In 2023, we travelled to Shetland to explore the wildlife and historic sites. The highlight was visiting Mousa Broch, one of Scotland’s best-preserved Iron Age brochs. I grew up near Torwood Broch—now called Tappoch Broch—but to us from The Plean, it’s known simply as The Pictish. I’ve always been loved brochs, I can’t drive past a ruined broch without stopping to explore and to finally see one, nearly intact was magical.
The Shetland Isles offer a unique blend of history and nature, with wildlife encounters around every corner. Visiting Mousa Broch at night to see the Storm Petrels return was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It’s a reminder of how Scotland’s past and present is amazing.
During the trip, we were so lucky to see a hungry otter, puffins flying over as we kayaked, swooping and nesting gannets, and even, from Fetlar Ferry, orca. At Mousa Broch itself, on midsummer’s night, we watched storm petrels return to nest inside the broch’s walls. Their calls and movements in the moonlight created a magical atmosphere and made for a truly memorable experience. The birds purr to each other, to find out where there mate is, returning during the ours of darkness to avoid predators.
This unforgetable trip inspired me to write and illustrate a book over the last two years.
I want to invite you to watch Moonlight over Mousa, Gale the Broch Bird.
It draws on the wildlife we saw and the experience of visiting Mousa Broch at night.
This little video takes you on a journey about my inspiration, this amazing trip and then the story it inspired. I hope i’ve captured the magic of Mousa, and the Shetland isles, the broch, the wildlife and the magic of midsummer on Mousa.
Moonlight over Mousa, Gale the Broch Bird
To find out more about our Shetland adventures read here Secrets of Simmer Dim on Mousa Island
