It's not just the weather Gods shining on us at the moment - the Orca Gods are too! An amazing morning for our @shetlandwildlife.bsky.social 'Walk Shetland' group as we watched the '65s' pod close inshore off Gulberwick and Easter Quarff 🖤🤍 #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK #UKWildlife

A few pics from our 5 - 12 July 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' tour with Orcas as one of the highlights. www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... #birdingscotland #ukbirding #wildflowers #ukwildlife #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK #Shetland

Happy smiling faces for David's 'Ultimate Shetland' group yesterday with fabulous views of the '65s' Orcas close inshore off the east Mainland of Shetland. Here's bull 'Busta' passing us at Kirkabister. 🖤🤍 📷 @hughharrop.bsky.social #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK

A few pics from our 21 - 28 June 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' tour. www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... #birdingscotland #ukbirding #wildflowers #ukwildlife

Our 'Ultimate Shetland' group enjoyed a fabulous encounter with Orcas yesterday in the east Mainland of Shetland. The grouping comprised the '65s' (including the huge bull 'Busta') and three of the 27s pod. Enjoy these excellent pics by Hannah Loughnane. 🖤🤍 #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK

Our two 'Ultimate Shetland' groups enjoyed the Summer Solstice on Mousa watching and listening to hundreds of Storm Petrels returning ashore to the Iron Age Broch at 'dusk'. Have a listen! Video by tour participant David Sowdon. #birdingscotland #ukbirding #ukwildlife

A few pics from our 14 - 21 June 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' tour. www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... #birdingscotland #ukbirding #wildflowers #ukmammals #ukwildlife

A few pics from our 7 - 14 June 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' tour. www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #MarineMammals

A few pics from our 7 - 14 June 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' tour. www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds #MarineMammals

Lovely displays of Edmonston's Chickweed (aka Shetland Mouse-ear) on the serpentine fellfield at Keen of Hamar last week for our @shetlandwildlife.bsky.social Ultimate Shetland group.This Cerastium is endemic to the island of Unst and found nowhere else in the World. A must-see! #wildflowers

David and our Ultimate Shetland group found this migrant Honey Buzzard at Eshaness on Thursday. At one stage it was mobbed by an Arctic Skua! The species is a rare visitor to our shores with only a handful of records every year. Pics by tour participant Jeff Smith. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #Birds

A few pics from our 31 May - 7 June 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' tour. www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil...

A few pics from our 24 - 31 May 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' tour. shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... #Birds #Shetland #Scotland #Wildlife

Yesterday we chartered The Mousa Boat and headed to Noss with our Ultimate Shetland group. We enjoyed calm seas and lovely weather for our Shetland seabird tour aboard the spacious and stable 'Solan IV' for close up views of 1000s of birds and amazing geology. What a day! ☀️⛴️ #BirdingScotland #Birds

Oysterplant photographed in the north Mainland last week on our Ultimate Shetland tour by Hugh. This gorgeous maritime perennial is now restricted to just a handful of coastal sites in Shetland. The stunning flowers are pink in bud and change to a lovely blue as they open. #wildflowers

This week we are enjoying the wildlife and scenery of #Mull and #Iona. The days have flown by and thus far we've seen White-tailed and Golden Eagles, 100s of Puffins, Bottle nosed Dolphins, Otters, Harbour Porpoise, Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owls, Wood Warblers, Redstarts and spectacular weather.

We just ❤️ this image of an Otter photographed on one of our Shetland tours by participant Charis Sinclair.

Two spaces have become available on our 28 June - 5 July 2025 'Ultimate Shetland' week. Details are at shetlandwildlife.co.uk/holidays/wil... A few highlights from previous trips ⬇️ 🪶 🌿🐬

A few pics from our Winter Wildlife & Up Helly Aa trip last week. Highlights included Bufflehead, Ross’s Goose, American Coot, American Wigeon, Hen Harrier, Iceland & Glaucous Gulls, Otters & several Mountain Hares. Pics 🔽 by bsky.app/profile/hugh... #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds

A few pics from the Lerwick Up Helly Aa fire festival last week. An amazing experience for our two groups! Images 🔽 by bsky.app/profile/hugh...

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

Nature's very own firework show - a beautiful and very active #Aurora for over an hour here in #Shetland this evening. #auroraborealis #northernlights @stormhour.bsky.social

BELUGA: No.1 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen on 2024 tours. This beautiful Arctic animal was the 6th record for Shetland and spent just over a week off the north Mainland. We have no idea where it moved to but hope it is thriving and back home in familiar waters. #MarineLife #MarineMammals

Another super day with #Orcas - this time with the 65s pod off Muckle Roe, #Shetland. Adult bull 'Busta' was with them and as spectacular as ever. We first documented him in 2005 when he was a fully grown bull and we estimate him to be at least 40 years old. #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK

No. 2 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on our 2024 tours: another encounter with #Orcas. This pod spent the day in Bressay Sound - but our Ultimate #Shetland group were on Unst at the time! Dinner delayed and this beautiful sight awaited us. #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK

No.3 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on our 2024 tours: an amazing from-land encounter for our Ultimate #Shetland group with five of the '27s' #Orcas. We enjoyed exceptional views down to just a few metres as they hugged the shoreline. #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK

No. 4 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on our 2024 tours: a 'superpod' of White-beaked Dolphins off south Mainland, #Shetland in October. Aerial counts indicated at least 250 individuals. Here's some aerial footage by @hughharrop.bsky.social #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK

No. 5 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on our 2024 tours: Red-backed Shrike. Spring will be remembered for the large numbers that made landfall in May. Nearly 100 birds were recorded by birders across #Shetland on one day alone, including this one in our garden. #ukbirding

No.6 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on our 2024 tours: Bluethroat. Very much a sought after species by those on our birding tours, fabled east winds at the right time of year in spring meant we saw several individuals, including a couple of singing males. #BirdingScotland #birds

No. 7 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on our 2024 tours - families of Whooper Swans. For many, seeing 'Whoopers' is a winter-only event, but the species first bred here in #Shetland 1994 and is now an annual breeder in very small numbers. #BirdingScotland #ukbirding #birds

No.8 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on our 2024 #Shetland tours: Risso's #Dolphins. We enjoyed several wonderful encounters throughout the season and also made several 'matches' of known individuals, akin to our photo ID work with Orcas. #MarineLife #MarineMammals #CetaceansUK

No. 9 in our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen by guests on 2024 tours is Turtle Dove. A familiar #Christmas reference to most but their plight is far from festive as both hunting and habitat loss render Turtle Dove one of the world’s most threatened long-distance migratory birds. #ukbirding #birds

In the run up to 2025 we'll be featuring our Top 10 highlights of wildlife seen on our 2024 tours. To kick the series off, here's No.10 - this magnificent migrant Long-eared Owl which spent a couple of days very conveniently in our #Shetland garden in May. #BirdingScotland #ukbirding #birds