Shetland Finale -Risso's Dolphins- 14th October 2025

Our final day on Shetland. 

Tonight at 7pm we leave Lerwick to sail overnight on Northlink's Hjatland for Aberdeen.

We decided to spend the morning at least at Sumburgh Head, the southernmost point of Shetland.

Looking north from Sumburgh Head

The morning was grey with light cloud, some blue sky and very still. Banished were the high winds and rain of the past week. As a consequence the sea was calm, almost flat and you could see for miles

We drove upwards to what is called the lower car park at Sumburgh Head and came to rest there, the sea stretching away to an infinity beyond the low retaining wall in front of us 

In the last few days an incredibly rare White throated Needletail, a swift from Asia had created a huge sensation amongst us birders by spending time at various points on the Yorkshire coast of England.This iconic bird is one that everyone wants to see as it occurs so infrequently here and is so charismatic. Many birders had terminated their stay on Shetland early to go and see it. Some were successful, others not.The swift appeared to be moving steadily northwards and yesterday had been reported in the morning from Helmsdale in Sutherland and not that far away as a swift flies, from Shetland

Could it happen? Maybe, so here we were just in case the swift arrived. Stranger things have occurred but it was a very long shot indeed.

Leaving the car I scanned the sea in the hope of finding a skua or shearwater perhaps even in my wildest dreams a swift but saw nothing more than Gannets and Fulmars cruising around far below me.

Mark decided to walk further uphill to the lighthouse and I was left on my own.

I scanned the sea once more. 

Suddenly and thrillingly a tall, erect dorsal fin and curved like a scimitar (falcate) arose from the sea attached to a torpedo shaped, mottled, pale grey and much scarred body.The size and shape of the dorsal fin and the pale scarred body meant that the creature was unmistakeable and could be nothing else but a Risso's Dolphin. Minutes later another two surfaced in its wake and all appeared to be in no hurry.

Risso's Dolphins are a large dolphin, growing to a maximum four metres in length, with a bulbous, blunt, unbeaked head and prominent dorsal fin. As they age their bodies become increasingly pale, often white and uniquely scarred and scratched.The scarring is thought to be the result of the creatures fighting and biting each other, or maybe from sharks.They are sociable and go around in pods that can number from five upwards and feed on squid and octopus mainly at night.Virtually nothing is known about their reproduction.

The dolphins disappeared below the sea and then surfaced once more. moving slowly north. With this second sighting of them I was sure of my identification so put the news out on the Shetland Cetacean Whatsapp Group administered by Hugh Harrop of Shetland Wildlife.

Hugh  monitors all cetacean movements and sightings in Shetland and is the recognised authority on Shetland's cetaceans.

A minute later my phone rang. It was Hugh asking me questions

What way are they headed Ewan?

How many are there?

Are they close in?

.......................................................

I think they are going north Hugh, there are three and they are fairly close  I answered

I will be there in five minutes and he hung up

Sure enough his grey 4x4 came hurtling up the narrow single track road and drew to a stop in the car park.

He joined me by the wall and for a while we saw nothing but then the dolphins surfaced and Hugh started photographing them.

By photographing the dolphins and other cetaceans Hugh  is building up a record of each individual for future reference. 

Each Risso's Dolphin possesses unique scarrings which enable Hugh to build up a library of images of each individual so they can be identified each time they appear and their lives, movements and behaviour can be monitored. He is perhaps best known for his monitoring of Orcas and much has been learnt about them by the use of drones and taking photos. Interestingly Hugh told me the drones do not work with Risso's Dolphins which dive to avoid them.

The dolphins looked to be moving north again

I am going to Compass Point just north of here  Hugh told me

He drove off but the dolphins returned and it looked like they were just moving back and fore offshore of the car park where I stood.

I called Hugh.

They are back Hugh - right in front of me.

I'm on my way.

Hugh returned at great speed and we stood and photographed them as they surfaced at various distances from us but always reasonably close. 

I was thoroughly enjoying myself, especially with an expert alongside me giving me all sorts of information about these dolphins.

Hugh was familiar with some of them but one came up that had a distinctive dorsal fin that was markedly different from the others we had observed

That's a new one!  Hugh exclaimed 

We need to get a photo of it!

It also has a lot of white on its upperbody so must be fairly old!

It was heading south but dived before either of us could photograph it

Quick jump in the car mate and we can go up to the lighthouse and intercept it before it disappears round the Head

In seconds I dived onto the back seat, the only available space in Hugh's vehicle, scrambling over boots and other birding paraphernalia to lie across the seat as Hugh took off at great speed up the narrow winding road that led to the very top of Sumburgh Head. I had just time to wave to an astonished returning Mark as we hurtled past him. I could explain later.

We raced to the top, passed through the visitor centre buildings at speed and came to a stop by the lighthouse's huge red foghorn where we could go no further.Tumbling out of the car we scrambled up some stone steps to a viewpoint, looking over a wall and down to the sea many metres below us.

We were now at the highest point of Sumburgh Head (100 metres) but there was no sign of any dolphin.We waited, two, three, four, five minutes and there it was and Hugh got his photos of the dolphin as did I.

This Risso's is an old animal told by its extensively white body

It was accompanied by another and we were so high above them we could see the submerged body of one, looking ghostly white swimming just below the surface of the sea. Something I have never noticed before and would not have this time but for Hugh pointing it out. 

We spent the next ten minutes shouting out to each other as we found various dolphins surfacing. Well Hugh did most of the sighting and shouting while I took as many shots as possible .One dolphin commenced logging where they float aimlessly with the top half of their body above the water and looking very much like a floating log,

It was exhilerating, frantic and exhausting all at the same time as we did our best to record as much as possible.

I confess to a feeling of much pleasure to have contributed in some small way to furthering the knowledge of Risso's Dolphins in Shetland

Then it was all over. The arching over of the dolphin's rear body and tail flukes signify it has gone into a deep dive although the dives do not last for long, maybe two or three minutes.

The scarring and scratches are particularly prominent on this individual's body as it goes into a deep dives.These markings are unique to each dolphin and enable individuals to be specifically identified

Back in the car and we descended to the lower car park at a slightly more sedate speed than going up. I tumbled out of Hugh's car, shaking, whether from the high speed chase up to the lighthouse or the sheer adrenalin from my Risso's Dolphin encounter, I do not know. Who cares  anyway, it had been brilliant and all thoughts of rare swifts were long forgotten.

By now word had spread about the dolphins and Hugh went up to the cliff edge to join around a dozen people who had come to see for themselves and assist in seeing the dolphins which seemed to have decided that they would remain around this particular area of sea.

In the end Hugh estimated there were two pods of Risso's Dolphins of five animals each off the cliffs.

Risso's Dolphin and attendant Fulmar

It was gone noon, the sun came out and I decided that this experience should be the final parting gift from Shetland which never fails to surprise and delight.

Trip list of birds seen during two days in Yorkshire,then one day in Fife and twenty days on Shetland

Not nearly as good as the previous two years

Red throated Diver; Great Northern Diver; Slavonian Grebe; Northern Fulmar; Sooty Shearwater; Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant; European Shag; Little Egret; Grey Heron; Glossy Ibis x 3; Mute Swan; Whooper Swan; Canada Goose; Greylag Goose; Barnacle Goose; Pale bellied Brent Goose; Common Shelduck; Eurasian Wigeon; Gadwall; Eurasian Teal; Mallard; Northern Pintail; Blue winged Teal; Northern Shoveler; Common Pochard; Ring necked Duck;Tufted Duck; Greater Scaup; Common Eider; Long tailed Duck;Common Goldeneye; Red breasted Merganser; Goosander; Red Kite; Marsh Harrier; Common Kestrel; Red Grouse; Common Moorhen; Common Coot; Eurasian Oystercatcher; Ringed Plover; European Golden Plover; Northern Lapwing; Red Knot; Sanderling; Pectoral Sandpiper; Curlew Sandpiper; Purple Sandpiper; Dunlin; Ruff; Common Snipe; Black tailed Godwit; Bar tailed Godwit; Eurasian Curlew; Spotted Redshank; Common Redshank; Marsh Sandpiper; Common Greenshank; Turnstone; Little Gull; Black headed Gull; Common Gull; Lesser Black backed Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black backed Gull; Kittiwake; Sandwich Tern; Black Tern; Guillemot; Razorbill; Black Guillemot; Rock Dove; Wood Pigeon; Collared Dove;Tawny Owl; Greater Short toed Lark; Sky Lark; Pechora Pipit; Meadow Pipit; Rock Pipit; Grey Wagtail; Pied/White Wagtail; Wren; Robin; Bluethroat; Whinchat; Northern Wheatear; Siberian Thrush x 2; Blackbird; Song Thrush; Redwing; Western Subalpine Warbler; Barred Warbler x 4; Lesser Whitethroat; Common Whitethroat; Blackcap; Yellow browed Warbler x 4; Common Chiffchaff; both nominate and tristis; Willow Warbler; Goldcrest; Red breasted Flycatcher x 2; Pied Flycatcher; Brown Shrike; Magpie; Jackdaw; Rook; Hooded/Carrion Crow; Common Raven; Starling; House Sparrow; Tree Sparrow; Chaffinch; Brambling; Goldfinch; Linnet; Eurasian Siskin; Twite; Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll; Common Redpoll; Common Rosefinch x 4; Common Bullfinch; Blackpoll Warbler; Rustic Bunting.

Mammals

Otter

Polecat

Hedgehog

Rabbit

Risso's Dolphin