Hermaness Guided Walk 2013

So as part of the Shetland Nature Festival a guided walk was planned for Hermaness, Steve, Mairi and I decided that we'd all go up since none of us have been to Hermaness in years, I myself have only made it as far parking lot.

Lucky Minnie's Oo or Cotton Grass

(It is called many different names in Shetland)

Ferns and lots of them

Bell Heather growing in between the walkway towards the cliffs

A Dunlin 

Sundew,

a carnivorous plant

A Frog (Common?)

This Bonxie was sitting right at the side of the path 

you could easily get within one or two feet of it 

and it wouldn't move at all

The eastern cliffs of Hermaness

Longvi or Common Guillemots hanging on

A Rabbit, which barely noticed us as we walked by

The Tammie Norie on the left has Sandeels in its beak

The Rabbits on Hermaness seem to be so tame

Lesser Spearwort

Creeping Buttercup

(This plant and the one above look very similar but are distinguished by the leaves)

A Puffin, eaten and picked clean by a Bonxie

One of the Gannet Colonies at Hermaness

In the center if the picture you can see another Gannet Colony, to the right you can see the Muckle Flugga Lighthouse and to the far right you can see the Oot Stack, the most northerly part of the British Isles.

There is a story about the Oot Stack so I'd thought I would tell it.

Once apon a time there was two giants, one named Hermy who lived on Hermaness and Saxy who lived on Saxa Vord.

On day Saxy and Hermy had an argument and started chucking boulder at each other, either Hermy had a very bad throw or Saxy missed his target.

So a summary of the story is one of the giants missed their target and their boulder landed in the sea.

(these must of been really big giants to chuck a rock that big!)

Any idea what you call a group of Bonxies?

These Bonxies are eating a Tammie Norrie,

sometimes quite a few can be found dead in burns and 

on the sides of hills in Hermaness

A Bonxie overhead

Saxa Vord from the top of Hermaness

Some plants seen today include: Bell Heather, Milwort, Creeping Buttercup, Sundew, Cotton Grass

Tormentil, Cross leathed heath, Butterwort, Heathbedstraw, Lesser Spearwort, Sea pinks and Red Campian