Shetland Diaries: Otters, Orcas, Puffins and Wonderful People by Simon KingMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Simon King spent a year on the Shetland Islands filming and keeping a diary, accompanied by his wife Marguerite and young daughter Savannah. His main objective was to film otters, an animal for which he has a long time passion. He also filmed orcas; on one occasion seeing a large pod within metres of the boat in which he was travelling. His description of this event was breathtaking. He filmed puffins close up, gannets plunging into the sea to catch fish and the secretive storm petrel - on the Island of Mousa, one of the only locations in the UK where this sparrow sized seabird can be seen.
His enthusiasm for wildlife is infectious as he experienced Shetland through the changing seasons and discovered the wildlife and the warmth of community in these islands. I had the pleasure of meeting Simon in 2014 at the Rutland Bird Fair. He is a font of all knowledge concerning wildlife, particularly birds. Anyone who can instantly identify a marsh tit from a willow tit has my respect!
I loved this heartwarming and inspirational book, made all the more enjoyable as providing much location information for my own forthcoming trip in May to Shetland.
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