SNH Area News


Northern Isles Correspondents: Juan Brown, Denise Woodford, Tim Dean


Studying sick fairies


The famous colony of storm petrels on the uninhabited island of Mousa in Shetland will be studied this year by Glasgow University PhD student HannahWatson. She’ll be looking at the effects of environmental stress on this tiny mysterious seabird, which looks for food far offshore and only returns to the colony in darkness. Mousa has the largest storm petrel


colony in Britain and supports perhaps 2% of the world population. The RSPB manage the island reserve, and there are night-time boat trips during the summer months. Visitors head for the Iron Age broch, which is an iconic Shetland landmark that provides nesting sites for many of the petrels. This dramatic setting comes alive with purring and hiccuping calls (likened to the sound of a fairy being sick!), as bat- like shapes flutter around the mighty stone walls. A recent census suggested that


the storm petrel population on Mousa is thriving, in contrast to many seabird species that have suffered in recent years because of a shortage of sandeels. The petrels feed on surface plankton and can perhaps cope better with food shortages because their chicks remain inactive while the adults search far and wide for food.


Festival time


Shetland Nature Festival will be taking place from 3 to 11 July. Now in its third year, the festival celebrates the wildlife and wide open spaces of Shetland, with events and activities to suit all ages and interests. Holding the festival in July


allows everyone to make the most of Shetland’s nature, when daylight lasts until late evening, cliffs are teeming with thousands of seabirds, wildflowers are blooming and there’s a good chance of spotting sea mammals. This year’s family-friendly events


start with an open day on Noss National Nature Reserve, which is a highlight in the diary for many local people and always popular with visitors. Throughout the week there will be


workshops such as ‘butterfly feeders’ and ‘creepy crawlies’, along with family fun days including ‘Shetland Rocks!’ and ‘Go wild with your child’. Local organisations will also be giving guided walks (pictured above), taking in some of Shetland’s most spectacular scenery and highlighting the varied wildlife of the islands. Other events include boat trips and talks. The festival is a joint venture


between the main partners Shetland Amenity Trust, RSPB Scotland and SNH. Check out the website www.shetlandnaturefestival.co.uk for further details.


44 The Nature of Scotland


Heavenly rain


Weary and blackened fire fighters were spread along the slopes of Grut Fea on the island of Hoy in April. Armed only with fire beaters, they represented the thin line of defence between the onrushing tongues of flames crackling through the tinder-dry heather and the ancient woodland in the Berriedale valley. The valley is home to the most


northerly natural woodland in Britain, holding Orkney’s largest stretch of native ancient forest. It’s thought to date back thousands of years to before the arrival of people on the Northern Isles. Its sheltered slopes give refuge to a special range of island plantlife, including downy birch, rowan, willow, aspen, two of Orkney’s three hazel trees, tree lungwort and other woodland plants. For many, it’s a place of pilgrimage. And then, with hungry flames


barely 30 paces from the wood and with the fire fighters in retreat, the wind swung round 180 degrees. As it did, the rain began to fall. The fatigued cheered and the local councillor described it as ‘divine intervention’. Who knows, maybe it was.


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