Testimonials

Professional and exceptional – highly recommended. Dominic Mitchell – Birdwatch Magazine, Managing Editor

Brydon has grown up with “his” otters and understands them better than anyone else I know. I spent a week with Brydon during which we found otters every day, leading to some superlative photography. David Tipling

I met Brydon when I was visiting Herma Ness, northern Unst, on a press visit to this wonderful seabird colony. His warm, friendly, personable manner, combined with his depth of knowledge made the whole trip a joy – our laughter mingling with the cries of ten thousand seabirds. It is nigh on impossible to trump the experience of walking between nesting Bonxies, going eyeball to eyeball with thousands of Gannets or watching Puffins at point blank range. Brydon managed it, though, when he picked out a surfacing pod of Orcas offshore while our jaws dropped. Brilliant! Mike Weedon – Bird Watching Magazine, Peterborough

When I visited Shetland in rarity-laden autumn 2009, I was lucky enough to be in the capable hands of ‘Shetland Nature’. What more could anyone want? Brydon’s birding team of Roger Riddington, Martin Garner, Rob Fray and others, need no introduction to hardened birders. These ornithological gurus are also welcoming, instructive and undoubtedly leaders in their field of bird identification. If you want to connect with the next First for Britain, I’d recommend placing yourself in their charge come migration season. Fiona Barcla – Manager, Birdguides

Twenty years earlier I was on Shetland for a month with a colleague filming Otters for the BBC Natural History Unit. In that amount of time you get a feel for your quarry. This winter I was back again for Otters and a Shetland contact put me in touch with Brydon. Within minutes of meeting him I knew he also had an empathy for wildlife which only comes with years of experience gained from watching and following animals closely. An unassuming polite fellow who has excellent local knowledge and field craft. Otters are not easy to find let alone follow, but Brydon was able to read the signs and locate them quickly. They may be his first passion but he has a vast knowledge of Shetland’s wildlife with a passion for the Birdlife coming a very close second. So if you need a wildlife guide on Shetland then you’ll not go far wrong with Brydon. Manuel Hinge – BBC Wildlife Film Maker

This was my first birding tour, and it’s hard to see how it could be bettered – good weather brought good birds to be enjoyed in beautiful surroundings, expert leading and each hard day’s birding was finished off with a terrific meal and lots of laughs. Paul-Bright Thomas

A big thank you for organising such a great week – I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it! A big thanks too, for putting up with such a comparative ‘rookie’ in your midst – you couldn’t have been more helpful and patient. Chris Kirby

The accommodation at Saxa Vord was very comfortable, and the meals provided were excellent. Having done a few tours to Shetland, I can honestly say that this was the most enjoyable trip that I have experienced. Andrew Dodd

In June 2008 our Group arranged for two guided trips round parts of the Shetlands – we booked with Shetland Nature Cruises and Tours (picked from the web). We made an excellent choice – Brydon’s attitude and enthusiasm for all aspects of Shetland’s wildlife were exceptional. Our Group was particularly interested in otters, so Brydon’s specialist local knowledge of them turned out to be just what we wanted. We’re birders and botanists too – again we were not disappointed in the birds we saw and identified (both resident and migratory) or in the plants we saw. Without Brydon’s feel for the islands in general and Fetlar in particular our trips would have been much less comprehensive and much less enjoyable. We’ll be calling on Brydon again when we next go to the Shetlands, and we heartily recommend him to other wildlifers. Peter Pilbeam – Cambridgeshire Mammal Group

Brydon gave me best otter watching experience I could have ever wished for, on two occasions we saw a family of 3 and on the third occasion 7, such a knowledgeable person plus an expert birder, making the trip to Shetland an experience never to be forgotten and well worth repeating in 2009. Barbara Gardner Norfolk

We would highly recommend the guiding services provided by Brydon for any one visiting Shetland. We were particularly impressed in Brydon’s approach, without the usual compromises for tourism that we have seen else where, we were genuinely able to view nature in a natural and undisturbed manner. In 2007 Brydon was able to give us a unique experience of watching otters and other wildlife in places only a locally born and bred Shetlander would have known about. Brydons knowledge of the Shetland bird life is remarkable and in particular his genuine enthusiasm allowed us to enjoy watching and spotting birds that we would have certainly missed on our own. His willingness to explain any aspect of wildlife and life in general in Shetland was stimulating, leaving us wanting more! Steve and Christine Redwood Essex

Brydon was recommended to us at our hotel when we asked about guiding in order to maximize our chances of seeing the wildlife we wanted to see during our short stay on Shetland. Local knowledge is everything and in the two trips we took with Brydon it was clear that we were in the company of someone with that valuable asset. Brydon’s knowledge and enthusiasm are second to none. His finger is on the pulse with all the latest sightings and we got to see the Phalaropes and Otters that we so much wanted to see. We certainly recommend Brydon and will not hesitate to contact him again when we return to the beautiful Shetlands. Rob and Yvone Barker

If you really want to get close to nature on the Shetland islands, there is no better way than to go on one of the expeditions run by Shetland Nature Cruises and Tours .  As it was our first trip to Shetland we wanted to see as much as possible of the island’s wildlife. We consulted the local tourist office in Lerwick and they recommended we tried Brydon’s company. This turned out to be an excellent choice. Brydon was very knowledgeable, knew exactly where to go to find all manner of birds and mammals and gave us the opportunity to observe them at close quarters in their own habitat.  We will have no hesitation in calling him up again when we return to Shetland and look forward to enjoying another of his exciting expeditions. Richard and Sandra Sceats Essex