For the last six summers I have had the pleasure of showing folk around the RSPB's Brodgar reserve and introducing them to Brodgar's farmland birds and waders - lapwings, oystercatchers, curlews redshank and skylarks to name but a few. The soundtrack to these walks is quite incredible with the liquid bubbling calls of the curlews, the "pleep, pleep" of the oystercatchers, the mournful whistle of a redshank and, outsinging them all - the joyous song of a skylark as it soars above the reserve.
On Thursday however there was quite a different atmosphere. The Brodgar reserve surrounds the iconic Ring of Brodgar - a spectacular Neolithic stone circle built between 4000 and 4500 years ago. It is part of a World Heritage Site and so it was not surprising that the Queen's Baton Relay made its way there.
This group of walkers, coming up from the loch side must have been wondering what all the fuss was about.
The Baton Bearer at Brodgar was Keith Brown, one of Historic Scotland's World Heritage Site Rangers. During the summer the RSPB and the Rangers deliver a series of joint walks at the Ring of Brodgar, combining archaeology with wildlife - a two-in-one.
For a brief period the Ring of Brodgar was a hive of activity with a film crew and hordes of photographers scurrying around, all trying to get the most dramatic/scenic/iconic (delete as applicable) shot of Keith holding up what was quite a hefty piece of kit. The handle is made of elm and and it is topped with a titanium lattice framework so I expect Keith felt the after-effects the next day.
All in all, quite an experience but the Ring and the reserve soon returned to normal. Although the joint walks mentioned earlier are now over for the summer, there is still one last chance to join us on a "Birds for Beginners" walk around the reserve this coming Friday (18th July). Booking is essential so if you want to come along, call the office on 01856 850176.
PS. The skylarks continued singing their hearts out throughout, a great addition to the soundtrack of the filmed interview with Keith.