1) Graham Brown, Local Group Volunteer - testing out the 'Singing' Birds!
2) Wildlife Explorers Group Volunteers - making Puffins masks, seabird wrist-flappers and unscrambling the 'Corncrake Conundrum'!
The RSPB tent at the County Show was like an 'oasis', as described by one local resident, amongst the hubub of noise & the crowds outside. The feelie box game was giving folk another chance to try their hands at guessing what was lurking at the bottom of these colourful boxes . . . . The chance of winning some great tombola prizes and also the 'Find the Corncrake' game inside the tent were both very popular.
The children were frantically finding the hidden letters to unscramble the phrase 'SAVING NATURE' which was also the theme of our tent this year. Several people signed a Stepping Up For Nature pledges to do things like feeding their garden birds, volunteering and becoming an RSPB Member.
Our displays this year included: seabird, habitat creation, volunteering, corncrakes, local group, stepping up for nature, wildlife explorers & Enjoy Wild Orkney displays . . . lots for folk to look at and learn more about the conservation work that takes place within RSPB Orkney.
Fundraising - Dounby Show - £48 from Tombola and pin badge donations; County Show - £283.70 from games & sales. Dounby Show day started off a bit quiet (apart from the chainsaw sculpture next door to us). The Tombola was very popular as was just meeting and chatting with different people - more wildlife memorable moments shared there (see more below for explanation).
Julian Branscombe, our new Project Officer and Anne Bignall, Community Engagement Officer, both of the Enjoy Wild Orkney project, were on hand at the County and Dounby Shows to talk to locals and visitors about this exciting new project (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and European Regional Development Fund). There was a chance for the public to have their say on which wildlife species they would like to see on CCTV film and also folk wrote down their favourite Orkney wildlife moment - which included 'otter walking down the garden path', a 'skylark on a fence post at Brodgar, singing its heart out' and 'watching a young cuckoo fed by a meadow pipit' - examples of three amazing inspirational images!!
We had great fun at both Dounby and County Shows and we would like to say a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped out!
Thank you
on behalf of all the RSPB Orkney Staff.