Following a large kill of Black Guillemots in the Esso Bernicia oil spill in Shetland, this study was initiated to determine the population size and distribution of the species at different times of year and to investigate its ecology. The results will enable oil spill contingency plans to be made for this species and provide a base-line against which future work can be compared. This is the first major study of Black Guillemots in the UK. There were large diurnal and seasonal fluctuations in colony attendance patterns which were investigated in relation to various factors. Reliable census techniques were devised and suitable stretches of coastline were established as monitoring units. Black Guillemots rarely foraged in water more than 40-50 m deep, and seldom moved more than 3 km from the nest during the breeding season. The proximity of suitable breeding sites to shallow water feeding grounds accounted for the fairly regular breeding dispersion. On islands with mammalian predators only nest sites in inaccessible cliffs were used. In many areas breeding numbers were limited by nest site availability. The distribution at other times of year was more irregular. After breeding adults congregated in traditional moulting areas where they became flightless for 4-5 weeks. These flocks of up to c.600 adults constitute vulnerable "hot spots" at which the effect of oil pollution would be most severe. In winter there was some movement away from exposed coasts, resulting in concentrations in more sheltered, inshore waters. A wide range of fish and invertebrates were eaten by adults, largely reflecting the diversity of inshore benthic communities. There appears to be a greater dependence on invertebrates during the winter months, when fish are scarcer. Chicks were fed almost exclusively on fish: their diet composition was determined primarily by local availability, although some adults specialised on particular species. When large gadoid fish became available in late summer adults were able to provide more energy per feed and consequently chicks were heavier at fledging. Breeding parameters were quantified and analysed in relation to various factors. Breeding success and chick growth compared very favourably with results of studies elsewhere, indicating that conditions for breeding were good for Black Guillemots in Shetland. In a year of more favourable environmental conditions a greater proportion of inexperienced birds were able to reach the condition threshold for breeding. These birds tended to lay single-egg clutches, in sub-optimal sites at which egg predation was heavy and breeding success low. Some pairs of Arctic Skuas benefit ed considerably from kleptoparasitism of chick feeds at larger colonies, but Black Guillemot breeding success was not affected and chick growth was only depressed at high rates of piracy. Overall, conditions in Shetland are favourable throughout the year for this seabird, whose ecology is moulded to the exploitation of an inshore feeding niche.

The thesis is based upon a major and hitherto almost unresearched historical manuscript source, the Gardie Papers; it assesses their usefulness to the historian and the historical geographer, compares the evidence from this source with that from the extensive published literature on the Shetland Islands, and analyses data from Gardie that is not available from other sources. The first (historical) part of the work (chapters 1, 2 and 3) discusses the Garth and Gardie estates in the general context of seventeenth and eighteenth century Shetland, and the role of the Mouat family in the social, economic and political affairs of the time. The second (thematic) half (chapters 4, 5 and 6) is based on statistical analyses of data from Gardie and elsewhere; it covers a range of topics under the broad headings of 'The Estate and its Produce', 'The Tenants and the Land' and 'Problems of Demography and Labour Supply'.

No description available.

This thesis engages with the social worlds of Shetlanders through active personal participation in the local music scene. I explore how locals articulate personal and social perspectives on the distinctiveness of Shetland's music scene by reflecting on their own social experiences. The spree is explored ethnographically as the key local practice that manifests the principles of an epistemological tradition – a way of knowing and being that is shared across multiple generations. I explore the evidence for existing interconnected epistemological principles, including horizontality (supporting people of all ages, genders, socioeconomic classes, cultural backgrounds and musical skill level), interpersonal and intergenerational knowledge, resourcefulness and nuance of character appreciation. Individuals know, describe and manifest these principles in their own characteristic, personal and changing ways. The appreciation of individual idiosyncrasies, life stories and skills in Shetland is not necessarily aligned with a model of competitive individualism of neoliberal capitalism, but with a local principle of equality and horizontality, founded on spree practices. Based on open principles, this epistemological tradition supports engagement with past, current and novel forms of musical expression, remaining open to outside influences. As a fluid, living form, understanding it requires a leap beyond static models of tradition that seek the preservation of idealised authentic forms, canonical-aesthetic orthodoxies, and social boundaries. The spree remains stable and resilient as a principled way of being, providing a model for interactions with locals and outsiders, and affording the growth of a closely-knit social support network.

No / Excavations at Old Scatness Volume 2: The Broch and Iron Age Village, is the second title in the series from the extensive excavation project carried out at Old Scatness, following on from the publication of the first volume in 2010. Perhaps the most complex archaeological excavation ever to have been carried out in Scotland, the Scatness project used cutting edge scientific techniques. The second volume examines the earliest phases of the archaeological remains. These start with the Neolithic remains but the focus of the volume is on the exceptionally well preserved Iron Age Broch and Village, dating between 400BC – AD400. - Publisher.

No / The soils surrounding three Iron Age settlements on South Mainland, Shetland, were sampled and compared for indicators of soil amendment. Two of the sites (Old Scatness and Jarlshof) were on lower-lying, better-drained, sheltered land; the third (Clevigarth) was in an acid, exposed environment at a higher elevation. The hypothesis, based on previous regional assessments, soil thicknesses, and excavations at Old Scatness, was that the lowland sites would have heavily fertilized soils and that the thin upland soil would show little if any amendment. Our findings indicate that the Middle Iron Age soils at Old Scatness had extremely high phosphorus levels, while the soil at Jarlshof had lower levels of enhancement. At Clevigarth, where charcoal from the buried soil was 14C dated to the Neolithic and Bronze Age, there was no evidence of arable activity or soil amendment associated with the Iron Age phases of settlement. These observations indicate that not all sites put the same amount of effort into creating rich arable soils. The three sites had very different agricultural capacities, which suggests the emergence of local trade in agricultural commodities in Iron Age Shetland.

No

No / The Shetland Islands are well known for their archaeology, with many features from later prehistory surviving to an exceptional degree, with brochs being an excellent example. Less is known of submerged prehistoric sites, though the offshore profile of the islands means that ancient occupation of the current submerged zone was likely, and also that the sites are likely preserved. One such archaeological site, previously identified, occurs near Semblister. The site has been known locally, and is recorded as a broch in the local Historic Environment Records, however, its dimensions and location do not strongly suggest that it is a broch. Combining satellite imagery – the site is in relatively shallow water and visible – with targeted side-scan sonar survey and data processing, will aid the development of a process approach to the re-classification / confirmation of historically recorded sites, and archaeological prospection in the shallow water zone. / University of Bradford

Making use of knowledge from a wide range of disciplines, this thesis analyses the interactions of culture and economy, particularly regarding the influence of nineteenthcentury historiography, on Shetland’s present-day economic development. Shetland’s local identity concept is strongly influenced by this North Sea archipelago’s Norse history. This is in part the result of the islands’ late nineteenth- and early twentiethcentury national romantic literature, which was inspired by Continental and mainland British trends in anthropology and philology. The theories of fairy origins proposed in the 1890s by the Edinburgh anthropologist David MacRitchie exerted a great influence on Shetland writers. His theories – since shown to be incorrect – led to the historiographic dehumanisation of the islands’ pre-Norse population and permitted the complete valorisation of the Vikings, most notably in the work of the Shetland author Jessie Saxby. Since the 1930s, a variation of MacRitchie’s theory has been repeated in nearly every local book concerning Shetland folk belief. These conceptions of history continue to inform the sense of local identity felt by many Shetlanders. This has come into conflict with the local government’s efforts at place brand, tourism, heritage, and economic development, all of which tie into a broader struggle between fostering Shetland’s national awareness and expanding Shetland’s jurisdictional capacity. Particular attention is paid to how history is used variously by the community to express exclusivity and by the local government to promote inclusivity.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2001--Kiel.