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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.
U3A Birdie Group - Feb 2020
by Judy O'Connor - 16:01 on 21 February 2020
Twelve of us met at Barnhouse village where Ranger Sandra Miller gave an excellent talk, bringing it to life, describing what it probably would have been like back then.
We were so lucky with the weather for the walk especially after all the rain and gales that we have had.
We spent time in the bird hide where there was good range of wildfowl and other birds. We saw a total of 25 species.
We walked over the bridge and up to the Ring of Brodgar and learnt that the archaeologists have had an ‘update’, now saying some of the stones were never erected, that the site is therefore still work in progress!
We walked around by the loch but no otters today. However, Tim has included a picture he took last week. It seems there were upwards of ten frolicking around.
We headed back to Judy’s for some welcome soup, bere bannocks and cheese, just what was needed after a cool morning walk.
Thanks to Sally for recording the species seen, which were:
Red-Breasted Merganser, Mute Swans, Lapwings (about 40 in a flock), Greylags, Mallards, Goldeneyes, Tufted Ducks, Cormorant, Wigeons, Curlews, Rock Doves (20 plus in a field opposite to hide), Snow Buntings (30 plus far side of Loch), Redshanks, Long-tailed Ducks, Fulmars, Oystercatchers, Common Gulls, Black-headed Gull, Hen Harrier Female, Raven; then some extras seen by Tim and Liz: Shelduck, Skylark, Stonechat, Shoveler and Slavonic Grebe.
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