Orcas 2nd &3rd October Wester Quarff and Ronas Voe Mainland
Shetland has over the past few years become rightly famous for providing regular sightings of Orcas or Killer Whales as they are also known. Various pods visit Shetland on a regular basis sometimes weekly in the case of a pod of eight called '27s' that move between Shetland, Orkney and the north coast of mainland Scotland and it was these that were visiting Shetland during my stay. This particular pod preys on seals, hunting close into the coastline and travelling up the voes in search of any unwary seal.
Orcas are highly intelligent and have learnt that seals like to congregate around the salmon pens moored in the sea so they can pick up scraps or prey on escaped fish. The Orcas spend a lot of time diligently searching around the pens for the seals and will also hunt amongst the lines of buoys from which dangle ropes farming mussels, another favourite hang out for seals.
As with the Shetland birds, there is a Shetland Cetacean WhatsApp Group you can join when on Shetland which gives you up to date sightings and constant updates, often hourly, about the movements of any pod of Orcas and allows you, if you are off the mark quick enough, to anticipate which headland might grant a view. Sometimes the Orcas are distant but at other times they are incredibly close. This WhatsApp Group is administered by Hugh Harrop, a professional naturalist who lives on Shetland and he has done much to add to the knowledge of these huge and wonderful mammals, even employing a drone to follow them from the air.
In July this year I visited Shetland with my wife and daughter and courtesy of the Shetland Cetacean WhatsApp Group got sufficient advance information to enable us to get wonderfully close views of a pod of five Orcas. I hoped to repeat the experience during my current visit but it all depended when and if a pod of Orcas was sighted. Frustratingly I missed a golden opportunity when a pod passed though the Bressay Sound, very close to Lerwick Harbour on Wednesday 25th September. I was at the north end of the island and it was too late in the day and just too far to get to them in time. I chewed my lip in frustration and wondered if I would get another opportunity during this visit.
On the 2nd October and now ensconced in the hostel at Uyeasound on Unst I left my accommodation early that morning to catch the first of the two ferries to Mainland where I successfully twitched a European Bee-eater at a place called Ollafirth in the north of Mainland. I then met up in the Peerie Cafe with two Oxordshire friends, Paul and Vicky who had arrived on Shetland yesterday, before I headed south towards Sumburgh. The day had started sunny but as often happens in Shetland rain squalls were setting in by lunchtime and a not unfamiliar gloom descended over the moorland.
As I drove south the Cetacean WhatsApp Group pinged an alert and there was news of a pod of Orcas heading south down the west coast of Mainland. Currently they were heading for Wester Quarff, and consulting the Ordnance Survey map, I found that I was not that far from Wester Quarff which looked to have a perfect view point to watch for the Orcas if they came past up Clift Sound, but it would require them to come into the Sound. Chasing Orcas is most definitely not a stress free activity and requires some luck. First the Orcas can change direction, secondly any undue delay may well mean you miss them and have to drive as far and as fast as possible to the next available headland. In this case, for any close views, it would require the Orcas to come hunting right up the Sound which is not always guaranteed to happen.
I put on speed and with only one wrong turn managed to park the car along with others, already there, at the end of the road at Wester Quarff. I grabbed camera and bins and followed a grass track down to the seashore to join about twenty people scanning the sea for the Orcas.The last report had them approaching the salmon pens at the mouth of the Sound but for now there was no sign of them.
Visibility was deteriorating but still adequate when a shout went up that the Orcas could be seen around the distant salmon pens. Just at that moment I realised I was standing next to Vickie and Ryan who I had last met at a Laughing Gull twitch on Merseyside. Crucially I had forgotten my scope in the rush to get to the seashore but Vickie kindly let me use hers. I went back for mine a little later.
It is hard to describe the sense of awe that comes when you first see that huge black dorsal fin rise above the water. At long distance it looks like the sail of a small yacht. For periods the Orcas disappeared below the sea but always eventually re-appeared, thoroughly examining each of the two salmon pens for hiding seals. This went on for twenty or so minutes and now it could go either way, they could continue along the coast or they could come up the Sound. I prayed they would do the latter and indeed to everyone's immense relief they did, slowly working their way along the northern shore towards us. Now the views were much better as the range decreased and I could see this was pod 27s (surely they deserve a more romantic name?) as it contained a two month old baby Orca, distinguished by the white markings being buff rather than shining white and of course it was also much smaller than the other seven.
Onwards they came and then the sea turned red around them.They had found and killed a seal! The pod now remained more or less on the surface, the dorsal fins of various Orcas swirling about in a frenzy as they fed on the seal. At one point what was left of the seal was hurled up into the air and across the sea as they tore into it. A huge fluked tail broke the surface as an Orca went into a dive and gulls hovered above the churning water waiting to grab titbits of flesh as the Orcas finished off what remained of the seal.
Then the pod moved on, cruising majestically towards us. The huge bull Orca was simply awe inspiring. First you see the tip of the black dorsal fin break the water as the mammal rises to breathe, then its bulbous forehead and forebody break the sea's surface. Close enough that you can hear and see the exhalation of spent air as a cloud of water vapour is blown metres up into the air. Slowly the shining black back with its grey saddle and massive dorsal fin arc over as the Orca descends once more, incredibly gracefully, before, a minute or so later, others repeat the process but they are smaller and although still exciting to watch it is the bull that takes your breath away in wonderment at its sheer mass and grace of movement.
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| Note the baby Orca only two months old- second from the right |
The Orcas passed us all too quickly and made their way up the Sound towards some mussel lines, causing panic amongst a flock of Eiders. Everyone thought that the show was over and made their way back to the cars but the pod turned and came back, cruising through the mussel lines and heading straight for me and three or four others, still standing on the grassy point. This time I considered I had enough photos and just watched in my bins as they came towards us. Then they disappeared below the water and without warning the huge bull surfaced just metres from the point on which I stood. It was so quick and unexpected there was no time to raise the camera. The bull rose up, absolutely huge at such close range and blew air and vapour in a great venting gasp, the wind carrying the foul smelling expelled air over me. I stood with my mouth open. Unbelievable. The other Orcas remained further out in the Sound, the bull rejoined them and eventually they all made their way back towards the open sea. I could see people on the far shore watching them from a distant point. It must have been almost an hour I had spent with these huge beasts.
As if this was not enough the pod were then sighted the next day in Ronas Voe some way further north on Mainland. It seemed remiss to pass up the opportunity to see them again and although the sighting was for less time than yesterday and more distant, it was in better light and still just as exciting. The Orcas did not catch any seals despite thoroughly examining some mussel lines and soon were heading out to sea.
Quite an eventful couple of days you have to admit and I wonder when I will see them again
to be continued..............
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