We had a great first year starting species and engagement work to safeguard nine target species in Orkney – Arctic tern, common pipistrelle bat, curlew, great yellow bumblebee, lapwing, little tern, oysterplant, plantain leaf beetle and Scottish primrose.
We completed over 40 target species surveys with the help of volunteers at over 30 sites across Orkney for terns, waders, bats and bumblebees. Excitingly, last year, for the first time ever, local naturalists found the larvae stage of the plantain leaf beetle and we look forward to discovering more about this secretive species and how we can protect it here.
Helen established an Orkney Conservation Verge working group in partnership with Northern Isles Landscape Partnership Scheme, Orkney Islands Council and the county plant and bumblebee recorder. This group has been meeting to share good practice and work together on plans to enhance roadside verge habitats for wildflowers and pollinator species. The group is delighted to have been asked to consult on the Orkney Islands Council 2024 verge management plan along with county councillors and community councils, giving us a great opportunity to influence habitat management, which will particularly benefit great yellow bumblebee, one of our Orkney target species.
Early this year our first land enhancement project started taking shape at RSPB Scotland Rendall Moss nature reserve where the Orkney reserves team have been transforming homogenous grassland into valuable foraging habitat with a diverse mosaic of pools for waders such as Curlew and Lapwing. Creating a series of scrapes, reprofiling drainage, grazing management and removing encroaching scrub with help from volunteers is helping to ensure the site stays in tip-top shape for breeding birds and future chicks.
By the end of 2023 we had engaged with over 1000 people in Orkney to raise awareness of our species and projects by connecting people with nature at events, school visits, talks, walks and festivals. 2024 is going to be another exciting year as we begin to develop and deliver specific engagement projects with community groups who may not have connected to nature much before. We are currently working with NHS Orkney and RSPB Scotland to produce an Orkney nature calendar for GPs to prescribe nature connection to patients to improve health and wellbeing.
This year we will also be continuing our guided walks at the ring of Brodgar with Historic Environment Scotland. The landscape in which the Ring of Brodgar sits is surrounded by the RSPB’s Brodgar reserve, making it an ideal place for people to see plenty of bird life. Here you can see curlew, oystercatcher, lapwing, skylark and meadow pipit to name a few. The ring is surrounded by an amazing wildflower meadow which is also home to the great yellow bumblebee.
Our Orkney People Engagment Officer, Sam, was delighted to join Historic Environment Scotland (HES) Rangers on these walks last year, and it sounds like they were too! Sandra Miller, an Orkney Ranger at HES, told us: “We have loved having Sam join us, adding a great new dimension to the walks and highlighting the importance of the project. We very much look forward to continuing these walks.” So do we, Sandra!
In 2024 our joint walks will be taking place on the first Thursday of the month between April and October. Do join us to explore this important world heritage site and discover how important it is for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable species. Our walks are free with no need to book – just meet us at the sign in Brodgar car park at 1pm. For more details contact samantha.stringer@rspb.org.uk
To see everything else we have coming up over spring and summer, head over to the Species on the Edge Upcoming Events page and select Orkney.
If you have any questions about Species on the Edge activity in Orkney or you’re looking for more details on getting involved, get in touch with the team:
Samantha Stringer, People Engagement Officer: samantha.stringer@rspb.org.uk
Helen Cromarty, Project Officer: helen.cromarty@rspb.org.uk
