The birds of Shetland

Shetland has always been synonymous with exciting birding.

The islands are nationally important for their 21 species of breeding seabirds, and other extremely rare or sporadic British breeders such as the Red-necked phalarope and Snowy Owl.

They are also much-visited by passage migrants. In particular, Fair Isle rivals the Isles of Scilly as the place for keen listers to go in the autumn, and this picturesque little island, with its famous bird observatory, regularly hosts extreme rarities.Following the style of "Birds of Norfolk" and "Birds of Suffolk", this avifauna looks in depth at the status, distribution and abundance, past and present, of every bird recorded in Shetland.

Population trends for breeders and regular visitors are analysed, and a detailed breakdown of all Shetland records is presented for the rarities.