ORKNEY in HIGH SUMMER

SAT 15 JULY – SAT 22 JULY 2023

SAT 20 JULY – SAT 27 JULY 2024

PRICES: from £2045pp

Single supplement: £140. Deposit: £300pp

Max 7 clients. Leader Chris Rodger (2023)

Orkney is superb in summer, and this island-hopping trip throughout the archipelago will be full of highlights. Botanists will be delighted at tiny and rare Scottish Primrose (in their second flowering period) and other flowers in coastal locations, whilst insect lovers can enjoy rare Greater Yellow Bumblebees at the same time! Birding is good throughout, with an extra special opportunity to see Storm Petrel at close quarters.

We transfer from Heatherlea to Orkney via ferry watching for seabirds and cetaceans from the open deck. Once we arrive, we begin wildlife watching and visit the wonderfully crafted Italian Chapel. Our next few days will see us island hopping, taking in the full range of Orcadian habitats on fertile Westray, where we enjoy the Gannet colony at Noup Head and Puffins at another site. On Hoy, we walk through the Great Skua colony to view the famous ‘Old Man’ stack and have excellent chances of seeing breeding Hen Harrier and Red-throated Diver, and if lucky White-tailed and Golden Eagle too, both having recently returned after a lengthy absence. On Mainland Orkney, post-breeding waders, Twite and raptors including Merlin are top targets and we visit many of the finest archaeological sites in Britain from the 5000year old Skara Brae settlement, immaculate Maeshowe, Broch of Gurness, the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar -perhaps the most iconic. All entry fees are included, and we also visit Scapa Flow and the Churchill Barriers with time in Kirkwall or Stromness for their respective historic sites, or a spot of souvenir hunting in the narrow lanes. An exciting part of this holiday is our trip to North Ronaldsay, beginning with an 8-seater Islander flight to the island offering a unique opportunity to see the Orkney Isles from above. Here we hope to see Storm Petrels, and our visit coincides with the period for ringing studies where large nightly catches, perhaps of over 100 birds might include a rare Leach’s Petrel too! An unforgettable experience, though netting sessions are weather dependent. The birding is always great here and recent rarities have included Great and Cory’s Shearwater, Roseate Tern, Spoonbill, Pacific Golden Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper, Grey Phalarope, Sabine’s Gull, Whitewinged Black Tern and Two-barred Crossbill - on North Ronaldsay anything is possible! Total species c. 80. Number of centres: 2.

Combine with:

Eagles, Divers & Dotterel (p21), Butterflies, Dragons and Birds (p22), Highland Wildlife in High Summer (p23), Birds and Mammals incl Perthshire (p23).