Greenland White-fronted Geese are a very localised winter visitor to Scotland. Orkney has one site where it is still possible to encounter this distinctive goose. A medium-sized grey goose with orange legs and an orange bill; adults have a large white patch surrounding the base of the bill and bold black bars on the belly. Juveniles lack this black barring.

Whilst out on site yesterday I had a close encounter with a…

Hi Everybody

There have been a couple of events taking place . . . .

Annual General Meeting

28 people turned out for the RSPB Local Group 28th AGM held at the St. Magnus Centre on 6th November when the various office-bearers reported on events from the past 12 months. RSPB Officer Sarah Sankey also gave a comprehensive report of what has taken place in 2013. During the refreshment break members were able to buy…

A picture of some interesting web formations at the Loch of Banks on Friday 11th October from Derek Johnston – "lived in that area all my life and never seen anything like that before!"

Alastair Lavery knows a thing or two about spiders has replied. The photograph shows a mass of spider silk, more than I have seen, though I have been shown photographs like this for Australia and North America. The silk…

Here is Pauline Wilson's most recent latest happenings:

Hi Everybody

It seems ages since I sent out an email to members without relying on Morag. After lots of difficulties with my new computer everything now seems to be sorted and I have been able to re-assemble my group lists. I say everything but actually the new photo gallery is different and only seems to want to send one picture at a time but I am sure I…

A quick update on how the Orkney Local Group bag packing events went recently. 

At Tesco last Friday/Saturday 18th and 19th October, thanks to the time so willingly given and the unfailing generosity of the people of Orkney we made the magnificent total of £1285.88. This was made up of £660.88 on the Friday (until 6 pm) and £625.00 on the Saturday (until 5  pm).

Many thanks to all those who were there…

The recent warm weather has brought an amazing buzz to the wildflower corridors and fields of our Onziebust reserve on the Island of Egilsay. The island is known for its diversity and numbers of breeding waders in Springtime, but from mid-June to August the landscape blooms with thousands of wildflowers and the bees begin to buzz. 

Wet meadow flora at its best. Tall white meadowsweet, vetches, buttercups, pink ragged…

Hi Everybody

Although most of the Local Group programme is now past, there is still plenty going on in RSPB Orkney so I need to inform members of what's happening.

Reminder of Local Group Events

There are just a few events left for 2013 but we have additional outings and activities to publicise.

Weekend 3rd/4th August

Joint event with Orkney Field Club and the Wildlife Explorers Group. Moth traps will be set…

Welcome to the second Orcadian seabird blog (to read the first blog click here). This past month has been full of ups and downs for me as a seabird surveyor. This month, it’s been all about Guillemot, Razorbill and Kittiwake chicks: hatching, survival and fledging.

We’ve expanded our productivity monitoring to Razorbills and Shags. Shags appear to be doing well, with many fledged young visible along the cliffs at…

The number of corncrakes - a rare bird wiped out from most of the country apart from the Scottish islands - in Orkney this summer has dropped significantly from last year. During the survey period 20 May - 10 July, 14 calling male corncrakes were counted, compared to 32 in 2012.

The RSPB in Orkney has run a long-term 'Corncrake Initiative', protecting the birds by working with farmers to maintain their habitats…

Here's a report on the recent Volunteer Thanks Day by Julian Branscombe

The early hours of Saturday morning saw 17 RSPB Orkney volunteers and staff gathering for the early boat from Stromness. Very soon a lucky few of the group were rewarded by a pod of about five orcas cruising past the mv Hamnavoe. Serco NorthLink had kindly sponsored the ferry travel – had they also laid on the orcas? A few Manx shearwaters went…

Welcome to my seabird blog from the north! I am the seabird surveyor for mainland Orkney this season and have been on the job for around a month now.  Over this time, I have been visiting six different sites across the island where Northern fulmars, Black-legged kittiwakes and Common guillemots have been monitored for over 20 years. It’s a good job I’ve got a head for heights, as this task requires perching near the edge…

I’ve been experimenting with the trail camera again, this time at Brodgar. I had this ambition to get some photos with hares with the ring of Brodgar in the background. So I set up the camera at one spot with the infra red trigger on and left it for a few days to see what would happen….

The first results were a little disappointing, although I did get one photo with a hare in it, the majority were on walkers…

It is about halfway through the corncrake season and numbers are down on last year. So far, just 12 calling male corncrakes have been heard around the islands, compared to 20 at this time last year (with a total of 32 at the end of the season). Six of this year's corncrakes have been heard in Westray, with one each in West Mainland, East Mainland, South Ronaldsay, Shapinsay, Sanday and Flotta.

Orkney is one of the…

Hi Everybody

Here is the remainder of the RSPB Local Group programme for 2013:

Sat/Sun 27th/27th July - Storm Petrel Ringing

A night event led by Alan Leitch to watch the catching and ringing of the nocturnal storm petrel and listen to their eerie calls. Contact RSPB office on 01856 850176.

Weekend 3rd/4th August

Joint event with Orkney Field Club and the Wildlife Explorers Group. Moth traps will be set in Malcolm…

Hi Everybody

I heard very good reports from those Orkney Local Group members and friends who were on the Gloup trips last weekend in Deerness. Every seat was spoken for, meaning 21 people were able to enjoy this unique experience with local boat operator Sidney Foubister.

The Verona entering the cave at the Deerness Brough. (Photo Pauline Wilson

The main event, of course, is going into the Gloup and, with the aid…

Early June is the time to count the population of the seabirds breeding on the cliff ledges on our seabird reserves, and that is exactly what RSPB staff spent last Saturday doing at Noup Cliffs! The seabird colonies on our Noup Cliffs reserve on Westray hadn’t been counted since 2004, so it was about time for us to do another count to see how the population of nesting birds has changed in the last nine years.

Last Saturday saw the annual trip to Auskerry, organised by the Orkney RSPB Local Members' Group. The weather was perfect and it proved to be a magical day out for the 11 folk who took part with Alan Leitch, RSPB site manager, leading the group. Harvey Groat's boat, the Charlie-Ann took us from Kirkwall in about an hour and 20 minutes.  

Auskerry has been inhabited by just one family since 1975. Simon Brogan, who…

Great news! We are now showing live film from an occupied hen harrier nest. Engineer Peter Mackay, along with Alan Leitch and Brian Ribbands were out on the West Mainland hills yesterday installing the camera with it's solar powered battery. The weather was perfect - dry, calm and not too hot for tracking through the heather.

The female hen harrier is sitting on a clutch of 5 eggs and we are expecting them…

More than 150 entries were received for the RSPB’s Orkney Local Group and Orkney Camera Club "Wild Orkney: The Way I See It” photographic competition.

The winners and the best of the rest were displayed during the Orkney Nature Festival at the Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall, along with a photo-montage specially created for the exhibition by the pupils of Class One (P1-P3) at North Walls Community School. There…

An unusual weekend on the island of Papay - home to our North Hill reserve - marked 200 years since one of the last great auks in the UK was killed there. The great auk was a large flightless bird that spent most of its life at sea and was hunted to extinction in the 19th century.

The last Papay great auk - shot at Fowl Craig in 1813 by an islander working to the order of a collector - was stuffed and is now held in the…

Hi Everybody

I know it's not long since I wasin touch but things are happening just now so here I am again.

Outing to Shapinsay

It was a small group crossing to Shapinsay on a bright but cool April 27th when we were pleased to welcome Bruce and Cathleen Wheatley, visitors from Alabama, USA who thoroughly enjoyed their day out.

Paul Hollinrake met us off the ferry and some of the group had a great start to the…

I’m very pleased to announce that I’ve come back for a second season as Warden for the RSPB reserves on Westray and Papa Westray, the two most northerly Orkney islands with RSPB reserves. I had an amazing time last year working as Warden on North Hill and Noup Cliffs, and I enjoyed it so much that I thought I’d come back for more! I started at the beginning of April, so I managed to experience a week of lovely calm, sunny…

The magical Ring of Brodgar is a special place at any time of year, the RSPB reserve surrounds this historical site. During April and May the site really springs alive with the territorial displays of male Curlew, and the female Brown Hares 'boxing' unwanted attention from amorous males. During a dawn breeding bird survey last week I was fortunate enough to record a minimum of 10 displaying male /pairs of Curlew and…

Hi Everybody

Not a good start to the year for RSPB Orkney Local Group due to the poor weather; the Harrier Sky Dancing unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the high winds - certainly not 'dancing' weather for these birds.

Let's hope we have more luck with this Saturday's outing to Shapinsay on April 27th. There are still places available but please ring Julie by Wednesday teatime if you wish to…