Where is the best place to spot wildlife in Shetland?

In Shetland, wildlife is abundant, and sightings are common. There are a few places where wildlife is more likely to be seen, but the important thing to remember is that you could spot wildlife anywhere, always be on the lookout and keep binoculars handy.

It’s also important to say that, depending on what you want to see, you may wish to visit different areas. Most people want to see killer whales, or orcas, while in Shetland. The best way to find out if they have been spotted is through social media and joining the Shetland Orcas Facebook page.

This is an excellent place to watch seabirds and look out for passing cetaceans. At the southernmost tip of mainland Shetland, the North Sea and the North Atlantic meet, causing a lot of tide. One ornithologist explained it as creating a kind of ‘fish soup’ as all the sea nutrients are mixed together and stirred up as the seas meet. It provides wildlife with rich fishing grounds as a result. If you don’t see any wildlife, the Wildlife Centre is open throughout the summer and has interesting and interactive displays about Shetland wildlife.

Hermaness is a fantastic place to see seabirds, particularly in the summer when they come ashore to breed. Colonies of puffins and gannets bring the cliffs alive in a noisy babble as birds jostle for space. The walk leads over open moorland, so there’s a great variety of birds here, including the nesting great skua that menacingly commands the hills. This is the most northerly part of Shetland, and sometimes passing whales are seen as they round the point of the isles around Muckle Flugga, so make sure you scan the horizon.

Noss is another place where whales are frequently seen, and it also has an impressive gannet colony. Expect to see seals, both common and grey here too.

Mousa has one of the largest colonies of storm petrels in the UK. These tiny seabirds can be seen on an evening tour to the isle. Mousa is also home to a colony of Arctic terns and skuas. The enigmatic black guillemot is usually seen nesting in the 2,000-year-old broch, and the Mill Loch is a fantastic place to see red-throated divers.

If it’s otters that you want to see, explore some of the sheltered voes and channels at low tide. Shetland has the largest density of Eurasian otters in Europe and, although sometimes hard to find, you’ll be surprised where you will find them. Many otters live around Lerwick, and they’re frequently spotted around the harbour, Hay’s Dock area and the Sea Road near Fjara cafe. Sometimes all you need to do is sit back with a morning coffee and wait for them to make an appearance.

My advice is to go out and enjoy Shetland; the wildlife is abundant and it will find you. Ensure that you have a bird identification book in your pocket, binoculars close at hand and follow the updates on the social media page to see where you’ll find it.

In a single year, in the main town of Lerwick, I saw killer whales, otters, seals, Arctic terns and a minke whale. You don’t need to go far to enjoy some incredible wildlife experiences.