SHETLAND – DAY TWO!

I don't know what happened this morning, but I didn't hear my phone alarm and realised I hadn't set my little alarm clock either. I woke up at 7.45am – breakfast starts at 7.30am and I had wanted to get out early today. Sometimes you have no choice but to catch up on sleep and after having a lovely breakfast, I really needed to catch up on the blog from yesterday and edit pictures, otherwise I will get dangerously behind. It simply wouldn't work doing this later this evening as I would end up going to bed late and tomorrow I want to be totally awake and with it. I still feel tired today, but nothing like I did yesterday. Tomorrow I leave here and head south to my self-catering accommodation at Levenwick, for the rest of my time in Shetland. This means I have to do a Tescos food shop in Lerwick before I head south, so will be doing that at 7am before breakfast at 7.30am. I will get into a good routine from tomorrow hopefully.

I headed north this afternoon and ended up on a very long scenic drive, all the way up to Sandness Pier! I have never driven in Shetland and it is challenging at times! You can't birdwatch whilst you drive here – you would end up in a loch! It was simply spectacular – I love having a car and going exactly where I fancy – the freedom is fabulous. I attempted to go the Dale of Walls to find a particular copse and burn that I went to with Oriole birding, but I couldn't find it. I have contacted Ashley and he has kindly sent me a map, so I will attempt this another time whilst here. I ended up at a dead end by a little farm house, with a burn, some chickens and a intrigued tabby cat! I can not work out where this was! Retraced part of the route and turned left somewhere! A Heron flew up from a loch as I drove round a particularly sharp and hair raising bend. There seemed to be Redwings and Fieldfares scattering all along my route this afternoon.

 Looking across to Papa Stour

 Holm of Melby from the pier at Sandness

 SANDNESS

I drove along a beautiful road that held a lot of birds, including lots of thrushes, a female Blackcap and a Goldcrest both in the grass adjacent to a dry stone wall and garden and also a Rock Dove in a field. I ended up at Sandness Pier – wow what a beautiful place overlooking The Sound of Papa to the island of Papa Stour! By the pier on the stony beach with tons of seaweed, there was a feeding frenzie of hundreds of Starlings, a Chaffinch, lots of Ringed Plovers, Turnstones, Knot x 4, Redshanks and Hooded Crows! I could have stayed here watching the scene for ages, but sensibly needed to leave, I didn't want to be returning to Lerwick on single track roads in the dark! The difference between drivers in Shetland and Norfolk is very different.... in Norfolk when you pass someone who has had to wait for you to drive past on a narrow road or you have waited for them, at best you get an hand going up in acknowledgment, but here on Shetland you get a hand going up, a cheery smile and a head nod from most – it was so nice to see.

Hooded Crow foraging amongst the seaweed

Ringed Plover

On route back I stopped to look at 5 Whooper Swans x 5 in a loch. Took lots of stunning sunset pictures on the way back. Also saw some more Redshanks and several Wigeon in another loch. A Raven sat on a post by an old ruin, as the light faded but flew off before I had the chance to photograph it. I just made it back to the outskirts of Lerwick before it got seriously dark. The view of the harbour and all the boats lit up at night is amazing to say the least.

I headed into town and bought some fish 'n' chips, which cost me £8 and ate these in the car. Returned to my b+b. Good night!