Wildlife to Enjoy

Whilst it is obviously not possible to guarantee wildlife sightings we do guarantee that you will witness memorable lifetime sightings of our beautiful Orcadian Wildlife.

Early guests in April and May will watch slavonian grebe, long-tailed duck, scaup and great-northern divers, all close up and breath-taking in their summer plumage. Lapwings, curlews, snipe and redshank will all be displaying. Those birdwatchers interested in seeing the most species of birds should come in mid-late May and try to beat our current record of 108 species in a week (May 2012)! The sea eagles on Hoy will be incubating eggs and then feeding their young. There are fewer visitors at the main archaeological sites. The weather will be fresh, the days will be long and the sights and sounds of the Simmer Dim will remain with you always. The cliff-tops will shock with their pinks and blues: thrift and spring squill.

At the GannetryMain season guests in June will see seabirds, auk colonies, terns and skuas; and perhaps dolphins and whales offshore. Midsummer in the Orkney Island archipelago is filled with the memories of seabirds and their young. Orchids are in bloom in the moorlands and sea turf. Seldom a day goes by without short-eared owls hunting over the farmland and nearby moorlands. Late June brings the 2nd flowering of the Scottish primrose.

Grey Seal & Pups

Late season guests in August, September and October may see literally any kind of migrant bird and the returning barnacle and pink-footed geese. Special grey seal pupping trips are also an annual highlight. Hen harriers and merlin hunt regularly over farmlands and coasts.

At any time of the year we will aim to show you Orkney specialities such as seals and hen harriers. Lucky guests may hear corncrake or see orcas.

Scottish Primrose

Please note that some flowers such as Scottish primrose and orchids have particular flowering periods – please see the wild flowers page for more details.

See some of our photo albums below –

Birds

Flowers

Seals and Cetaceans

Find out about tours availability and prices on our Tours Availability page.

Puffins at the Castle of Burrian on Westray.