A project to help make it easier to get up close to the wildlife on Orkney has come a stage closer thanks to new funding.

RSPB Scotland has announced that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Orkney LEADER  have approved grants to allow the development of stage 2 of the Enjoy Wild Orkney project.

Orkney features many creatures, plants and birds due to it's position on the gulf stream

The funding was welcomed by RSPB Scotland’s Orkney Area Manager Eric Meek, “We are most grateful for this support and the help we have received in putting together the bid from so many people and organisations throughout Orkney. As a result of these grants we can now employ a consultant to help us develop our proposals to a stage where the project can be considered for full funding later in the year”

Enjoy Wild Orkney aims to make it much easier for people to access Orkney’s fantastic wildlife.

Ideas suggested in the proposal include the establishment of a Nature Festival in early May, a mini-amphitheatre to maximise the sounds of waders at the Loons, a downloadable self guided tour of nature hot spots on Orkney and inter-island ferry rangers.

The funding just announced will allow these ideas to be more fully developed for a stage 2 application to HLF later in the year.

Alister Brown from Orkney Island Council LEADER programme said, “ We are keen to support this initiative on Orkney and hope that a successful conclusion will lead to the full grant being awarded leading to long term benefits for Orkney’s wildlife and people.”

The development stage of Enjoy Wild Orkney will be managed by a project team headed up by RSPB Orkney Reserve Manager Andy Knight.Similar Posts:

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Orkney is one of the most important breeding sites of two species of seal, the Common seal and the Grey seal. They are often found basking on many of Orkney’s shores and they face an array of environmental pressures in their struggle for survival.

Seals are locally known as Selkies and legends which originated in the Orkney Isles will tell of seals which can transform themselves to humans.

Orkney Seal Rescue
Seals face many dangers, often as a result of human activities. Many suffer injury due to discarded fishing nets & rubbish,  illness due to polluted seas

Seal trapped in fishing net, from the Orkney Seal Rescue gallery

and starvation due to over-fishing.

Orkney Seal Rescue is based on the Island of South Ronaldsay.  They provide a valuable service protecting  seals, rescuing and caring for sick, injured and abandoned animals.

They are a registered charity which were founded in 1988 to cope with a virus which killed over 18,000 common seals.Fighting to save seals and raise awareness to their plight, Orkney Seal Rescue rely on public support and business sponsorship.

About Seals
Seals are intelligent, warm-blooded creatures that spend most of their lives at sea, coming ashore only to bask, breed and moult. Seals may look slow and clumsy on land but in the vast ocean, they are swift and graceful swimmers. Their streamlined bodies slice through the water with ease as they catch fish, whilst a thick layer of fat (blubber) and a covering of dense fur ensures they keep warm in the cold sea.

Seals are well adapted to life at sea and their flippers are perfectly shaped to propel and steer. When you see a seal ‘flying’ through the water, it becomes clear why the group of animals to which the seal belongs are known as ‘pinnipeds’, which means winged feet.

Grey seal with pup from the Orkney Seal Rescue Gallery

Seals breathe air, but can dive for up to an hour, reaching depths of up to 500m. They carry three times as much oxygen in their blood as a similarly sized land mammal.

As formidable hunters, their large eyes ensure superb vision under water, even in poor light. Acute hearing allows them to pinpoint prey and their ears have adapted to allow them to hear well under water.

Sensitive whiskers detect vibrations of moving prey in the water, so that even blind seals have been known to survive in the wild. When diving, a seal shuts its nostrils, and strong throat muscles prevent water from entering their wind pipe, this allows them to feed underwater.

Among seals’ favourite foods are sand eels, cod and smiths. Both grey and common seals eat a variety of prey including shellfish, squid and octopus. Their diet is determined by the availability of prey species in any given area. During mating and pepping seasons, grey seal bulls and cows do not feed, losing up to 25% of their body weight.

What to do if you think you find a Seal in trouble
Keep a safe distance and don’t touch. Seals have sharp teeth and may bite if they feel threatened.

Try to ensure the seal is safe.

• Is it thin?
• Is it alert?
• Is its mother in the sea nearby?

Try & place a marker to help rescuers locate the seal, then ring Orkney Seal Rescue (number below) and report your encounter. They will treat each call as a matter of urgency.

Orkney Seal Rescue
Dyke End, South Ronaldsay, Orkney
KW17 2TJ
Tel: 01856 831463

Support Orkney Seal Rescue.
Orkney Seal Rescue rely heavily on charity donations and support from local businesses.

Visit the Orkney Seal Rescue website to find out how your donation could make a real difference and to download the brochure or donation form.

Every supporter of Orkney Seal Rescue receives a seal window sticker and a copy of Orkney Seal Rescue News.Similar Posts:

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Mull Head in Orkney is a clifftop haven for seabirds and a great vantage point to watch seals and porpoise.

Only plants tolerant of sea spray can live on the cliff edge.  They often bear thick fleshy leaves and form a ground hugging habit which helps them cope with the salty conditions. Early summer sees the clifftops carpeted in the blue and pink of Spring Squill and Thrift (Armeria Maritima).

Heath & grassland
Much of Mull head has never been ploughed and heathland plants such as ling and Bell Heather dominate.  Sedges and herbs appear as the ground becomes wetter and cotton grass and sphagnum moss are to be found in the most waterlogged areas.

Heathland is bathed in pink and purple heathers

The grassland areas of the reserve are the result of 19th century agricultural improvements, but they have not been subjected to modern day agricultural practices.  This has allowed a variety of wild flowers to flourish, including Grass of Parnassus.

Voles
Orkney Voles are common on Mull head. Their runs can be seen crisscrossing the coastal grassland.  They are an important food source for short eared owls which are often seen hunting over the reserve.

Heathland Birds
The heathland is home to a variety of colonies, some fish feeding birds, but also pirates and scavengers.

Arctic Terns, common gulls and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls are all dependent on the sea for food but prefer to nest away from the cliff edge where the long heather provides ground cover for concealing eggs and chicks.

Great Black-Backed Gulls and Herring Gulls are scavengers, taking refuse from the sea and stealing eggs and chicks.

Great Arctic Skuas are the pirates of the skies preferring to rob other birds that fish for themselves.

silhouetted in the evening sun

Cliff nesting birds
The sandstone cliffs of Mull Head teem with bird life in the summer months (May-July).  Fish feeding birds of the open ocean return to the cliffs each summer to breed and raise their chicks.  This Seabird City has it’s own distinct communities.  Fulmars build their nests near the top of the cliff, while Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills nest in the middle, perching on sharp, narrow ledges.  Shags occupy the lower levels and can be seen in large groups on the rocks, sitting with their wings spread to the evening setting sun.

Cetaceans
Dolphins, Porpoises and even whales can be spotted offshore with the Harbour Porpoise one of the most common species to be seen.

Common Seal

Seals
Grey and Common Seals are frequently seen along the coast of the reserve, Their inquisitive nature often leading them to follow visitors progress along the cliff.
Greys have the horselike head whilst the Common Seals have little dog-like faces.

Seals are locally known as Selkies and legends which originated in the Orkney Isles will tell of seals which can transform themselves to humans.

May also be of interest

Wildlife Scotland – The official guide to Scotland’s wildlife
Walking Scotland – Details of the Mull Head Circular route.Similar Posts:

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Short Eared Owl

Locally known as “Catty Faces”, these charming owls are often seen in the early evening around the agricultural areas of Orkney.

With mottled brown bodies, Short Eared owls are a medium size bird.  The distinctive yellow eyes with the outer rim of wite feathers make this owl easy to spot.

Often found hunting during the day, it has a steady supply of rhodents including the common Orkney Vole.

They are on the amber list of endangered species.

The Orkney islands are a regular haunt for bird watchers and this owl is top of many peoples’ list.

Visit the RSPB website to discover more about this striking bird.

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