Posted by Brydon Thomason on Sunday 9th April 2023 | News

It really great to have images featured in the accompanying and inspiring ‘Wild Isles’ book, alongside so many amazing photographers. The Gannets, Orca and Otter images below are three of the images, which are also the headline acts of our new Late Summer Seabirds & Cetacean itinerary.

How incredible has the monumental ‘Wild Isles’ series been?! To see the magnificent wildlife of the British Isles celebrated like never before on our screens, and with Sir David Attenborough really has been incredibly moving. The series has created a wonderful vibe throughout the UK nature community with fascinating stories and spectacles through some sensational filming from all corners of our home islands.

Never before has such a mammoth project been undertaken, involving so many individuals, teams, organisations and companies from researchers to naturalists, photographers to camera-operators, producers to editors to list but a handful and the results are truly epic. Huge congratulations to everyone at all levels – especially the Silverback Films team.

The series has not only inspired and educated by showcasing the world-class wildlife of our home, but it has done so with a very powerful narrative throughout- the desperate need for change. The much talked about sixth episode, ‘Save our Wild Isles’, is especially worth a watch.

As always, it is really special to see Shetland profiled so strongly and particularly to see my very good friend and colleague Richard Shucksmith in the first episode, who did the Orca and the islands proud. Though my own involvement was cut short on the Otter shoot with Richard, (the camera malfunctioned and had to be sent away! ), It was also really cool to see so many of my Shetland Nature Colleagues involved on various shoots elsewhere, including Josh Jaggard, Raymond Bessant and Rachel Bigsby.

NEW for August 2023: Late Summer Seabirds & Cetacean
Saturday 5^th to Saturday 12^th August

So, built around the marvellous momentum of ‘Wild Isles’ series, and to celebrate Shetlands Orca, Otters and Gannets that were so brilliantly profiled we are delighted to launch this unique new tour itinerary, Shetlands Late Summer Seabirds & Cetaceans which focuses primarily on three of Shetland’s star wildlife attractions – seabirds, Otters and cetaceans. Focusing on these throughout the latter weeks of the summer is something we do every year on our day tours and bespoke holiday bookings, but this season, it feels particularly appropriate to add it to our holiday program.

For many of Shetland’s species the brief northern breeding season is already ending by August, yet for most, especially sea birds, the season is in full swing. Though Common Guillemot chicks have left their ledges and Kittiwakes are fledging, Gannetries are a raucous hustle and bustle of activity with chicks still a few weeks from fledging and on the clifftops and grassy slopes, Atlantic Puffins are still present in decent numbers, as are the mighty Great Skuas, which are still yet to fledge their chicks and Arctic Skua give chase to Arctic Terns in their dramatic aerial pursuits.

This is also peak time for cetaceans, being the time of year we tend to see the widest range of species inshore, particularly those that are following the Mackerel, Herring and Saithe that amass in our waters in this season.

Quite remarkably, even before end of year 2022, all our 2023 core season holidays were already full. This new itinerary will hopefully help cater for at least some of the increased demand following Wild Isles series. We hope to see you soon and look forward to share our own ‘wild Isles’ with you!

Contact us for more information or to book.

With very best wishes from myself and all the team at Shetland Nature,
Brydon Thomason