July

Reserve Officer for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) on the Island of Unst, Shetland.

Well, July has mostly gone on as June did, wind and showers interspersed with extra wind and more lashings of rain. At least the bog has returned to its full state of boggienes. The only exception to this was during the very last week, where the weather turned warm, sunny and dry, just right for my parents and sister to come and stay!

Animated Gannet Diving	Animated Orca

This month saw Shetland nature week, with activities organised at most of the different wildlife spectacles around the islands. To start the week a cruise was held, leaving Yell sound, heading up the coast of Yell, and up the west coast of Unst. It was rather a bumpy journey, but we got as far as Hermaness to see the Gannets, and could see Muckle Flugga clearly too. The strong currents and rough sea prevented us going around flugga, but we didn't mind as it had been bumpy enough already! We headed back the way we had come, taking a trip around Fetlar, and had a great time seeing the islands from the sea.

Dinner	Ringing Bonxie chicks	Gannet chick
Gannets on nests	See through wings almost	Bumpy cruise
Rory and the Penningtons	Edmondstons Chickweed	Meadow Pipit nest
Rescuing a Gannet	Rabbit	Unloading the Noss Ferry
Arctic Tern mobbing Arctic Skua	Basking Seals	Twite

Later in the week I led a guided walk around Hermaness, and also the Keen of Hamar, which were both well attended. To finish off the week was the Noss open day. I went onto the island on the Friday evening, and woke to find rather a rough morning blowing outside. Unfortunately the swell coming through Noss sound meant that it wasn't safe to run the zodiac ferries, so the event had to be cancelled for the first time ever! This left those of us on the island to take down two marqees and ship everything across the sound whilst trying not to fall in or loose anything off the side of the zodiac.

Paul Bloomer drawing	Noss cliffs	Sabirds on Noss cliffs
View across Noss	Otter	Otter
Looking onto Noss	Puffin in a sunny gale	Soaring Puffin
Gannet from behind	Gannet soaring	Fragarent Orchid
Fragarent Orchid	Close up of Fragarent Orchid	Snipe nest with eggs

The Diver ringing weekend arrived, and sure enough so did the worst of the weather this summer. Driving rain and gales, part of the gravel path onto the reserve even got washe away. Sufice to say the ringing was postponed until a few days later when the weather eased. I felt very lucky to be able to get so close to a protected species, as you have to have a licence to disturb or photograph them at their breeding sites.

Pure energy - wind and hydrogen power	Orcas	Orcas
Orcas underwater	Orcas	Orcas
Bull Orca	Whos been to the sales?	Admiring the Muckle Flugga view
Lunch at Muckle Flugga lighthouse	Leaving in the zodiac	Glen enjoying the ride
Simon	Me and Jonathan	Puffins

At the end of the month during the fine weather we were able to go out in the zodiac to count the gannets that couldn't be seen from the cliffs. We even had time to go and have lunch on Muckle Flugga beside the lighthouse, a very special treat I think.

Yacht leaving Burrafirth	Gannets	Peacock Butterfly
Gannet diving	Peacock Butterfly
Muckle Flugga	Burrafirth rainbow	Hermaness cliffs