Tuesday 13th May
Coastal Bird ID Session
Where: Marwick Head
Meet: TBC
When: Tuesday 13th May 9am – 12pm
With: BTO (British Trust for Ornithology)
Cost: Free
Booking Required: Yes https://www.bto.org/event/1859?channel=8&medium=92
Join BTO Scotland's Steve Willis for a walk around RSPB Marwick Head looking for seabirds, waders, ducks and much more! We'll take a walk around RSPB Marwick Head taking in all the sights, sounds (and smells!) of our amazing seabirds. Learn more about identifying them on their colonies, on the sea, and in flight. We'll also seek out some wader species and work through how we identify them. There may well be sea ducks, gulls, skuas, and other exciting birds about. The walk is suitable for everyone from complete beginners to more experienced birders. Note the footpaths are on grass and gravel and there are some steep inclines. We'll take our time throughout the morning!
Guide in a Hide - Peatlands Special
Where: RSPB Birsay Moors Hide, Evie, KW17 2PL what3words location: ///snug.since.mealtime
Meet: Drop into the hide.
Car parking: There is plenty of space to park around 50m from the hide, at the base of the wind turbine.
When: Tuesday 13th 9:30am -12:30pm
With: RSPB Orkney’s Peatland Restoration Project
Age: All welcome – anyone under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
Dogs: Assistance dogs only
Cost: Free
Booking: Not required
Contact: [email protected]
RSPB Orkney’s peatland project is working to restore peatland habitat in the west mainland. Come to the hide to see the birds that live in this amazing habitat- highlights might include Red-Throated Divers and range of raptors.
Nature and history walk at Mull Head
Where: Mull Head, Deerness
Meet: The Gloup car park, Mull Head, Deerness
When: Tuesday 13th May 10am to 12pm
With: Summit to Sea Adventures
Ages: 8+ (younger children are able to attend if brought in a sling/carrier but unfortunately the path is not accessible for buggies or wheelchairs)
Site Information: Moderate walking on a grassy, boggy at places clifftop path. Exposed path with chain to the Brough of Deerness.
Dogs: No dogs allowed
Cost: £10 per person
Booking Required: [email protected]
Contact: 07542 604 793
Our Mull Head Nature and History Walk has been designed to celebrate the 2025 Orkney Nature Festival. This is a clifftop walk at the Mull Head Nature Reserve in Deerness, taking us along the impressive Gloup and on to the Brough of Deerness before continuing along the coastal path. This coastline is rich in a variety of habitats supporting wildflower and plant species, such as angelica, spring quill, grass of parnassus and bird's-foot trefoil. The cliffs are home to seabirds such as fulmars, shags, cormorants and guillemots and we might see seals and cetaceans too. We will also explore this headland's Pictish, Viking and modern history and folklore. Max distance 6.5km/4 miles
Orkney animals and landscapes - painting and drawing
Where: Orkney Creative Hub, 25 Bridge Street, Kirkwall
When: Tuesday 13th May 11am to 1pm
With: Orkney Creative Hub/No 25
Cost: £10
Booking Required: Yes https://www.tickettailor.com/events/orkneycreativehub/1675201
Contact: [email protected]
Join Emma & Jen in painting or drawing landscapes or animals inspired by Orkney.
Tracking Birds- Cuckoos, Nomadic Owls and Orkney's Arctic Skuas
Where: Stromness Community Centre
When: Tuesday 13th May 7pm – 8.30pm
With: BTO (British Trust for Ornithology)
Cost: Free, donations on the door
Booking Required: No, just turn up
What do we know about bird migration? And how do we study birds that move all over the world? Come along and find out more! Find out more about how the BTO tracks birds' seasonal movements and what we have learned about some familiar migrants like the Cuckoo. We'll also unravel some of the secrets of Short-eared Owl movements and then hear from Helen Aiton about her remarkable work into tracking Orkney's Arctic Skuas. Where do they go when they leave Orkney?
Research in Rewilding: The good, the bad, and the boaring
Where: Online
When: Tuesday 13th May 7pm
Cost: Free
Booking Required: https://buytickets.at/orkneynaturefestival/1603535
Connor Lovell is a final year PhD student at the Institute of Zoology and King's College London investigating rewilding with ungulates in Scotland. He will present an overview of rewilding, before diving into the specifics of his research looking at the behaviour and ecological impacts of a novel community of deer and wild boar on a rewilding site. He will finish by assessing the current and future state of the reintroduced wild boar population in Scotland. Expect lots of science combined with cool camera trap pictures!
Biosecurity and Bird Skulls
Where: St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall
When: Tuesday 13th May 7.30pm
With: Biosecurity Scotland & Henry Memmott
Cost: Free
Booking: No need to book, just turn up
Biosecurity for Scotland is working with partners NTS, NatureScot and the RSPB to protect Scotland’s internationally important seabird islands from invasive mammalian predators, such as rats. These predators aren’t native to seabird islands and can have devastating impacts on the seabird populations that call these islands home. Seabirds are already in decline, facing pressure from other sources such as overfishing, climate change and avian influenza. But we can protect our seabirds from invasive predators. Come along to hear more about biosecurity from Sophie, from Biosecurity for Scotland, what it is, why its important and how it is helping to save our seabirds. There will also be a chance to learn about bird skulls, and their evolution, from Henry Memmott (Biology Teacher at Kirkwall Grammar School) to help understand why some are more vulnerable than others. There will then be an opportunity to handle some skulls of species which are native to Scotland.