Why spring holds such promise in Shetland

It is said that spring creeps slowly north. And, at 60 degrees north, it can take some time for spring’s warmth to reach Shetland.

After a long winter, where in the darkest months there can be as little as six hours of daylight, the signs of the changing season are eagerly awaited.

Shetland is a place where light, weather and season are inextricably tied to our daily experiences of island life. From the wild winter storms that batter our coastline to the warm glow of our long summer nights and everything in between.

With the early signs of spring all around us now, I spoke to people about what signals the change in season and what spring means to them.

Everybody I spoke to described spring in Shetland as a slow unfolding, with subtle changes that gradually pick up pace. Shalders – oystercatchers – are perhaps the most accepted harbingers of the changing season.

They are the first birds to return to the islands after overwintering in estuaries and mudflats further south. They usually start to arrive in Shetland in early February, when we still have weeks of winter ahead of us. Even then, their presence indicates the beginning of change.

When walking on the beach with a local artist, we heard shalders overhead. She described her reaction when she sees the first shalder of the year. “They are just one little bird, but they make you feel so much.

“If we lived somewhere else, would we have that eye for detail? Would we feel such joy about one little bird? Not just one or two of us but a whole community.”

Crofter and tour guide Drew Ratter echoed this sentiment. “The [species] most redolent of voar is the shalders. It fairly lifts the heart to hear them.”

In gardens and sheltered places, the first flowers bring colour and joy to landscapes faded by winter.

Sarah Kay, a local artist who opens her garden for everyone to enjoy, said: “For me, spring in Shetland isn’t dramatic; it’s subtle. The first sign is more light creeping in, the snowdrops pushing through, followed by bright crocuses.

“The final confirmation is when groups of frogs suddenly appear and have a party in the pond!”

Seeing the first frogs of the year is an absolute joy. Every year I take the bairns out to Da Gairdins at Sand.

This beautiful area of woodland is open to the public all year round. Three large ponds provide an ideal habitat, and in spring, the air is filled with the sound of hundreds of frogs gathering there to spawn. In the shelter of trees, the first wildflowers bloom while birds sing from the branches.

Increasing hours of daylight are a welcome change for islanders after the darkness of winter.

Although from mid-winter each day is a little longer, it takes time for this change to become apparent. Many people told me they first notice more light around the time of Lerwick Up Helly Aa, the spectacular fire festival that takes place on the last Tuesday of January.

Mary Andreas, from Taste of Shetland, the food and drink association, describes the impact of the longer days.

“The change of season from winter to spring seems to inject renewed motivation into the daily routine. Opening your eyes to a glint of daylight instead of the deep darkness of Yül starts to awaken us as well as the environment around us.

“As the days get longer, there is more incentive to get outside jobs done or just to watch the sun going down a peerie bit later.

“Shetland mussels are at their very best and very plentiful and they make a delicious and lighter alternative to bowls of soup and traditional winter comfort food.”

Artist Sarah describes a similar feeling. “During winter, I am very studio-focused in a kind of creative hibernation. When the light starts to return, I am immediately pulled outside.

“The garden needs attention. The Polycrub starts waking up. I’m gathering ideas again: textures from the shoreline, patterns in seaweed, the way the low sun catches the surface of the voe.

“Shetland never rushes spring; it arrives slowly.”

But the slow march continues, and the return of the longer evenings changes everything, especially as we move throught the season.

“You can work all day and still go to the beach at 9pm, and it’s bright, calm and full of colour. In the garden everything starts to come to life. After surviving the winter gales, summer growth feels like a reward.”

Shetland’s incredible beaches, wildlife and archaeology help make the islands a popular place for visitors from around the world. The summer months are the busiest for everyone working in the tourism industry. But as anyone lucky enough to be in Shetland during the spring knows, it is an equally special time of year.

Drew Ratter runs a croft and works as a tour guide, meaning spring and summer are incredibly busy.

“With tour guiding, the season starts hesitatingly in March, picks up a little in April, a lot in May, quite hectic from May till August and then a tailing off to the season’s end in October.

"In crofting, feeding sheep until late March, lambing April, summer jobs like clipping, sorting lambs, drenching and so on, and then sales begin in August and carry on till you have got rid of all you need to sell, in early November, when you start feeding again. Rinse, repeat!”

Each year, when out for a walk, I look out for my ‘first lamb’. Soon, the fields and hills will be filled with the next generation of ponies and sheep.

Both our native sheep and ponies played an important role in Shetland’s history, and it is no exaggeration to say that life here would have been impossible without these intelligent companions on the croft.

With a short growing season, few areas of cultivatable land and strong winds, Shetland is a difficult place to make a living from the land. Our native breeds are perfectly adapted to our landscape and weather and continue to play an important role in island food production.

Mary describes how spring is a “special time” and she takes notice of the lambs and calves frolicking in fields in the long summer evenings. “It is never more important than now to cherish the quality of the food we produce here in Shetland and support our local economy wherever we can.”

So my joy at seeing lambs and foals each spring is more than a reaction to their cuteness, it is a beautiful thing to see the next generation of these traditional breeds in the landscapes they belong to.

I love living in a place where nature and seasons are such an important part of life. Although there is much to enjoy about our winter months, spring brings excitement.

I have heard the first skylark song in the hills and know that soon, the seabirds will return, and our cliffs and the landscape will be filled with an ever-changing mosaic of wildflowers.