Orkney

This year, we have launched plans to restore much of the degraded peatlands across Orkney. Find out why these habitats are so important, what's been happening so far, and what we'll be doing next.

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question?  Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at info@on...

The latest blog from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, the world's largest stoat eradication, explaining the impact of invasive non-native species during this year's Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) week.

photo courtesy of RSPB Images

When Stephen Hawking was writing “A Brief History of Time” someone advised he would lose half the potential readership with each equation he included; so he settled on just e=mc² in the entire book. I’m thinking the same might be true for curlew statistics so how about: the number of curlews in the UK has halved since the millennium; they might be all gone in 50 years? Do we really need…

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question? Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at stoatsig...

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. 

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project safeguarding the future of Orkney's native wildlife with an ambitious project to eradicate stoats from Orkney and put biosecurity measures in place to ensure they cannot return

This time last year we were hosting an evening of thanks and celebration for all of our Orkney RSPB volunteers, with staff and volunteers coming together to enjoy an evening of talks and displays, food and catching up, and celebrating the hard work of all our volunteers.  It was a great evening, and little did we know then that it would be one of the last chances to get together for a while!  During the evening, Long Service…

Updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. A partnership of the RSPB Scotland, Nature Scot, and the Orkney Islands Council to protect Orkney's native wildlife from the invasive non-native stoat

For over four decades, the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch has united people across the UK in taking time to watch and count their garden birds over the last weekend in January. We are calling on Orkney residents to celebrate your love of nature and join the thousands of people throughout Scotland and the UK in taking part this weekend!

Each year, close to half a million people take part in the survey, spending just one hour…

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us, or have a question? Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at stoatsightings@rspb.org.uk

Monitoring Orkney's native wildlife

A belated Happy New Year everyone! We hope you are enjoying nature's gifts as much as possible in these challenging…

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project

New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us, or have a question? Visit our Facebook page, our website, or email us. 

Monitoring our native species and what to do if you want to be involved

Running alongside the eradication arm of the project, which deploys thousands of traps to eradicate the stoat,…

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question?  Visit our Facebook page, our website or email stoatsightings@rspb.org.uk

 

Trap network nearly complete!

We are delighted to report that we have almost finished deploying trap boxes across West Mainland to complete our initial eradication…

We are happy to announce the results of our annual corncrake survey, and give a big thank you to the Orkney community for the enthusiasm you have shown in making reports to us this year!  

In encouraging news, a total of 20 calling male corncrakes were reported and verified across Orkney during the corncrake survey period this summer, up by 1 bird on last year’s total of 19.

Corncrake, RSPB Images

This is particularly…

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question?  Visit our Facebook page, our website or email stoatsightings@rspb.org.uk

Final push to complete the trap network

Thank you to the many hundreds of landowners who have chosen to help safeguard the future of Orkney’s native wildlife by granting…

Grey seal pupping season in Orkney

Orkney is rich in marine life, with approximately 15% of Scotland’s seal population inhabiting the dramatic coastline. Grey seals (known in Orkney folklore as selkies) are a common sight in Orkney, with their haunting howls echoing through the cliffs at this time of year. October is a very special time for grey seals because this is when they start to pup. Chubby splodges of bright white…

Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project

New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question?  Visit our Facebook page, our website or contact Sam Ranscombe (Community Engagement Officer) on Samantha.ranscombe@rspb.org.uk.

Over 5,000 traps now deployed!

Great news…..we are now entering the final phase of trap deployment and our…

Our regular blog shares the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

If you are new to our blog and want to know more about the project please visit our website www.onwp.org

 

Trapping operations continue

With all members of our trapping team having returned to work following the period of lockdown, we are focusing on a big push to get all eradication traps deployed across the Mainland and linked…

Our regular blog shares the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. If you are new to our blog and want to know more about the project visit our website www.onwp.org

 

Operations resuming on the islands

Following the COVID-19 lockdown, the Orkney Native Wildlife Project suspended operations. Since the beginning of June, in accordance with the release of lockdown measures across Scotland, trapping…

For the past few years, the RSPB Orkney team have been observing signs of gannets prospecting the Marwick cliffs as a new breeding site.  Sub-adult birds loafing nearby, the occasional sky-pointing display, and a few birds seen carrying seaweed to the cliffs have all been promising signs of potential breeding activity!

(Sky-pointing is a displaying behaviour which gannets employ to attract a mate, raising their heads to…

Our regular blog shares the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. If you are new to our blog and want to know more about the project visit our website www.onwp.org

With Covid-19 lockdown restrictions easing, we have been able to resume some of our outdoor operations over the last few weeks following strict health, safety and social distancing procedures and so have some project updates to share…

Our regular blog shares the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. If you are new to our blog and want to know more about the project visit our website www.onwp.org

Project update during lockdown

As you may have heard on the radio or seen in the paper, we are about to resume some of our trapping operations, which have been paused since 23^rd March in line with Scottish Government guidelines.

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Our regular blog shares the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. If you are new to our blog and want to know more about the project visit our website www.onwp.org

 

Project update during lockdown

During lockdown, we were unable to check our operational trap network except in emergencies. As we enter Phase 1, and lockdown restrictions begin to be eased, we are looking at resuming our stoat eradication…

This week would have been Invasive Species Week. One invasive species which is of huge concern in Orkney is the stoat. Here Sam Ranscombe from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project explains why.

Orkney is an incredibly special place for wildlife and although Orkney’s land area is less than 1% of the UK, 30% of Orkney land is designated for wildlife. Orkney has 20-25% of the UK breeding population of hen harrier, the UK’s…

Welcome to the Orkney Native Wildlife Project blog

Our regular blog shares the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. If you are new to our blog and want to know more about the project visit our website www.onwp.org

What we are doing during lockdown

Lockdown has meant we have temporarily stopped our trapping and monitoring work, but there are other areas of the project that we are still working…