A Shetland Voe - Winter Episode 3
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- Winter - A Shetland Voe
Storms, Shorebirds, Otters, Snow and Aurora
00:00 Introduction
00:31 Winter Storms
02:12 Shore Birds, Turnstone and Redshank
04:25 Burn in Spate, Gulls in the Surf.
06:15 Otter Family
08:14 Moon and Shooting Stars
09:07 Snow, Aerial Footage of the Voe and Otters
12:04. Aurora Borealis, Skekler and the Guisers Reel
A Shetland winter sees the coast blasted and battered by storms. The normally sheltered Voe can fill with huge breakers that pound the shore and rip up kelp and seaweeds from the seabed. The small beach of Tarland is heaped with waar and tang. The name Tarland refers to the seaweed that gathers there. This provides a great place for birds to gather and feed, as well as the Shetland sheep that enjoy supplementing their diet with fresh seaweed. Stanepikkers (Turnstone), Ebb Cock (Redshank), Maa (Herring Gull), Whaap (Curlew), Banks Sparrow (Rock Pipet), Shetland Wren, Hooded Crow and Starlings are among those frequenting the beach. Otters and Seals brave the surf to feed in the Voe. Herald Duke (Red Breasted Merganser), Scarfs, Golden Eye are seen on the water.
This is a good time of year to spot Otters as they are quite active catching food for their young. There is plenty of fresh water running off the hills in small burns and the Otters can be seen playing and washing their fur in favourite locations, as can be seen with this mother and her three cubs in a freshwater pool. The fresh water is required to cleanse off the salt water and retain the insulating properties of their fur.
Snow is not so common in Shetland as we are such a maritime climate and the air laden with salt spray. It tends to get dumped down and generally lasts a few days before the next storm, although sometimes a stable weather system can allow it to lie for a couple of weeks. When we do get some snowy days this really brightens up the landscape and it looks stunning in what is a fairly dark, and often grey time of year. On the shortest day sunrise is ten past nine and sets in the afternoon at two fifty six. For photography, the light can be amazing but you have to be out at the height of the day and you only get a couple of hours for wildlife photography unless you have really fast lenses.
The nightscapes however provide some great opportunities for astronomy, aurora sightings and stunning moonlit landscapes. You can spot some shooting stars here among the footage.
The final scene I have posted in short before, but thought I should include it in context of this winter film. The aurora borealis is known as da 'mirrie dancers' in Shetland and the mirr refers to how they shimmer and move in the night sky. During December on a frosty, moonlit night we had a spectacular display of mirrie dancers. This was filmed on the edge of the town at the Tarland Beach. The aurora was bright enough to be seen over the street lights of Lerwick.
The 'Skekler' is a traditional Shetland costume used for guising around Yule and is made from Shetland aets (oats). I have been busy making costumes and hats for visiting (guising) at New Year. The aurora was filmed in real-time on the Canon R6 and EF24mm f1.4 lens.
It has to be said that these storms also bring ashore much debris of plastic and fishing nets, ropes and offcuts. I often gather bags of this waste from the beach as do a number of other locals, from this storm alone I collected 8 black bags of bruck from the small beach. Locals are conscious of this pollution and do try to tidy the area, but it is an endless task.
Music:
'Haal in da Drogue and Gie da Boys a Biskut' - Composed by Maurice Henderson
Recorded on the shore of the Voe of Sound
‘da Oyster’ - Traditional Shetland
'Light ida Lum' - Composed by Maurice Henderson
Performed by Haltadans from their album "Light ida Lum'
'Da Guisers Reel' - Traditional Shetland.
Performed by Maurice Henderson
Played on the Shore of the Voe of Sound
Skekler Costume - Maurice Henderson
Filmed and Edited - Maurice Henderson
Music - Maurice Henderson
Fiddle - Maurice Henderson
Gear:
Canon EOS R6
RF800mm f11
RF100-400mm f5.6-f8
EF 24mm f1.4
Mavic Mini
Maviv Mini Pro 3
Zoom F3 recorder
Maurice, your sound is so clean and at one with the natural world you're showing us. Thank you. Please watch out for Rhaki and Simmy when they get in touch. Best wishes too for 2024. Amy
Thanks for your kind comments, glad you enjoyed the music and video. All the best for 2024🎻
great footage. the words are wonderful to explain things. thank you. really enjoyed watching this.
Glad you enjoyed watching the footage, thanks for your comment and feedback.
This is excellent, thank you Maurice! A real eye-opener for those of us on the other side of the planet.
Cheers @TonyKeyes we just have to make the most of the winter, get out in the weather. It won’t be long before we’ll be hauling the boats down again in the spring for some sailing.
Fabulous! lived on Shetland for 18 years this is wonderful quality filming and totally captures the essence of the Shetland sea in winter, loved all of it beautiful shots of the birds and otters, beautiful fiddle music and beautiful aurora and I've also got a pair of those yellow wellies best wellies ever
Thanks so much for your nice comment, much appreciated.
This is just stunning… the quality of the filming; the sense of stillness of being an observer and the creativity, especially in the later aerial shots. I love the bird and otter footage… and that’s some energy in those waves! The fiddle played in the Voe seems to have a sort of raw quality that matches the images. This really is excellent. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for your kind comment and glad you enjoyed the winter footage. The fiddle was tuned AEAE and ADAE in the tunes played at the Voe, giving added resonance in the fiddle and with some ringing strings perhaps adds to that raw quality you mentioned, thanks.
Ah, that’s interesting. Thanks. Look forward to the next instalment.
superb Maurice very professional.
Thanks @richardashbee1477, a coorse night out there just now, Force 10 and still picking up.