Mousa

Mousa is an uninhabited island featuring coastal habitats, wet heathland, mires and grassland. The Iron Age broch, extensive dry stone dykes and boulder beaches provide nesting habitats for many of the island’s breeding storm petrels.

We have studied and monitored storm petrels, Arctic terns and Arctic and great skuas since the early 1980s. We now also monitor red-throated divers, waders, shags and harbour and grey seals.

Other organisations help us out: the Shetland Ringing Group monitors storm petrel breeding success, whilst the Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group monitors cliff-nesting seabird populations every five years. Scottish National Heritage monitor grey seal populations and breeding success and we will also encourage specialist groups to conduct research into key marine mammals. We also protect boulder beaches and restore dry-stone dykes - important storm petrel nesting habitat.

In addition to this, we maintain visitor structures and provide guided walks to give visitors the best experience and reduce disturbance to wildlife.

We monitor for non-mammalian predators on Mousa that could cause harm to many of the ground nesting birds present, and have set up the Biosecurity for LIFE project to work with communities, businesses, government agencies and conservation NGO's to raise the level of biosecurity protection across all 41 of our seabird island SPA's

The diversity of the wildlife on Mousa is reflected in its many protective designations; it is a Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area for Conservation (SAC) and Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) for the breeding birds such as storm petrels, black guillemots and Arctic terns, as well as for the harbour seals and the fascinating geology of the island.

Mousa is an important reserve for breeding wildlife with many sensitive breeding areas. Therefore we ask that you follow all signage and guidance on Mousa to keep disturbance of breeding wildlife to a minimum. The stone dykes and boulder beaches are of particular importance as they are the nesting areas of storm petrels.

If you wish to land a private vessel, the East and West Pools and Burgi Ayre beach are particularly sensitive for the breeding wildlife there and we ask that you do not land any vessels in these areas. Please contact us on the details provided if you require further information.