red-throated diver

hen harrier male

redshank

Your first impression of Orkney’s bird life is itssheer abundance and diversity. This is evidenteven before setting foot on the islands, with allmanner of seabirds that can be seen from theferry as it crosses the Pentland Firth.

The large variety of habitats in a relatively smallarea provides many different feeding and nestingareas for numerous species. The local geology(mainly Devonian sandstone) provides perfectnesting ledges on the sea cliffs at colonies likeNoup Cliffs, Westray and Marwick Head, Mainland.These features along with the rich food sourceprovided by the mixing of the North Sea andAtlantic Ocean provide ideal conditions forbreeding and wintering seabirds.

The moorlands of Orkney such as Birsay Moors on Mainland and the hills of Hoy and Rousay provide perfect breeding grounds for the striking red-throated diver and birds of prey such as the hen harrier, merlinand short-eared owl. The evocative display call of the curlew can be heardon an early spring Orcadian morning,this species breeding here in higher densities than anywhere else in Britain.

Orkney’s wetland areas provide nesting andfeeding habitat for a remarkable number anddiversity of waders and wildfowl. Eleven speciesof waders breed in the wetlands and on themoorland; along with a remarkable twelve speciesof duck including pintail and gadwall.

The farmland of Orkney, along with the rest ofthe country, has undergone dramatic changesover the last fifty years but it is still an importanthabitat for many species and can provide anessential source of both food and shelter overthe crucial winter months.

species are strongly dependent upon thepopulation of the Orkney vole, a unique sub-species of the European vole. Merlins inhabit themore remote areas of moorland and a certainamount of luck is helpful in seeing theseimpressive masters of the air. Their larger relativethe peregrine is present throughout the islandsbut in only in small numbers.Other birds of preyin Orkney include the kestrel, which, unusually,may nest on the ground; a few pairs ofsparrowhawks nest in the small areas of woodlandaround the islands and buzzards are present insmall numbers on Hoy.

Orkney holds around 130 pairs ofred-throated divers (or rain geese as theyare known locally). They breed on many of theremote hill top lochans and can be heard flyingoverhead on foraging trips out to sea. Goodviews of these birds can be had from the RSPBhide at Burgar Hill overlooking Lowrie’s Water.

An incredible assortment of ducks, geese andswans breed in Orkney. As well as the gracefulmute swan, a few herons, and an increasingpopulation of greylag geese, at least twelve speciesof duck breed in Orkney. Some of the moreunusual are pintail, gadwall and the eye-catchingred-breasted merganser. Other species includethe ubiquitous mallard, teal, wigeon, shoveler,eider, shelduck, pochard, tufted duck and veryoccasionally garganey.

The most conspicuous and arguably most beautifulof Orkney’s raptors is the hen harrier. Thismagnificent bird breeds on the remote moorlandareas and can be seen performing its spectacularsky dance display in the early spring and quarteringthe rough grassland margins hunting for volesand small birds throughout the year. Short-earedowls are commonly seen hunting over areas oftaller vegetation throughout the day. Both of these

curlew

shoveler

merlin female

Orkney is home to a vast range of waders fromthe most numerous and recognisable curlew tothe shy and more elusive golden plover. Elevenspecies of wader breed here regularly. The bestplaces to see these are at The Loons RSPB Reserve,West Mainland and Mill Dam RSPB Reserve,Shapinsay. Few spectacles compare to the noiseand activity of the morning wader displays in thespring. Other wader species include redshank,oystercatcher, snipe, lapwing, dunlin, whimbrel,ringed plover, common sandpiper and the rareblack-tailed godwit.

short-earedowl

photo

gra

phs:

RSPB des

ign a

nd illust

rati

on: Ia

in A

shm

an

find out more about ourrich and varied wildlife

snipe

black-tailed godwit

lapwing

cove

r im

ages

: to

p b

lack

gu

ille

mo

t bott

om

razo

rbil

ls

Orkney’snaturalheritageOrkney’snaturalheritage

Orkney’snaturalheritageOrkney’snaturalheritage

Orkney’snaturalheritageOrkney’snaturalheritage

Orkney’sBirdsBirds

Please remember:To take care on the cliffs as they can be dangerousTo avoid disturbing nesting birdsTo keep dogs under control at all timesTo take your litter home with youNot to pick wild flowersRespect private property

Europe and ScotlandMaking it work together

Westray

Papa WestrayNorth Ronaldsay

Sanday

EdayStronsay

Shapinsay

Rousay

HoyFlotta

Burray

South Ronaldsay

Copinsay

Graemsay

Egilsay

Wyre

Gairsay

Swona

Orkney

Mainland

HoyRSPBReserve

The LoonsRSPB Reserve

Birsay MoorsRSPB Reserve

CottascarthRSPB Reserve

TrumlandRSPB Reserve

North HillRSPB Reserve

Bird Observatory

Stronsaybirdreserve

OnziebustRSPB Reserve

Mill DamRSPB Reserve

BrodgarRSPB Reserve

MarwickHeadRSPBReserve

HobbisterRSPB Reserve

good placesto see birds

Holm of Papay

Castle o’ Burrian

Noup CliffsRSPB Reserve

CostaHead

BroughofBirsay

Binscarthwood

Lyness

Stromness

Kirkwall

Auskerry

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Scapa Flow

CopinsayRSPB Reserve

Woodwick

South Walls

j anuary f ebruary march apr i l may j une j u l y augus t sep tember oc tober november decemberseabirds

passerines

divers

waterfowl

raptors and owls

waders

One of the best things about bird watching in Orkneyis the possibility that just about anything could showup at any time. With its location off the northeastcoast of Scotland and with such a variety of habitatsin such a small space, it has the potential to turn upsomething unusual at almost anytime of year. So,wherever you are bird watching in Orkney, keep youreyes and mind open and above all ENJOY!

Some of the wintering waders in Orkney include theever-present curlew, turnstone, purple sandpiper, bar-tailed godwit, redshank and dunlin. The best place tosee these birds in large numbers is on the east coastof Sanday but any area of accessible coastline inOrkney will hold its share of winter visitors.

Arctic terns abound on the RSPB’s North Hill reserveon Papa Westray, at times Britain’s largest tern colony.The terns can be seen returning from feeding foraysbeing besieged by the arctic skuas that also nesthere. This aerial master is one of the bird world’spirates, preferring to steal the food of other birdsrather than fish for itself.

Fulmars can be seenalmost everywhere inOrkney and breed onmost cliffs and eventhe odd ruinedbuilding; one of thebird world’s greatsuccess stories thesebirds only havingstarted breeding inOrkney in the early1900s

For the spring migration, late April to late May is thebest period. This can also be a good time to seesome of the winter visitors that have not left Orkney’swaters yet, such as the great northern divers andlong-tailed ducks.

Autumn migration is at its peak during Septemberand October. North Ronaldsay is the best of theislands for spotting rare migrants, being the mostnortheasterly of the Orkney Islands. Stronsay isanother excellent island for witnessing migrationand almost anything could appear on these islands.

The traditional suite of woodland passerines (perchingbirds) are absent from Orkney, due mainly to thelimited quantity of this type of habitat in the islands.Blackbirds are present throughout the islands whilstsong thrushes are present in only very small numbers.

Of the finches, only chaffinches are present in anynumbers, usually in the woodland areas althoughgreenfinches are on the increase and are now acommoner site in some of the towns and villages.

Wheatears are our first long distant migrants to arrivehere in late March or early April. Seen commonlyaround the west coast maritime heath or on therockier moorland of Hoy, they add a warm touch ofcolour with their peachy breast and black mask.

fulmar

guillemot

puffin

The great skua or bonxie was unknown in Orkneybefore the turn of the century. They now numberover two thousand pairs (almost 25% of the UKpopulation). The majority of these birds are to befound on the moorland of Hoy.

great skua arctic skua

Greenland white-fronted geese

best time to see wintering species best time to see breeding species

The islands are also home to several goose speciesfor the relatively mild winter months. Several smallpopulations of Greenland white-fronted geese occurin the islands, The Loons RSPB reserve holding overone hundred every year. Around one thousand barnaclegeese winter in South Walls 10 . The Harray loch,along with some of the smaller lochs, hold largenumbers of wintering wildfowl including thousandsof wigeon, pochard, tufted ducks and scaup.

arctic tern

skylark

stonechat

twite

raven

During the winter, the islands are home to largenumbers of waders, wildfowl and other species. ScapaFlow 9 is an important wintering area for great-northern, red- and black-throated divers, Slavonianand red-necked grebes and long-tailed ducks. Greatnorthern divers and Slavonian grebes are here ininternationally important numbers.

The crow family in Orkney isrepresented by four species; theraven, rook, jackdaw and hoodedcrow. Ravens can be seen performingtheir spectacular tumbling displayflight in the early part of the year andjackdaws can be seen along many ofthe islands’ seacliffs, such as at thelarge colony at Costa Head 6 . Rooksnest throughout the Mainland woodssuch as Woodwick in Evie 7 andBinscarth, Firth 8 .

The rich waters of Orkney along with the perfectnesting ledges provided by the underlying geologymake this the most numerous group of birds to breedhere. The largest sea cliff colony at the RSPB’s NoupCliffs reserve, Westray holds around 100,000 birds.

The sea cliffs from April to July can be a raucous andfragrant spectacle. Guillemots packed onto tiny ledgescompete with razorbills and vast numbers of kittiwakesfor the valuable food sources from the sea such assand eels.

Many visitors’ favourite bird, thepuffin, can be seen throughoutthe islands in small numbers butthe best locations for viewingthese clowns of the bird worldin any number are at the Castleof Burrian on Westray 1 andthe RSPB reserve of Copinsay offthe east coast of Deerness. Smallnumbers can be seen off the eastcoast of South Ronaldsay 2 andaround Marwick Head and theBrough of Birsay 3 .

The last member of the aukfamily to breed in Orkney, theBlack Guillemot or tystie, breedsthroughout the island in smallcolonies such as the one on theHolm of Papay 4 or a moreaccessible and unusual colonyon the old pier at Lyness onHoy 5 .

Twite and linnet breed in small numbers on themoorlands and some coastal areas and flocks gatheraround the scarce food sources during the winter.

Of the more open country passerines skylark andmeadow pipits abound, the latter being by far themore numerous. The meadow pipits greyer cousin,the rock pipit can be seen around most of Orkney’scoastline. Pied wagtails are a widespread breedingspecies although only a few winter here. Grey wagtailsalso nests although in much smaller numbers andonly sporadically.

A bright splash of colour comes in the form of thestonechat, nesting mainly in Hoy and around theOrphir area.

red-throated diver

hen harrier male

redshank

Your first impression of Orkney’s bird life is itssheer abundance and diversity. This is evidenteven before setting foot on the islands, with allmanner of seabirds that can be seen from theferry as it crosses the Pentland Firth.

The large variety of habitats in a relatively smallarea provides many different feeding and nestingareas for numerous species. The local geology(mainly Devonian sandstone) provides perfectnesting ledges on the sea cliffs at colonies likeNoup Cliffs, Westray and Marwick Head, Mainland.These features along with the rich food sourceprovided by the mixing of the North Sea andAtlantic Ocean provide ideal conditions forbreeding and wintering seabirds.

The moorlands of Orkney such as Birsay Moors on Mainland and the hills of Hoy and Rousay provide perfect breeding grounds for the striking red-throated diver and birds of prey such as the hen harrier, merlinand short-eared owl. The evocative display call of the curlew can be heardon an early spring Orcadian morning,this species breeding here in higher densities than anywhere else in Britain.

Orkney’s wetland areas provide nesting andfeeding habitat for a remarkable number anddiversity of waders and wildfowl. Eleven speciesof waders breed in the wetlands and on themoorland; along with a remarkable twelve speciesof duck including pintail and gadwall.

The farmland of Orkney, along with the rest ofthe country, has undergone dramatic changesover the last fifty years but it is still an importanthabitat for many species and can provide anessential source of both food and shelter overthe crucial winter months.

species are strongly dependent upon thepopulation of the Orkney vole, a unique sub-species of the European vole. Merlins inhabit themore remote areas of moorland and a certainamount of luck is helpful in seeing theseimpressive masters of the air. Their larger relativethe peregrine is present throughout the islandsbut in only in small numbers.Other birds of preyin Orkney include the kestrel, which, unusually,may nest on the ground; a few pairs ofsparrowhawks nest in the small areas of woodlandaround the islands and buzzards are present insmall numbers on Hoy.

Orkney holds around 130 pairs ofred-throated divers (or rain geese as theyare known locally). They breed on many of theremote hill top lochans and can be heard flyingoverhead on foraging trips out to sea. Goodviews of these birds can be had from the RSPBhide at Burgar Hill overlooking Lowrie’s Water.

An incredible assortment of ducks, geese andswans breed in Orkney. As well as the gracefulmute swan, a few herons, and an increasingpopulation of greylag geese, at least twelve speciesof duck breed in Orkney. Some of the moreunusual are pintail, gadwall and the eye-catchingred-breasted merganser. Other species includethe ubiquitous mallard, teal, wigeon, shoveler,eider, shelduck, pochard, tufted duck and veryoccasionally garganey.

The most conspicuous and arguably most beautifulof Orkney’s raptors is the hen harrier. Thismagnificent bird breeds on the remote moorlandareas and can be seen performing its spectacularsky dance display in the early spring and quarteringthe rough grassland margins hunting for volesand small birds throughout the year. Short-earedowls are commonly seen hunting over areas oftaller vegetation throughout the day. Both of these

curlew

shoveler

merlin female

Orkney is home to a vast range of waders fromthe most numerous and recognisable curlew tothe shy and more elusive golden plover. Elevenspecies of wader breed here regularly. The bestplaces to see these are at The Loons RSPB Reserve,West Mainland and Mill Dam RSPB Reserve,Shapinsay. Few spectacles compare to the noiseand activity of the morning wader displays in thespring. Other wader species include redshank,oystercatcher, snipe, lapwing, dunlin, whimbrel,ringed plover, common sandpiper and the rareblack-tailed godwit.

short-earedowl

photo

grap

hs: R

SPB d

esign an

d illu

stration: Ia

in A

shm

an

find out more about ourrich and varied wildlife

snipe

black-tailed godwit

lapwing

cover im

ages: to

p b

lack

gu

illem

ot b

otto

m ra

zo

rbills

Orkney’snaturalheritageOrkney’snaturalheritage

Orkney’snaturalheritageOrkney’snaturalheritage

Orkney’snaturalheritageOrkney’snaturalheritage

Orkney’sBirds Birds

Please remember:To take care on the cliffs as they can be dangerousTo avoid disturbing nesting birdsTo keep dogs under control at all timesTo take your litter home with youNot to pick wild flowersRespect private property

Europe and ScotlandMaking it work together

Westray

Papa WestrayNorth Ronaldsay

Sanday

EdayStronsay

Shapinsay

Rousay

HoyFlotta

Burray

South Ronaldsay

Copinsay

Graemsay

Egilsay

Wyre

Gairsay

Swona

Orkney

Mainland

HoyRSPBReserve

The LoonsRSPB Reserve

Birsay MoorsRSPB Reserve

CottascarthRSPB Reserve

TrumlandRSPB Reserve

North HillRSPB Reserve

Bird Observatory

Stronsaybirdreserve

OnziebustRSPB Reserve

Mill DamRSPB Reserve

BrodgarRSPB Reserve

MarwickHeadRSPBReserve

HobbisterRSPB Reserve

good placesto see birds

Holm of Papay

Castle o’ Burrian

Noup CliffsRSPB Reserve

CostaHead

BroughofBirsay

Binscarthwood

Lyness

Stromness

Kirkwall

Auskerry

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Scapa Flow

CopinsayRSPB Reserve

Woodwick

South Walls