The wildness and the range of different habitats in Northmavine make it a perfect place for watching wildlife, so don't forget your binoculars. The coast at Eshaness, the Ness of Hillswick, Fethaland and the banks around Ronas Hill are home to thousands of seabirds, with many important breeding colonies.

The sea eagles that nested here until the end of the 19th Century are no more, but numerous colonies of Arctic terns can be seen. There are many vantage points from which to watch grey and common seals basking in the sun or playing in the sea. The isle of Uyea is a significant popping ground for grey seals. The quiet and watchful might spy an otter working its way along the shore line, particularly on the Hillswick Ness or between Ollaberry and Sullom. Looking out to sea you might even catch sight of whales, dolphins or porpoises. Inland the vast expanses of moor, peat and loch attract many different birds.

The fierce great skua (bonxie), Arctic skua (skooty aalin) are widespread in Eshaness and on Ronas Hill. A keen eye could glimpse the quick flash of a merlin hunting its prey, while the mournful call of a golden plover is a common sound in summer. The fire and ice of volcano and glacier have forge Shetland's world famous geology. Some of Britain's oldest rocks, nearly three billion years old, are at Uyea. The volcanic rocks - black basalts and purple andesites - that form the cliffs at Eshaness contain agates and amethysts. Ollaberry has perhaps Britain's finest example of a tear fault, part of a fault line that extends to Inverness and along the Great Glen.

Wildflowers are abundant throughout summer, especially the meadows around Ollaberry, North Roe and on Hillswick Ness. Several rare species occur, such as the oyster plant, at Urafirth.