Shetland Long Tailed Duck

 

Long Tailed duck Shetland

 

Female Long Tailed Duck in flight -Shetland

 Photographing birds in flight is always challenging but well worth it. Long Tailed Ducks came close in at Grutness at high tide and because they were in mating mode there was a lot of activity

Seeing them close up is great, round at West Voe there are still well over 100 birds but very distant.

They will soon be heading north to gather at Bluemull sound near Unst and it is a spectacular sight to see several hundred birds before they head to breeding grounds further north

Red Breasted Merganser- Shetland