Book review: Wild Shetland Through The Seasons
by Brydon Thomason
This wonderful book is a personal showcase of the wildlife of one of Britain greatest treasures, an island archipelago relatively untouched by many of the scourges of the modern era, the magical Shetland Isles.
Brydon grew up on the island of Fetlar, before moving with his family to the adjacent island of Unst, continually immersed in one of the best places for wildlife in the northeast Atlantic, and his passion and familiarity with its nature oozes from every page.
It would be wrong to describe this a coffee table book, although it could pass as one in a casual glance. Its 286 pages are liberally illustrated with nearly 200 magnificent photos, many of which are truly outstanding, capturing majestic and intimate moments through the year. No less than 80 species are featured. A Red-throated Diver leaping from the water as it is dramatically evicted from another’s territory, of three Turnstones, or ebb pickers as he tells us they are known on Shetland, taking to flight as they are battered by a debris-loaded wave, moody shots of Orca, Humpback Whales and of course, liberally sprinkled with gorgeous pics of Otters. To name but a few. It is obvious that much time and care has been spent obtaining the photos and then selecting the best.
However the book offers much more..
The photos are brought to life and given what is often a very personal context through some 24,317 words. A quick disclaimer; whilst I devoured the book from cover to cover, I didn’t actually do the count myself. Liberally interlaced with poems, dialect names and phrases of Shetland and Norse dialect, the text draws you in with insights and delightful anecdotes, drawn from the author’s personal experiences, of patient prolonged and respectful observation, feeding a depth of knowledge that comes from a lifelong passion. Of first noticing “da peerie hawks” as a bairn, to later contributing to scientific studies of this uncommon falcon. Of the Red-necked Phalaropes that were formative to his love of nature, and the truly remarkable discovery about them made as recently as 2013. The tale of finding his very first Yellow-browed Warbler and the respect it engendered for the massive journey this tiny sprite had undertaken to get to the Fetlar farmyard. Brydon’s ethics and respect for Shetland and its wildlife shine through.
As the world changes at an ever-dizzying speed, he reminds us that those changes are not passing Shetland by, despite its remoteness. Enjoy this book on many levels. As the magnificent celebration of its wildlife that it is, as Brydon says “we cannot afford to always view our natural world through rose-tinted glasses, but it is certainly good for the soul to put them on once in while”. He also invites us to consider the challenges too. Many of us are aware of such issues, and here for Brydon they are personal. I hope the book will reach someone wealthy enough or influential enough who may not yet realise what their legacy will or could be. Wild Shetland Through The Seasons is one of those celebrations of nature that could enable just that.
Brydon: to Vaila and your bairns, I join you in thanking them for enabling you to share your photographs and words. From cover to cover, this book filled me with pleasure, wonder and a yearning for the wildlife that I have encountered over decades of visiting Shetland. From when I first disembarked the Earl of Zetland to reach Fetlar and enjoyed the breeding Snowy Owls, until the modern day, I have always known that I have not visited your homeland as often as I should. This book totally reaffirmed that.
You can purchase Wild Shetland Through The Seasons on The Shetland Times website
Dick Filby
19 December 2023
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