Over the past several months we’ve been working with our brilliant Species on the Edge Youth Panel to plan a trip to Shetland! This would be an opportunity for them to see some of our projects in action, meet and learn from local delivery partners such as Shetland Amenity Trust and RSPB Shetland, carry on developing their conservation and project management skills, and – of course – to spend time together as a cohort and generally have a brilliant time! And this July, the week arrived, the sun came out(!) and a truly unforgettable time was had.
Here’s a look at what we got up to 👇
🐳 Day 1: Wildlife & conservation action
We kicked the trip off at Sumburgh Head for some incredible wildlife watching – kittiwakes, razorbills, puffins, bonxies and even a pod of orcas! The orca pod was a first-time sighting for several panel members as well as SotE staff – what a start to the trip!
Next up we visited the tern rafts at Spiggie Loch – rafts we’ve worked with RSPB Shetland to install on the loch which are designed to provide safe breeding habitat for Shetland’s precious terns.
While in the area we got to visit some croft-land where we’ve been working with the crofter to help her support biodiversity on her croft using virtual fence collars. These collars allow her to graze areas of her land that had previously been un-usable due to a lack of fencing. With the introduction of grazing to these areas, we’re now seeing wildflowers popping up across the area and plenty of pollinators making the most of this new food source! We even spotted one of our priority species, the Shetland bumblebee! Lucas, our youth panellist for the north coast and self-professed bumblebee enthusiast, was particularly delighted!
We ended the day with some filming on the beach and a paddle in the evening sun ☀️
⛴ Day 2: Island hopping & big discoveries
On day 2 we headed north, taking the ferry over to Yell and Unst. At the Keen of Hamar on Unst, SotE Project Officer Becca joined us to search for the elusive ‘peerie red scarred wan’ (aka the plantain leaf beetle). We were all absolutely delighted when our Shetland youth panellist, Christine, spotted one! The moment was made even more special due to the fact that this was her very first sighting of the peerie beetle – in spite of several past trips to Unst to search for the beastie.
Afterwards, Sam (SotE People Engagement Officer for Orkney who joined us for the trip) ran a brilliant nature connection session on the beach, giving the youth panelists tools and skills to lead their our own nature connection activities back in their communities.
And to end the day, we couldn’t be so far north without visiting the UK’s most northerly fish & chip shop!
Day 3: Planting & print-making
On our final day, we planted plug plants at the site of a new wildflower meadow – a joint project of Species on the Edge, Shetland Amenity Trust and Shetland Islands Council. Now that’s what we call partnership working!
To close our trip we visted local artist Diane Garrick, who we have worked with on our Art in Nature project – a fantastic project helping people in Shetland connect with their local landscape and wildlife through art workshops. Diane guided us through a lino printing workshop and everyone got to create a personalised print to take home.
A huge, huge thank you goes to everyone who made this trip so special. We headed back on the ferry with big smiles, new skills, and incredible memories!
