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.
Photography Group One 1st May 2024
Ten of us met at the roadside Car Park in Finstown on a day with little wind and some low cloud but with the sun trying to get through. We set off to the Community Garden where we found lots of lovely colourful flowers out as well as tree buds bursting forth. The Burn was a great source of images.
Jocky Wood was painting a new picnic bench with the appropriately titled Wood Stain! He does a great deal of the work on the garden as well as his own just up the hill opposite.
Six of us then headed for Binsgarth Woods.
The track was muddy in places but the spring flowers were out all the way. There was Pink Purselaine, Wild Garlic, Wood Anemone, and the invasive Salmon Berry. Since the tree leaves were not blanketing the light, one was able to get good photos close up. The Burn had lots of interesting tree roots and hanging tyres and ropes from the kids' dare devil antics. Then it was back to the shop for rolls and along to Tom's house for a cuppa and a nice piece of cake. Thank you very much for that Tom and all the stories too.
The next meeting will be going to Westray on Wednesday 29th May for the day. Arrangement will be made nearer the time.
All in all a lovely morning, taking time to look at the flowers and listen to the Wrens, Willow Warblers, Chaffinches and Robins singing in the woods.
Keep clicking.
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 APRIL 2015
by Ken O'Connor - 08:05 on 25 April 2015
Our Birdie Group spring visit to North Ronaldsay, 21st to 23rd April, was many months in the planning. Transporting 15 members on an eight-seater plane involved the advance guard flying out at 7.30am followed by the main group midmorning and the rear guard early next day.
First day Tommy Muir transported us in his minibus up north to the Lighthouse where we explored the foghorn, the old lighthouse, the stonewalls to keep the sheep on the shore to eat seaweed as well as scouring the seashore and fields with our binoculars for birds. We enjoyed some North Ronaldsay mutton, with its distinct taste, for our evening meal.
All assembled next morning we had the thrill of seeing, at close quarters, a sparrow hawk that had been netted to ring and record, what glorious plumage it had. Alison, the warden took us to the nearby shore and then up to the gardens of the Laird’s house where Mark was using nets to catch the birds for tagging and recording purposes before releasing them again. The Observatory was set up in 1987 to study and record the migrant birds that pass through Orkney’s most northerly island each year. This assists with national statistics for migration and hopefully conservation of our bird life.
Afternoon saw us back up at the Lighthouse where some brave souls climbed the 176 steps and heard the story of its beginnings and the shipwrecks on the shoals around the shore. Five members who were flying out that evening were fogbound so had to stay an extra night, but beds and food were found for all. The staff at the Bird Observatory looked after us so well during our stay.
The last day saw the return of the group on various flights; those that stayed till evening visited some of the birdie hides and even bought a wool jumper or two.
Although still cold and a lack of easterly winds there were over forty species of birds seen of which pintail ducks, shell ducks, shoveler ducks, willow warblers and redpolls were the most appreciated, next must be golden plover, barnacle geese, purple sandpipers and sanderlings, sandwich terns, chiff chaffs and willow warblers, this is to name but a few.
It was a great trip, and a good time was had by all.
Ken
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