Shetland Seabird Tours - The Noss Boat

06/09/2026

A little video from this morning of the incredible EGYPTIAN NIGHTJAR at Eastshore, Virkie, Shetland. The 3rd for Britain, 1st for Scotland/Shetland found by our friend and colleague Roger Riddington on his driveway yesterday! OM SYSTEM 50-200mm F2.8 Is Pro lens with x2 TC

05/09/2026

Shetland has added many birds to the British List, but sometimes it is when the near-mythical birds that have only ever been seen very rarely in the past turn up that you really drop your jaw. This Egyptian Nightjar, a bird that should be in the Sahara Desert, was found just outside his house at Virkie by Roger Riddington. It is the third British record. One was shot in Nottinghamshire in June 1883 and another was seen by a single fortunate observer in Dorset in June 1984. Ironically, the identity of the latter has just been the subject of discussion, following the publication of a record a pale desert race of Eurasian Nightjar in Europe. Then, in westerly winds, an Egyptian Nightjar turns up in Shetland in September. You really can't predict what will come next! Photo by John Coutts.

04/09/2026

01/09/2026

29/08/2026

A passing bull Grey Seal among the yachts and pelagic fishing boats at the end of the afternoon Noss Boat tour a few days ago! Look at those whiskers!

29/08/2026

Beautiful peerie Taz had her first full groom today! 🌟
She is such a sweetheart, and loves being pampered ❤️🐾

26/08/2026

Superb cetacean sightings for The Noss Boat team and lucky 🍀 passengers over the last few days before the SE wind and swells set it. Here are bow riding White-beaked Dolphins - a real treat for 12 happy passengers 😆 out on the water!! Each of our 3 daily scheduled tours, over 3 days, saw either White-beaked Dolphins🐬 or Risso’s Dolphins as well as the seabird extravaganza 🙌 !!

Wonderful late summer marine wildlife encounters! Our B&B guests at Ortolan House overlooking the harbour also enjoyed watching Orca from the house during breakfast! 🫍…..Shetland at its best ❤️

🐬 hins

24/08/2026

Bonxies - survivors of a storm

The Great Skua, the Bonxie, is one of Shetland’s great characters. Fierce, powerful and utterly at home amongst our windswept cliffs.

But beneath that familiar sight lies a remarkable story of survival.

The devastating outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2022 swept through Shetland’s seabird colonies, with Bonxies among the species hit hardest. On Noss alone, breeding numbers fell by 78%, from 476 territories in 2018 to just 103 in 2022. (NatureScot⁠)

There are signs of recovery, but it is slow. In 2024, 80 territories were recorded on Noss - an encouraging increase from 69 the previous year, but still just a fraction of the pre-bird-flu population. (NatureScot⁠)

So every Bonxie we see now feels that little bit more special.

A bird that has survived one of the most devastating events ever to hit our seabird colonies.

Long may these magnificent birds continue to patrol the skies above Noss and other Shetland traditional sites. ❤️