Nature Notes

Noup Head  is a series of cliffs on the island of Westry which can be reached from a car ferry from the town of Kirkwall. The ferry over is excellent for auks, skuas, and gulls.

These cliffs are one of the largest seabird colonies in the world. Among the breeding species are Common Guillemot or Murre, Razorbill , Black Legged Kittiwake ,and Rock Pipits. In addition there has been a huge Arctic Tern colony containing over 10,000 birds. However on my last visit, there was almost no terns, apparently the local eel fish have been decimated by foreign fishing.

South of Noup Head is a rock formation called the Castle O’ Burrian at Stanger Head. The main attraction here is the Atlantic Puffin. There are 800 breeding pairs  and you can watch them from very close at hand. You would be hard put to find a more enjoyable birding experience than spending a few hours watching the Puffin colony on a beautiful day.

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Eurasian Teal

The Loons is a wetlands area which is home to many breeding species, as well as a stopover for migrants

There is a hide overlooking one of the best parts of the area. Within this area can be found Mallards, Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler, and Gadwall. Little Grebe and Water Rail have been seen as has the occasional Gray Heron. Both Arctic and Common Terns make regular visits, as do the Arctic Skua /Parasitic Jaeger and Great Skua. Short Eared Owl can be found hunting the area, in fact, I found one roosting on the hide itself.

Many gulls like to loaf through the day in the area, including European Herring Gull and Mew/Common Gulls.

In 1986, I heard a Corn Crake calling from across the road from the hide, and although now very rare, it is not impossible. For some of the finest images of this species, see Nigel Blake’s Corncrakes.

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All Images are Available for Licensing at Singular Video&Pix