Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
In spring, lapwings can be seen tumbling through the air around Loch of Spiggie, as the males perform flamboyant displays accompanied by wild squeals. |  |
Long-tailed ducks are most often seen distantly on the sea, but here you can see them in their breeding plumage on the loch. |  |
Redshanks breed on the damp grassland here. They are known as the 'sentinels of the marshes', due to their constant alertness and noisy alarm calls. |  |
These cryptically-coloured waders can be seen here throughout the year. Look for them probing their long beaks into the soft, marshy ground and displaying overhead in spring. |  |
Loch of Spiggie is one of Shetland's most important lochs for whooper swans, which arrive here in October from Iceland, where they spend the summer, and stay until early April. |  |