Tuesday 13th May
Coastal Bird ID Session with the BTO
Where: Marwick Head
Meet: Meet at the RSPB Marwick Head Nature Reserve ready to get underway at 9am
When: Tuesday 13th May 9am to 12pm
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 the,. There may well be sea ducks, gulls, skuas, and other exciting birds about. The walk is suitable for everyone from complete beginners to 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
Car parking: There is plenty of space to park around 50m from the hide, at the base of the wind turbine.
When: Tuesday 13th May 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: Iolo.Jones@rspb.org.uk
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 & History Walk at Mull Head - FULL
Orkney animals and landscapes - Painting & Drawing
Where: No 25, Kirkwall
When: Tuesday 13th May 11am to 1pm
With: No 25/Orkney Creative Hub
Cost: £10
Booking: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/orkneycreativehub
Join Emma & Jen in painting or drawing landscapes or animals inspired by Orkney.
Ness Intertidal Walk
With: Karen Boswara, Seasearch
Cost: Free
When: Tuesday 13th May 2pm
Where: Ness Battery, Stromness
An intertidal walk at Ness, Stromness, a wander along the shoreline with Seasearch recording the species and habitats that we see along the way. Meet at the battery for 2pm.
Tracking Birds- Cuckoos, Nomadic Owls and Orkney's Arctic Skuas
Where: Stromness Community Centre
When: Tuesday 13th May 7pm to 8.30pm
With: BTO Scotland
Cost: Free
Booking: 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
When: Tuesday 13th May 7pm
Where: Online talk
Cost: Free
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 & Bird Skulls Talk
Where: St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall
When: Tuesday 13th May 7.30 to 9pm
With: Biosecurity Scotland and Henry Memmott
Cost: Free
Booking: Not needed
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.