Visiting puffins at Sumburgh Head is one of my favourite things to do in summer.
The weathering of the sandstone cliffs creates ledges and crevices which provide the perfect spaces for nesting birds. Every year thousands gather her to breed.
Regular blog contributor Catherine Munro shares her favourite things to do in Shetland. Unsurprisingly, spotting puffins is on the list. Here she shares her experience as the little birds prepare to leave their clifftop burrows for another year.
The lighthouse and visitor centre offers an accessible place to view this spectacle. From here you can see guillemot and razorbill on large rocks close to the sea and fulmar pairs nestled into the cliff face. But puffins are the stars of the show and the bird most people want to see and this place offers fantastic opportunities to get up close and personal.
Puffins nest underground in burrows near the top of the cliffs and are often very close to the fences. These lovely little birds seem aware of your presence as you watch them, sometimes looking over in response to the sounds and movements of those gathered, but seem quite happy to continue going about their business.
My favourite is always the season’s first visit. I choose a sunny evening in late April or early May after the returning birds have been spotted on the cliffs.
In some ways this last trip of the season is a sad one, knowing these busy cliffs will soon be empty. But it is also a time of joy, knowing that just below our feet, the next generation of these wonderful birds are preparing to make their journey into the world.
Usually, it is a little later in the year that I first take the bairns to Sumburgh. By this time birds of various species are all present and the air is filled with their noise and activity.
While the kids entertain themselves by counting puffins or rolling down the grassy hill I love to sit and look around. The views from here are spectacular and I could spend hours gazing out to sea and watching the waves splash against the rugged coastline.
Although the seabirds may be the main attraction at Sumburgh, I also enjoy watching the smaller birds. Wrens, wheatears and sometimes rarer migrant species can be spotted seeking shelter in the drystone walls or rose bushes.
When the muckle daisies start to appear you know the season is changing and puffins will soon be gone. These last few days can be wonderful for puffin spotting.
You might glimpse pufflings peeking out of burrows as they prepare to leave the nest. Adults who have spent a busy summer gathering food appear to take a break, gathering in groups on the cliffs.
In some ways this last trip of the season is a sad one, knowing these busy cliffs will soon be empty.
But it is also a time of joy, knowing that just below our feet, the next generation of these wonderful birds are preparing to make their journey into the world.
Discover more about Shetland's incredible seabird colonies.