Shetland

 Sunday July 2

We woke early today to take advantage of the ship’s passing Noss Head, a set of cliffs famous as a sea bird nursery. We saw hundreds (if not more) Northern Gannets, Northern Fulmar, and Common Murre, as well as European Shags and the predatory Great Skua.  There are two bird biology researchers on board the ship, collecting samples for a study on the spread of bird flu. This is a terrific resource for us! We learned that sea birds take several years to mature, unlike most land based birds, and that seabirds live much longer — over twenty years. In the case of gannets, it takes five years before they reach maturity.  During this time they are learning to effectively support themselves.  Once they mate they must be able to support themselves and a chick.  Sea birds, in general, mate for life (or for many years) and  return to the same nesting location year after year, while going their separate ways after mating season.

The  ship docked at Lerwick ( the capital of the Shetland Islands) as we had breakfast. We spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon on a trip to Sumburgh Head and the Jarlshof historical site. On the bus ride south, we learned about the history and geology of the Shetland Islands, a collection of 100 islands of which 16 are inhabited. There are lighthouses on most of the islands, many of which were built by the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. We also saw some Shetland ponies, including one pulling a small cart with a young woman aboard, down the Main Street of a village. 

At Sumburgh Head, we dawdled a bit by the cliffs and were rewarded with some spectacular bird viewing, including 5 puffins at quite close range. We walked along the cliffs for about two miles (seeing more new birds) to reach Jarlshof. Prior to 1890, only the ruins of an Elizabethan manor house were visible on the grounds of a large Victorian farm. The ruins were named “Jarlshof” or “Earl’s House” by Sir Walter Scott on a visit in 1814. Then in 1890 a storm causes the sea bank to collapse, exposing much older ruins, which the landowner arranged to have excavated. On one relatively small site there are ruins of Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Pict, and Viking settlements. It was fascinating to see them in such close proximity, and to marvel at how long dry stone walls can survive. 

After a late lunch we strolled around the shoreline of Lerwick and through the town center. We amused ourselves looking for locations from the Shetland TV series. We found Jimmy Perez’s house as well as the police station.  We will need to rewatch the first couple of episodes so we can compare our photos with the aspects of the town depicted on the show.

Pictured: Atlantic Puffins, Jarlshof Iron Age settlement, Shetland pony with cart, Seacliffs at Noss Head