sight of some oilrigs off to the east, on the horizon.

Day 2 Tuesday 21st June

South Mainland: Today’s weather was 15°C with bright sunny spells, but cloud early and late in the day. Before breakfast, those of us that were up got great views of Sumburgh Head and the Isle of Mousa, two of our key destinations this trip. We arrived at Lerwick via the Sooth Mooth (the South Mouth of the Sound of Bressay). All non-Shetlanders were called sooth moothers, due to the traditional arrival by boat on this route. Suitably fed, we left the ferry, picked up our vehicle and set off to our hotel in Scalloway, to drop our bags off and pick up Pam and Gwyneth. After we introduced ourselves, it was time to head south.

We headed directly to Sumburgh Head as, of course, we wanted to see some Puffins.... and we did! We got some cracking views from a few different viewpoints and plenty pictures were taken. The sound and smell of all the Guillemots and Razorbills was quite something. Below us we saw Gannets passing round the headland and some Arctic Skuas zooming after terns. We saw both pale and dark morphs. We could see for miles and the water was an azure blue, though pretty cold, I would have to say. No cetaceans were spotted, though we did look hard. Close to the car park we did see some Wheatears and, of course, the ubiquitous Meadow Pipit.

Soon it was time for lunch, and we had it at the Sumburgh Hotel. We visited Jarlshof, an amazing site with over 3000 years of continuous habitation. Not only that, but it had an amazing family of Shetland Wrens that were being fed by one of their parents. We watched them for nearly half an hour; we had fantastic views and the five chicks were very comical. There was also a juvenile Wheatear, plus its father, flitting about.

After Sumburgh, we checked out some of the smaller lochs; there were plenty of ducks on the water, and Curlew and Oystercatchers aplenty. At Hillwell Loch there were thirty Ravens perched on a farm shed, it was like seeing a flock of Rooks, only the birds were much bigger.

At Loch Spiggie we saw over fifty Bonxies having a wash in the fresh water. This behaviour shows that they are not a true seabird as they have to wash the salt out of their feathers. The Whooper Swans and their cygnets were

Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

showing, around 10 pairs breed annually in Shetland. Up the hill and along the coast took us towards St Ninian's Isle. In a small bay on the way there we saw lots of Harbour Seals with pups, hauled out on the beach below the road. At the amazing tombolo of St Ninain's some of the group went for a walk and the rest did some birding. We spotted Red-throated Diver, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. It was time to depart and, with the cloud building, we headed back to our hotel and some fantastic food.

Day 3 Wednesday 22nd June

Noss & Isle of Mousa. We woke to light rain in the morning, brightening up to be lovely and sunny in the afternoon, and a temperature of 16°C. Today was one of island hopping: two ferries, one vehicle the other passenger, only to take us to Noss. We crossed Lerwick Sound and spied some Tysties (Black Guillemots). We made our way directly to our next ferry, but we were distracted by two beautiful Red-throated Divers very close to the road. Bonxies were flying about but kept their distance from us.

We loaded into the Zodiac six at a time and took the short crossing over to Noss. During the time of the Vikings we could have walked over, as a sandy tombolo connected Bressay and Noss. A great storm washed it away hundreds of years ago. Craig, one of the wardens, gave us an introduction to the island and told us the best spots to visit. Gwyneth decided to stay round the visitor centre and the rest of us headed towards the cliffs of the Noup. Noss was famous for breeding lots of Shetland Ponies for the mines of the north-east of England in the 1800s, and we passed one of the enclosures or “punds” that contained the ponies as we left the visitor centre.

We kept to the coastal path and then struck up hill, and kept climbing until we got to Cradle Holm where we had lunch. We got great views of Puffins and all the other seabirds that were nesting on that stack. A bit further on, we stopped at Rumblewick where we found a great spot to look down on to the 11,000 plus pairs of Gannets that nest on the cliffs of the Noup of Noss. Just an amazing sight and sound. We also saw some Puffin photographers, and had to resist the temptation to say, “It's behind you!”, when a few appeared at the feet of the prone photographer!

Soon it was time to make our way back; we saw some Twite on the way and got some great views of dark-morph Arctic Skua. A Grey Seal kept pace with us for a wee while, then grew bored and swan off. We retraced our steps and, whilst waiting for the final ferry, we got some great views of an Arctic Tern.

It was our late night as we were off to Mousa! We caught the boat at 11pm from Sandwick harbour, incidentally, close to an old copper mine. It was still light and we could see the sun setting over Lerwick. We landed and headed off to the broch. It is an amazing structure and some of us went inside and up to the top, where we got to see Storm Petrels flying around. Down at ground level there were hundreds of birds flying round the broch like bats. The croaking from the sitting birds was indeed a strange noise, quite an unforgettable part of the trip. As we got the boat back to Sandwick, just after 1am, it was already starting to get light!

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Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

Day 4 Thursday 23rd June

South Mainland. Weather: 18 °C; gloriously sunny, but with a haar (fret or sea mist) rolling in at 5pm. We had a later breakfast today, as we had been up very late last night. Suitably fuelled up, we headed north on the short drive to Loch Tingwall. We saw Red-breasted Mergansers, Tufted Duck, Whooper Swans and Mute Swans and their cygnets. Some just-fledged Black-headed Gulls were visible too. The loch-side plants were coming into flower and there were some beautiful Northern Marsh Orchids there. As we headed on, we enjoyed a brief stop to look at the Law Holm, the Thing-vollr itself, where laws were made in Viking times.

Coming into Veensgarth we spotted some Shetland Geese; these look like Greylags but with large white blotches on them. A little further on, just by the airport, a wading bird was seen in a field. We found a place to park and got the scope on it. It turned out to be a Black-tailed Godwit in full breeding plumage; its russet plumage looked stunning. These birds breed here in small numbers, as well as passing through on their way further north. A Pied Wagtail also made a brief appearance.

It was on into the uplands after this, and we headed along the valley of Stromfirth. There was an interesting wagtail seen and, on closer inspection, it turned out to be a White Wagtail, one of the continental race of our Pied Wagtail; in fact, the White Wagtails are more common on Shetland than the Pied.

From Stromfirth we headed south to the islands of Trondra and Burra. On the way we passed the knitted fence of Hamnavoe and the shell house there. As it was time for lunch and gloriously sunny, we decided to go to the beach and have it there. We chose Meal Beach, a beautiful secluded place facing west. We basked in the sunshine and I even went for a paddle, although the water was very cold, it has to be said. I found some Sugar Kelp and showed that to the group, and out in the bay there was a winter-plumaged Great-northern Diver, a bit far away but a good spot for this time of year. On the walk back we marvelled at the wildflower meadow by the path, lots of Heath Spotted-orchid, Yellow Rattle and Thyme plus many other flowers were growing there. We did see a White-tailed Bumblebee but no sign of the Shetland Bumblebee... yet.

The group fancied some time in Lerwick and so we headed there to the museum, shops or both. As we left to head back to Scalloway, the haar started rolling in and this was a taste of things to come for the next day.

Day 5 Friday 24th June

South Mainland, Toft to Ulsta ferry (Yell) – Gutcher to Belmont (Unst) – Baltasound. Today was cooler, 14 °C, with the haar coming and going all day - it almost got sunny once! It was time to leave Scalloway and our marvellous hotel. The food and accommodation had been excellent. Our gloriously sunny weather seemed to have got lost and it was somewhat murky. We made our way through Weisdale and had a walk in the big woods of Kergord. They are the most substantial woods in Shetland with trees up to 50ft tall; we heard a Blackcap singing and saw lots of Rooks and their nests as they have plenty of big trees here. We also saw Pink Purslane and Wild Garlic here. There was a brief sighing of a Goldfinch and plenty of Chaffinches about.

The weather was getting greyer so we headed to the Pierhead Bar in Voe. En route, we stopped at Loch of Benston where we saw a secretive Grey Heron and more Mute and Whooper Swans plus some Wigeon. The Bar

Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

was a great place with excellent food. For those who had the mussels, they were grown less than a mile away in Busta Voe, and they were very tasty!

We then headed up to Toft to get the ferry and we did some seawatching from it. Before we boarded, we got a brief view of an Otter close to the shore. From the boat, we got to see all the auks we had seen to date, some closer than others. The Gannets and Fulmars were cruising about. Yell was pretty quiet for birdlife, so we continued on to our next ferry and the most northerly island, Unst!

We got settled into our hotel at Baltasound and later we enjoyed some fine cooking. Some of us went out on an Otter watch and we got to see one hunting for a wee while. The water was very calm so watching was easy. On the walk down we saw Meadow Vetchling, a new plant for the week, and also to see a stockpile of Talc at the Pier side. There was also a sight I had never before seen: both Arctic Terns and Common Gulls hawking for insects over a field of long grass.

Day 6 Saturday 25th June

Fetlar Weather: 12 °C; somewhat dreich in the morning, drying up in the afternoon. As we had a bit of time before the ferry left, we explored the nearby Halligarth Woods. These woods are nearly 200 years old and are mainly Sycamore but with some Elder and Hawthorn nearby. The shelter they provide often means that you find some interesting birds there. The woods and the empty house were the home of Thomas Edmondston, the man who found the endemic plant that we were going to look for tomorrow. He led a very interesting life, as the group was told. In the woods we heard a Chiffchaff calling, and some Wood Pigeons exploded from the trees as we walked through. Over in the fields there was a pool with a Grey Heron by it, and lots of Curlew feeding in the tall grass.

But it was time to get to Fetlar, so we headed down to get the ferry and enjoyed a pretty smooth crossing. We kept our eyes peeled for Snipe and headed up to the “airport” where we were very lucky and got lovely views of Golden Plover and Whimbrel (both chicks) and both dark- and pale-morph Arctic Skua. It was then down at Loch Funzie (pronounced finnie) to look out for the local speciality: a small wader with a very long migration to the Pacific. On this visit we didn't see any of them, but we did see Arctic Terns washing and the resident Red- throated Divers. We ventured down to the hide at Funzie Marsh and had amazing views of Snipe drumming.

As it was lunchtime we headed to the Fetlar Cafe for some excellent soup, sandwiches and cake. There was also the most northerly Giant Knotweed in the UK by the cafe, which I felt compelled to point out.

Suitably refuelled, we headed back to Loch Funzie and walked along the shore and back. About half way along we spotted a pair of small birds landing. They started walking our way... It was a male and female Red-necked Phalarope! WOW! Much (very quiet) excitement! The male flew off but the female kept coming closer, to within 25 feet of us. It was just the most amazing sighting and the bird was unconcerned with our presence, feeding away. It was a fantastic end to our Fetlar trip.

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Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

On the way back to the ferry we stopped at Brough Lodge, an amazing mini-castle from the 1820's that is being restored, and we saw the old Fetlar ferry boat. A 20-foot rowing boat! We boarded the considerably larger modern vehicle ferry and headed back to Unst.

Day 7 Sunday 26th June

Unst The weather today was cloudy in the morning, brightening in the afternoon, with a sunny evening and a temperature of 14°C. Our last day on Unst was spent concentrating on a few keys sites: Hermaness, the Keen of Hamar and the most northerly bus stop in the UK! Our first stop was Haroldswick where we saw our Mute Swans again, then passed the most northerly Japanese Knotweed in the UK and Skaw Beach - yes, you guessed it - the most northerly! There we saw a strange plant at the top of the beach that, after some research, I identified as Wormwood. On the strandline we found the seaweeds Tangle, Furbelows and Sugar Kelp. We also found Seamat (a very simple colonial animal) growing on the fronds of the seaweed with some strange little projections, in the seashore book it called them tower cells, something I had never seen before - well done for finding them, Chris! We got some good close views of a female Eider and her chicks. On the way back we saw a White Wagtail with two chicks.

Then it was straight to Hermaness, a rocky headland with the largest Gannetry in Shetland on it, with over 11,000 pairs. We had a brief stop at the Loch of Cliff and saw over 100 Bonxies loafing about after having had a wash in the fresh water. We had a look around the visitor centre, used the facilities, then we ready for our walk. We headed over the moors to the cliffs where we had lunch; the views were just stunning as we looked at thousands of seabirds and the vast horizon in front of us. We caught sight of Muckle Flugga and its lighthouse, and yes, it is the most northerly. We were treated to some great views of Bonxies on the moor, some only metres from the path. A few had chicks that had just hatched in the last few days, tiny, beige, fluffy balls with legs and a beak.

After the walk it was agreed that we should go for tea and cake, so we went to the cafe at Saxa Vord (the old RAF base) and enjoyed a cup of tea, and then headed back to Baltasound via the replica Viking long house at Haroldswick and the most northerly bus stop.

We all went to the Keen of Hamar to look for the rare plants there. The Holy Grail was Edmondston's Chickweed, a plant only found in two sites in the world, both on Unst. We did some searching and, using the helpfully located mobile interpretation, we found some and then, of course, more and more once we got our eye in. Then there was also Frog Orchid and Moss Campion. It was great fun doing the searching, and the group really started to get their eyes in for these tiny plants.

A trip to the 16th Century Muness Castle was offered, and we headed south to this most northerly castle (of course!). It is quite small but very grand. The person who built it, Lawrence Bruce, was not a very nice man, though. Then it was time to head back to the Hotel. What a great day out it had been.

An Otter watch was offered, and a few of the guests came out. After 45 minutes nothing appeared, so they left. I thought, well I am here, I will give it an hour and, about 10 minutes later, a head popped up. I beckoned furiously (but silently) to the guests who had departed; I caught their eye as they walked up the road and Sylvia

Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

hurried back down. She and I were treated to 30 minutes of two Otters diving and feeding, and even the sight of one sprainting! Sylvia agreed it was worth coming back for.

Day 8 Monday 27th June

Unst & Sullom Voe For our last day, the weather was 15°C, damp in the morning but sunny in the afternoon. It was an early departure to get the ferry, but we were all very organised and got away bang on time. We travelled down through Unst and then Yell, keeping our eyes peeled for Otters at the ferry terminals. At Toft on the Mainland, I decided that we should have a good look for Otters there. So we parked up and spied to the left and right. I spotted an Otter in the distance on the other side of the bay, so I called the group over and we were treated to one of the best Otter sightings I have seen. The Otter got progressively closer to us as it hunted in the shallows. In the end, it was no more than 50 feet away from us. As we where sheltering behind some parked buses, it couldn't see our shapes but maybe it smelt us. We were watching it for 30 minutes, just a fantastic sighting for our last day.

We made our way past the Oil Terminal at Sullom Voe to look at the new gas plant that is being built and providing another boom for Shetland. The site is huge, and set to remain busy with the new oil and gas fields being explored west of Shetland in the deep waters there. Then we stopped at the Burn of Valayre. This site is the largest native woodland regeneration scheme in Shetland. It isn't very big but still there were Downy Birch, Rowan, Aspen, Alder and Eared Willow. There was lots of Cuckoo-spit in the vegetation there. Our last stop before lunch was at Mavis Grind, the narrow isthmus between the Atlantic and North Sea. It is said you could throw a stone from one sea to the other, but you would need some arm to do that!

We arrived at the Lerwick Museum and had a great lunch at the Hay's Dock restaurant there. There was time for some last-minute shopping or museuming, and then it was time to get the ferry and sail off out the Sooth Mooth. With the fine weather we got great views as we passed Mousa and the Sumburgh Head and then, eventually, Fair Isle.

We had a very smooth crossing back and, once back in Aberdeen, we all said our goodbyes and our fantastic trip to Shetland was over.

From the group, the wildlife of the week was as follows: Red-necked Phalarope, the Wren family, Red-throated Diver, Storm Petrel, Gannet, Fulmar and Otter.

The place of the week was jointly awarded to Noss and to Meal Beach.

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Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

Species Lists

Birds (=recorded but not counted) June Common name Scientific name 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1 Greylag Goose Anser anser        2 Mute Swan Cygnus olor     3 Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus     4 Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna  5 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope    6 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos     7 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca    8 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula     9 Common Eider Somateria mollissima       10 Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator      11 Great Northern Diver Gavia immer  12 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata        13 Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis      14 European Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus   15 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea     16 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus        17 European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis         18 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo       19 Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus         20 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus       21 European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria  22 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula      23 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago      24 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa  25 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica  26 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus  27 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata        28 Common Redshank Tringa totanus        29 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres    30 Dunlin Calidris alpina       31 Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus  32 Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla     33 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus       34 Common Gull Larus canus         35 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus         36 European Herring Gull Larus argentatus         37 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus        38 Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis  39 Common Tern Sterna hirundo  40 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea         41 Great Skua Stercorarius skua         42 Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus      43 Common Guillemot Uria aalge        44 Razorbill Alca torda        45 Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle        46 Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica      

Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

June Common name Scientific name 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 47 Common Pigeon (Rock Dove) Columba livia        48 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus    49 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto  50 Rook Corvus frugilegus    51 Hooded Crow Corvus cornix        52 Northern Raven Corvus corax      53 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis       54 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica    55 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita   56 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla   57 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes     58 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris        59 Common Blackbird Turdus merula        60 Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe        61 House Sparrow Passer domesticus       62 White Wagtail Motacilla alba    63 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii   64 Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis        65 Eurasian Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus    66 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis  67 Twite Linaria flavirostris 

Mammals 1 European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus        3 Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra    4 Stoat Mustela erminea  5 Harbour (Common) Seal Phoca vitulina        6 Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus       

Insects 1 White-tailed Bumblebee Bombus magnus     2 Shetland Bumblebee Bombus muscorum agricolae   3 Large White Pieris brassicae    4 Diamond-backed Moth Plutella xylostella    5 Daddy-longlegs (Cranefly sp) Tipula sp.  6 Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius       

Other Invertebrates 1 European Black Slug Arion ater  2 Seamat Membranipora membranacea  3 Keelworm Pomatoceros triqueter 

Plants 1 Water Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile   2 Common Horsetail Equisetum arvense      3 Hard Fern Blechnum spicant  4 Bracken Pteridium aquilinum  5 Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis        6 Rowan Sorbus aucuparia    

Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

June Common name Scientific name 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 7 Hornbeam Carpinus betulus   8 Birch Betula pubescens  9 Ash Fraxinus excelsior     10 Creeping Willow Salix repens  11 Common Nettle Urtica dioica        12 Common Sorrel Rumex acetosa       13 Curl-leaved Dock Rumex crispus    14 Giant Knotweed Fallopia sachalinensis  15 Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica    16 Annual Sea-blite Suaeda maritima  17 Pink Purslane Claytonia sibirica   18 Common Mousear Cerastium fontanum   19 Edmondston's Chickweed Cerastium nigrescens  20 Common Chickweed Stellaria media    21 Sea Sandwort Honckenya peploides  22 Ragged Robin Silene (Lychnis) flos-cuculi        23 Sea Campion Silene uniflora     24 Moss Campion Silene acaulis  25 Red Campion Silene dioica        26 Marsh-marigold Caltha palustris       27 Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris        28 Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens        29 Dame's Violet Hesperis matronalis    30 Sea Rocket Cakile maritima  31 Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis        32 Common Scurvygrass Cochlearia officinalis  33 Shepherd's Purse Capsella bursa-pastoris   34 Primrose Primula vulgaris   35 Lady's Mantle Alchemilla mollis   36 Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria     37 Silverweed Potentilla anserina       38 Tormentil Potentilla erecta       39 Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre  40 Bird's-foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus        41 Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria    42 White Clover Trifolium repens        43 Red Clover Trifolium pratense        44 Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca  45 Meadow Vetchling Lathyrus pratensis    46 Fairy Flax Linum catharticum  47 Heath Milkwort Polygala serpyllifolia    48 Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanaus        49 Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum     50 Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana  51 Marsh Pennywort Hydrocotyle vulgaris  52 Ground Elder Aegopodium podagraria     53 Wild Angelica Angelica sylvestris       54 Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium        55 Pignut Conopodium majus      56 Heather Calluna vulgaris        57 Bell Heather Erica cinerea  

Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

June Common name Scientific name 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 58 Thrift (Sea Pink) Armeria maritima        59 Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile    60 Wild Thyme Thymus vulgaris    61 Self-heal Prunella vulgaris    62 Creeping Forget-me-not Myosotis secunda   63 Foxglove Digitalis purpurea  64 Heath Speedwell Veronica officinalis  65 Lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica   66 Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor    67 Eyebright Euphrasia sp.   68 Greater Plantain Plantago major  69 Sea Plantain Plantago maritima    70 Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata   71 Buck's-horn Plantain Plantago coronopus   72 Round-leaved Sundew Drosera rotundifolia   73 Common Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris    74 Monkeyflower Mimulus guttattus      75 Copper Monkey Flower Mimulus x burnetii  76 Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata     77 Devil's-bit Scabious Succisa pratensis  78 Yarrow Achillea millefolium   79 Daisy Bellis perennis        80 Sea Mayweed Tripleurospermum maritimum   81 Pineappleweed Matricaria discoidea     82 Common Groundsel Senecio vulgaris  83 Colt's-foot Tussilago farfara  84 Perennial Sow-thistle Sonchus arvensis  85 Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare        86 Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense       87 Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre     88 Orange Hawkweed Pilosella aurantiaca  89 Black Knapweed Centaurea nigra  90 Dandelion Taraxacum officinale agg.       91 Mountain Everlasting Antennaria dioica  92 Marsh Ragwort Senecio aquaticus  93 Common Cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium        94 Hare's-tail Cottongrass Eriophorum vaginatum        95 Spring Squill Scilla verna       96 Bog Asphodel Narthecium ossifragum  97 Ramsons (Wild Garlic) Allium ursinum  98 Yellow Iris Iris pseudacorus        99 Frog Orchid Coeloglossum viride  100 Heath Spotted-orchid Dactylorhiza maculata        101 Northern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella        102 Early-purple Orchid Orchis mascula 

Seaweeds 1 Furbelows Saccorhiza polyschides   2 Tangle Laminaria hyperborea   3 Sugar Kelp or Sea Belt Saccharina latissima  

Shetland's Wildlife Tour Report

Naturetrek Facebook

We are delighted to launch the Naturetrek Facebook page so that participants of Naturetrek tours can remain in touch after the holiday and share photos, comments and future travel plans.

Setting up a personal profile at www.facebook.com is quick, free and easy. The Naturetrek Facebook page is now live; do please pay us a visit!

Red Campion

Group Photo Noss