Shetland 2021: Day 6. ORCA!!!

 Wednesday 13/10

Spot the Orca. This is the only shot taken at the time (Sharon Jack). I

With poor weather well and truly taking hold, we made a late start. I caught up on a work call whilst Andy cooked breakfast (decent but not up to his soup standards)..

By mid-morning we were musing options, and were considering heading to Unst to look for Arctic Redpolls. As we talked through options news came through on Whatsapp that there were Orca - Killer Whales to most people - cruising the bays on the north east side of Unst. Whilst it seemed highly unlikely that they would remain in the area, it was always a possibility. And there was nothing else to do given the weather and lack of migrants. So we were off. It's a long way up to Unst from Lerwick. The first leg is a 45-minute drive up to Toft, then 30 minutes on the ferry to Yell followed by a 17 mile drive north across the island to Gutcher before a final 15 minute ferry crossing on to Unst. 

As we had a few minutes before the second ferry we called-in at Sand Water where a male Ring-necked Duck did it's very best to look unimpressive, sharing the loch with a few Whooper Swans, Eurasian Wigeon and Tufted Ducks.

Ring-necked Duck

There had been a couple more recent reports of Orca, but the news wasn't too promising as they'd headed north out of Nor Wick bay and so along the largely inaccessible northern coast of the island. We debated tactics. There is only one accessible bay in the north of Unst - Bura Firth - but that is very narrow and surely no self-respecting Orca would head in there. I thought the sensible option was to head west and hope the animals continued to track the coastline. However the west coast is even less accessible than the north, with around 15km of sheer cliffs and no roads before the topography becomes sufficiently gentle to enable a road and a smattering of houses at Westing, which is where we encamped. It could be a long wait. We sat in the car and scanned the distant sea from a vantage point, not at all optimistic. Half an hour passed and we were already bored. Then the Shetland Facebook Orca Sightings group was updated. They had entered Bura Firth and were showing right now. Shit. We should have gone there. Never listen to me! Why did they listen to me? It's a large bay and maybe they'd linger. A high speed U turn preceded hitting the warp-speed button that Skoda's are so famous for. Eleven minutes drive said Google. Well Google has it's opinion, but we had a different one. Eight minutes later we skidded to a halt overlooking the Orca-less Bura Firth. Apparently they had departed around 10 minutes before our arrival; had we gone there from the ferry we'd have enjoyed breathtaking views. Arse.

We could have gone birding at that stage, but Jono and I were very much focused on one thing. We would head back to Westing and wait. There was no hurry given the miles of coast that the Orca would need to travel, and of course they could turn out to sea at any moment. It felt like a long shot, but it was closer than either of us had ever been to connecting with the infamous Shetland 'sea pandas'. We stopped to collect food at the 'Final Checkout', Britain's most northerly store, then headed back to Westing Bay where was parked by the beach alongside a couple of other hopefuls including Steve Hart and veteran Shetland Orca watcher Sharon Jack. It was just after 2pm when we settled-in.

Bird interest was limited, at least until a Little Egret appeared in front of us. I dismissed it far too easily without appreciating how rare a bird that is on Shetland (second record of the year we later found out). Thankfully Andy looked and discounted the possibility of an American Snowy Egret. 

Jono and I were focussed on scanning the sea. Again and again and again. The bay was sheltered, but beyond that the sea was rough and it would be easy to miss them. Sharon was encouraging and remained optimistic, and also provided some pretty fascinating background information on the local Orcas. Today's pod was the most regular group of Shetland animals, known as 'the 27s' - a photograph taken in Bura Firth earlier had confirmed that (as each animal has distinguishing marks).

Time passed. Hope seemed to be fading. Spirits slipped. A few people drifted away. We resolved to stay until it was dark, there was still time surely? How long does it take an Orca to swim 15km? Who knows.

Then, shortly after 5pm, Jono whispered "I think I've just seen a fin". We scanned but nothing. Jono was convinced and jumped out of the car to tell Sharon, who had coincidentally just had a text from Shetland Orca guru Hugh Harrop saying 'any minute now' (based on his estimation of their speed).  A couple of minutes passed, but I know Jono well enough to believe him when he's seen something. Then  Sharon shouted that she had them. I scanned a little further right and just then - out of the turbulent sea - an ORCA breached clean out of the water. WOW!!! What a way to see my first one. The pod of four animals then loomed in to view, including the single spectacular bull. Over the next 15 minutes the views through bins and scope were superb. They moved slowly around a couple of islands just offshore, clearly hunting for seals. The male even 'tail-slapped' at one point, and multiple times the famous white eye patches were clear out out of the water and the pale saddles visible. It was absolutely fantastic to finally see these magnificent animals. Whilst watching I made the conscious decision to not even try and take photos and simply enjoy the moment, and I'm so glad I did. 

We were ecstatic. Birds didn't matter. In fact I'd have taken Orca over a good week of birding. Once they were satisfied that there was nothing for them on the islets, they suddenly powered south - towards the Bluemull Sounds and possibly the ferry terminal. Again in to the car and another speedy drive to Belmont. Light was starting to fade, but Sharon told us there was a good chance they'd visit the salmon cage just offshore. We waited, but there was no sign so we boarded the next ferry. Despite it being almost pitch black, Jono and I stood on deck and scanned a little and - incredibly - Jono picked them up across the sound by another salmon cage. If only we'd headed to that one first, but still, we were very happy indeed. 

Superb as it was to finally see Orca, they left me wanting more and I very much hope to have that opportunity.

A few shots of the 27's below, all borrowed from the Shetland Orca Facebook group, but capturing the kind of encounter we enjoyed.

For me this was already the highlight of the trip, and a highlight of the year. We made the long journey back to Lerwick in buoyant mood. Chippy. Bed.