1


White streaks along the high-rise sandstone ledges of Orkney’s Marwick Head show where guillemots and other seabirds nest, beneath clifftops coloured by sea pinks and sea campion.


Wild calendar


Kenny Taylor gives some seasonal tips for savouring Scottish wildlife and landscapes


This is the time of unfolding, as flowers emerge, birds sing, the ground grows green and daylight extends.Wherever you are, you could notice a sign of change each day. It could be a scent, a sound. It could be the way the lengthening days give a sense of new possibilities. So throw those curtains wide, as the song goes. Days like these each year will see you right.


A head for seabird heights


Along parts of the Scottish coast that host seabird colonies, spring works startling changes. Silent cliffs become thronged with nesters and the air comes alive with calls and wings. A reek of guano gives tang to the updraughts. Above the precipices, small flowers stud the turf. Summer may lure more visitors to these places, thanks to


the cuteness of most seabird chicks and the appeal of more predictable weather. But spring is when colonies gear up for the challenges of the breeding season ahead. Pairs re-unite, neighbours fight, nests are renewed. At Marwick Head RSPB reserve, on Orkney Mainland,


you can watch guillemots jostle for space on sandstone ledges, while fulmars glide past, stiff winged. Look down to see flocks of puffins and other auks riding the swell. Flowers include spring squill, its leaves a tracery of green curves, thrift with blousy pink blooms and sea campion, white as ocean spray. Combine a trip here with a visit to the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, 6.5 km away, for an enjoyable sense of Orkney present and past.


Web tip: www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/marwickhead/ index.aspx


www.snh.gov.uk 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68