Please take a photograph of your group "in action." Don't forget to ask for permission from everyone for the photo to be published on the web. Then email it to the address below and we will upload it to the gallery.
Walking Group One 25th April 2024
Five hardy souls collected today at Happy Valley for the first Hill Walk of the year .The temperature was cool with a North Easterly wind blowing and a hint of rain on arrival.
Off we set heading towards Russadale Quarry, spotting a Buzzard on the way.Turning into the footpath we remained sheltered from the wind all the way to the top of the hill.
The sun was out at the Quarry and a Greenshank was feeding at the edge of the Lochan. Then it was up the Peat road to the summit with spectacular views across Stenness and Harray Lochs, plus a view of the Closed Road beyond the Watch Stone. On the other side we looked over the Flow and down towards the Oil Platform and South Ronaldsay
Then it was back down after a stop for a snack and finally a walk around Happy Valley itself. The Daffodils planted by James and others were looking lovely and the Bluebells are days away from opening. Then it was on to a well deserved lunch at the Pier Cafe, having walked 4 miles and gone up 800 feet (and down again )
The next walk will be on Friday 24th May and hopefully more hills and views.
Keep moving.
BIRDIE GROUP - SEPTEMBER
by Liz Lea - 12:35 on 19 September 2017
Birdie Group - September 18, 2017
Seven folk caught the 10.30 Varagan sailing to Sanday. Evan Williams, driving the Sanday Afternoon Club's minibus, met us and we set off for our first stop at Stove. There we met up with Emma Neave-Webb, the Sanday Ranger, who had been called out on Coastguard duty, rescuing a dog. What a lovely day we had with these two kind people! 54 species of birds were seen, the highlights being 3 short-eared owls in the North hill/Cleat area, a kestrel (apparently rare on the island) somewhere near Galilee and 6 or 7 ruff very close to the minibus on a flash in the Marygarth area. There were loads of bar-tailed godwits at every stop and we found a gray plover on the sand at Silverhall. This was one of the species we were particularly keen to see as they are few and far between on the Orkney mainland. On the shore below Roos Loch there was a sick-looking cormorant. Tim Wright got a photo showing nylon fishing filaments wrapped around its neck which would certainly impede swallowing ... Emma thought it would be possible to catch it once it got frailer, cut it free, feed it up and release it back to the sea. There were also two other memorable highlights - a pair of harbour porpoises on the sail out and two otters close into the Sanday pier as we waited for the Varagan to come and bring us home - a great end to an interesting day. Our grateful thanks to Emma and Evan for making all this possible and for allowing us to eat our packed lunches in the warmth of the Heritage Centre and for making us tea and coffee.
Liz Lea
Photographs to be added.
Add your comment