Species on the Edge Daily Nature Walk
Where: Meet at the Ring of Brodgar car park
When: Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th May, 7am - 9am
With: Species on the Edge Orkney
Cost: Free
Booking Required: No, just turn up on the day.
Contact: For more information email [email protected]
Join the Species on the Edge Orkney team each day for an early morning walk around the 2km RSPB Brodgar nature reserve footpath to discover this wildlife haven in the heart of Neolithic Orkney. On a gentle stroll on the grassy path, enjoy wildflowers, babbling curlew, lapwings displaying, buzzing bumblebees, and perhaps even a selkie seal or two! We will also try some mindfulness to connect us to nature in this special place. All welcome – anyone under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
Hope the Inflatable Whale (Schools Only)
Where: Kirkwall Grammar School
When: Thursday 16th & Friday 17th May 9am - 3pm
With: Whale & Dolphin Conservation
Cost: Free
Booking Required: NA
Contact: [email protected]
Whale and Dolphin Conservation will be bringing along Hope, an inflatable whale, which measures 13m long and 8m wide, similar to a real-life humpback whale. She also looks like a real-life humpback whale both outside and inside. Going inside Hope gives you the opportunity to learn about the internal anatomy of humpback whales, from breathing to feeding as well as the impact of plastic pollution. These sessions will be available to school groups but Hope will be at the Nature Family Day on Saturday 18th May.
Guide in a Hide - Birdwatching for Beginners
Where: The Loons hide
When: Thursday 16th & Saturday 18th May 10am - 1pm
With: RSPB Scotland
Cost: Free event
Booking required: No, drop in at any time during session.
Contact: RSPB Scotland - Email: [email protected]
If you are new to birdwatching, drop in for some tips from our Guide in a Hide. Mike will help you identify the birds you see and answer any birding queries you may have. If you are a more advanced birder, come along and spend some time birdwatching with us.
Shoreline Rambles
Where: Meet at Stromness Museum
When: Thursday 16th May 10am
With: Stromness Museum
Cost: Adult £10, Child £5, Family of 4 £25
Booking Required: Yes
Contact: [email protected]
Stromness Museum's natural history collection is a treasure trove, housing many wonders donated by past curators, naturalists and enthusiasts. For this ramble we will focus on flora and fauna which live on and around the coastline of Stromness. The ramble begins in the museum with a brief look at some of the research collection. We then head around to the Point of Ness, stopping along the way to look at various places of natural history interest. Participants will be required to walk/be on their feet for 2 hours. There will be uneven ground (rough stones on shore).
Mother & Baby Wildlife Walk
Where: Kirkwall
When: Thursday 16th May 10.30am
With: NHS Orkney Nature and Nourish Baby Group
Cost: Free
Booking: Yes booking essential by email
Contact: [email protected]
NHS Orkney Nature and Nourish baby group wildlife buggy walk. Connect, discover and chat about the variety of local nature you can find in Kirkwall and learn how to record your sightings on i naturalist app. Finishing off with cake and tea.
Guided Walk of Hoy
Where: Meet at the Dwarfie Stone Car Park, Hoy
When: Thursday 16th May 11am & 1.30pm
With: North Walls Community School & RSPB Orkney
Cost: Free
Booking required: No, turn up on the day.
Contact: [email protected]
Join us for a guided walk of Hoy led by the North Walls Community School pupils along with the RSPB. We will listen to the pupils present their topic of interest in Hoy and have many other fun activities planned. Hoy has a wild landscape that ranges from moorlands to dramatic clifftops and if we are lucky enough we might be able to see an array of species from carnivorous sundews to white-tailed eagles!
On the Edge at the Ring of Brodgar
Where: Meet in Ring of Brodgar car park
When: Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th May 1pm
With: Historic Environment Scotland & Species on the Edge
Cost: Free event
Booking required: No, turn up on the day.
Contact: Historic Environment Scotland - Email: [email protected]
Join the HES rangers and the Species on the Edge People Engagement Officer to find out about the ring and why it is such an important place for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable species.
Knitting & Crochet Group
Where: No 25, Bridge Street, Kirkwall
When: Thursday 16th May 1.30pm – 3.30pm
With: Orkney Creative Hub
Cost: £3
Booking Required: Yes via their website www.orkneycreativehub.co.uk
Contact: [email protected]
Orkney Creative Hub are pleased to support the Orkney Nature Festival 2024. Come along to create your own nature themed project in our groups. We cover a range of arts and crafts from painting and drawing, using a variety of media, to needle felting and doodling, printing and knitting and crochet. All materials supplied, all skill levels welcome. Young folk under 12 will require an accompanying adult. Look up their website for more details and to book.
Orphir Bay Circular Walk
Where: Meet at the large car park, beside the Orkneyinga Saga Centre, Orphir.
When: Thursday 16th May, 2pm – 5pm
With: Orkney Field Club
Cost: Free
Booking Required: Yes
Contact: Graeme Walker [email protected]
Join the Orkney Field Club for a circular walk which includes a variety of habitats; farmland, coastal and woodland. We will see a range of wildlife including birds, flowers, trees and insects. Walk length 2-3 miles along paths and quiet roads. Please wear walking boots or wellies, bring warm waterproof clothing, and perhaps a drink and a snack if preferred.
Changes in the diet of Shetland’s Great Skuas
Where: Online Talk
When: Thursday 16th May 7.30pm
With: Emily Walker
Cost: Free
Booking Required: Yes, book at https://buytickets.at/greatskuas/1217638
As opportunistic hunters and scavengers, the diet of Great Skuas is a good indicator of resource availability in marine ecosystems. Discarded fish from fishing boats is a key source of food for a variety of seabirds, including the Great Skua. However, skuas will also prey on other seabirds if necessary.
With the EU enacting a “discard ban” for North Sea fisheries in 2015, what can Shetland Great Skua diet tell us about the state of North Sea marine ecosystems, and the effects of this ban? What wider implications do changes in fishery practises and discarded fish have on coastal seabird populations in Shetland?