Da Voar Redd Up 2024

Da Voar Redd Up will take place from Saturday 20 April – Friday 26 April 2024.

The Shetland Seabird Tours family regularly clean up litter ‘bruck’ on Shetland beaches. We spend a lot of time beachcombing & taking part in beached bird surveys & take great satisfaction in removing ugly, damaging manmade items from the shoreline. Alongside this however, we have really enjoyed taking part in this award winning, community clean up weekend & are looking forward to taking part in this well organised one! Hope you will take part too? See you out there!

“Da Voar Redd Up is the UK’s most successful community litter-picking event, with around 4,500 people (20% of Shetland’s population) volunteering each year. The Redd Up makes a huge contribution to the protection of Shetland’s natural environment and wildlife, clearing Shetland’s beaches, coastlines and roadsides of litter and the debris washed up by winter storms.

 

2024 registration open

To register for this year’s Redd Up please completed our online form here.

Registration will close on Wednesday 17 April at 17:00.

Why should you register?

  • When you register, you will be provided with Redd Up bags. These identify Redd Up rubbish, making it easier for us to record it.
  • Registering allows you to choose a Redd Up location and allows us to make sure that different groups are not cleaning the same places. This not only means that more of Shetland gets cleaned, but also gives us a more accurate record the amount of litter that has been collected.
  • During registration, you will be able to specify a roadside collection point for all of your bags. Redd Up rubbish can only be picked up from these locations

What happens after registration?

After you have registered, we’ll prepare your bags for you and let you know when and where they can be picked up. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide gloves. If your chosen location is unavailable, we’ll get in touch to discuss alternative options.” Shetland Amenity Trust 2024

 

Both images © Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat 2024

WE ARE THRILLED TO BE LEADING THE WAY INTO 2024 WITH THE HIGHEST GREEN TOURISM “GOLD” AWARD ACCOLADE! 🍃 🥇 FEB 22nd.
What a fabulous boost to our 9th year in business as the premier Shetland NOSS BOAT wildlife & photography boat tour experience. We are delighted to share with our many followers & supporters that 3 weeks ago, we are awarded the highest accolade of “GOLD” standard by Green Tourism – a boat visitor attraction 1st for the isles. The Green Tourism programme is acknowledged worldwide as an indicator of good environmentally friendly practices. They promote a greener, cleaner environment for people, places & our planet.
As a small, family business on Shetland run by two passionate naturalists & conservationists, we have helped pave the way for other local businesses on Shetland & beyond to follow & have shown our deep commitment to the environment. All a step in the right direction to a greener, more sustainable future.
“Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat, have done an excellent job of achieving a Gold Green Tourism Award after their initial Silver in 2023. They have a good sustainability section on their website which explains their efforts to be a more sustainable tour business to their customers and encourages them to participate. Their genuine pleasure in running and promoting a sustainable wildlife tour business in the area where they operate is evident throughout the assessment. The enthusiasm, professionalism and community involvement, both at a social level and in the wildlife watching community, runs through the whole business”.
⭐️ Experiences – Outstanding knowledge of local area and wildlife and how to enjoy it responsibly.
⭐️ Biodiversity – Excellent commitment to promoting, protecting, and preserving and educating visitors in biodiversity on and off site.
⭐️ Health & Wellbeing- An exceptional result, a reflection of how they take pride in delivering the best customer care.
⭐️ Food & Drink, Shetland Seabirds Tours has shown fantastic commitment to promoting locally and sustainably and ethically, produced food.
⭐️ Destination – Excellent promotion of the natural heritage, events, and local projects in the destination area and how to enjoy it in a sustainable manner.”
THANK YOU ALL. We look forward to continuing our green journey & excellent customer service into 2024 & beyond. We can’t wait to share our new 2024 developments with you within the next month before we start our #nossboat tours again in April ❤️ 💚

Green Tourism promotes greener ways for businesses and organisations to operate, by offering our members advice on:

  • Reducing energy use
  • Saving water
  • Efficient & eco-friendly waste disposal
  • Ethical buying
  • Staying local & seasonal
  • Minimising food miles
  • Promoting biodiversity
  • Adopting a smart, sustainable outlook from top to bottom

People

We champion investment and improvement in local communities. When businesses devote some time and energy to contribute to local people, it becomes part of investing in a truly sustainable and ethical mindset. By encouraging staff and individuals to play their part in a business’s green journey, they will feel respected and valued; as well as ensuring a happy and eco-aware workforce.

Places

Living and operating sustainably is a process that involves promoting and caring for the natural environment, helping conserve the local area and its economy and supporting local suppliers of ethically-produced, seasonally-grown food and drink. We encourage our members to actively introduce guests or consumers to genuine experiences, both in the great outdoors and those involving arts, craft and culture.

Planet

We are committed to a low carbon future and finding new ways to reduce our industry’s footprint. We aim to inform and inspire our participating businesses about the circular economy, ecological and cultural diversity and ensuring efficient use of our planet’s resources. We work with selected partners and affiliates to strengthen our offer as one of the world’s leading eco-friendly accreditation organisations.

 

 

We are delighted to announce that we have yet again won an award, this time in the Travel & Hospitality Awards 2024…… WILDLIFE TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR – SCOTLAND 2024

 

 

“Not what we were expecting when we woke up yesterday morning……A BELUGA !!! a high Arctic marine mammal in the sub-zero winter wonderland Shetland is currently experiencing, to get to the site was hard enough, but worth every freezing moment for a once in a lifetime wildlife sighting”

A stunning ivory white BELUGA whale was spotted off West Ayre in Hillswick yesterday morning by Margaret and Jeff Tungatt who contacted the admin of the local Cetacean WhatsApp page with the sighting, then made public mid-morning. Phil, Ayda (8) & I tried to head out north but the weather with pure arctic conditions, thick snow & drift made our plans impossible & we turned back. However around 1pm, the weather improved & we again set of north in our 4×4. We made a diversion to pick up good friend & ace cameraman & drone photographer Richard Shucksmith & made it to West Ayre, Hillswick about an hour before dark. The sea was very dark & skies ominous as we scanned the bay, & almost immediately picked up the incredible sight of a ghostly ivory white large BELUGA, regularly surfacing & clearly visible at distance contrasting against the dark water. The large, active animal appeared healthy, feeding & regularly diving for a few minutes at a time, we could even follow it’s white shape below the surface. Beluga apparently feed on various fish species as well as crabs, octopus, squid & snails & this one could be seen up-ending to feed on a couple of occasions.

Richard captured breath-taking drone footage of this rare Arctic & Sub-Arctic marine mammal (seriously doesn’t get better than that please check it out!! LINK here: https://fb.watch/pEVp-PJU8G/ & it was hugely exciting for all four of us to not only watch the animal surfacing & see it’s iconic ‘melon-head’ shape & beautiful tail shape at distance, but also enjoy it ‘live’ via Richard’s drone camera. I got some distant record shots & a nice little video which serves as a perfect memory of Shetland’s 6th BELUGA. It was a very special moment for all of us at Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat, & one we will remember for years to come. Rebecca has previously seen Beluga in Spitsbergen whilst guiding there is 2012 but it was a world cetacean tick for everyone else. It is still present today 18th January 2024 & we hope if the weather improves many others will get to enjoy seeing they spectacular, iconic Arctic species as the weather improves. It is difficult to know exactly why the Beluga is here in Shetland waters, along with the 5 other Beluga records, we have also had Bearded Seals & Walrus on the Isles of the the last few years. These are all high arctic species & we must consider that these rare but increasing sightings are highly likely the result of climate change & the aptly named climate catastrophe we are faced with today. The strong northerly storms & arctic weather front we have been experiencing of late, may also have caused the Hillswick Beluga to have become disorientated & separated from it’s pod, & of course although it looks healthy, we never really know if there are more serious individual, internal health issues at play. We hope it will feed well whilst here & be able to make it’s way back further north as soon as possible.

ON THE BELOW LINK FOR OUR VIDEO OF THE BELUGA SURFACING OFF HILLSWICK.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2N-dtCxOoY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

Loch Ness Monster or …… A BELUGA!
BELUGA BAY – West Ayre Bay, Hillswick.

 

Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat – November article.

This month we celebrate the 200th issue of I’I shetland!! 🎉

“In recognition of this milestone, we have selected stories subjectively from each year since its launch in 2006! We hope you enjoy our selection, remembering those occasions along with us, as well as celebrating your community in print. We thank all our advertisers, reads and contributors that make i’i Shetland special and Shetland’s monthly magazine.” 💛

“Other features this month include The Accordion & Fiddle Festival, Shetland Jewellery ‘Shining Bright’, Bruce Williamson, Shetland Swing performance, Elizabeth Atia’s latest recipe, Shetland Wildlife with Rebecca Nason, i’i Kids for the peerie ones, your photography in Readers Pics and much more! Pick up your copy today!” i’i Shetland, Nov’23

 

 

Why not give you’re loved ones a very special Christmas present this year, with a boat tour with seasoned professionals to enjoy one of Europe’s finest wildlife spectacles – the sight, smell & sound of over 25,000 northern gannets & a wealth of other seabirds & marine life around the towering Noss cliffs & around Bressay. Whether you are already on Shetland or planning a holiday here – make sure you add this exciting, popular, top Shetland visitor attraction to your visit today ……… Merry Christmas!

 

 

Call – email or text us today to order a NOSS BOAT gift vouchers for Christmas!

 

Celebrating Shetland’s Community

“Our popular monthly magazine, i’i shetland, tells the stories of the people and happenings in the lively Shetland community. From local events to personal triumphs and the births of Shetland’s newest residents, we tell the stories of the people that make Shetland the wonderful place it is.

Our magazine is written, designed and published by Millgaet Media, centred around the stunning photography produced by our team of exceptional photographers”

The Noss Boat co-owner, wildlife photographer & naturalist Rebecca Nason, writes a monthly article in Shetland’s popular local magazine i’i Shetland. October’s article was titled “OWLING OCTOBER” and contained beautiful images of Long-eared Owls together with an interesting insight into their lives and their migration through the Shetland Islands. All images taken on Shetland mainland and Fair Isle. November’s article ‘YELLOW FELLOW’ is out now!