I’m Jean, your Orkney tour guide
Knowing where and when Orkney’s birds gather comes from a lifetime spent here, and I’ll take you to the spots that are best on the day.
What wildlife will you see?
If you enjoy wildlife, you’re in the right place. Orkney is home to puffins, gannets, red-throated divers and many other seabirds, loch birds such as swans and ducks, and cliff-dwelling birds.
We may also spot the Bonxie (great skua), and out on the coast there are seals, otters and, with luck, cetaceans offshore.
Where do we go?
Marwick Head
A wonderful spot for seabirds, with a small gannet colony that’s growing all the time and spectacular sights of gannets diving into the sea.
Brough of Birsay
When the tide allows, a walk across to see puffins in season and more seabirds, often with great sightings of the Bonxie.
When is the best time to see puffins?
Atlantic puffins spend most of the year far out at sea and only come ashore to breed. They return to Orkney’s grassy cliff tops from around April, nesting in burrows along the headlands, and most have headed back out to sea by early August once their chicks have fledged. That makes late spring to mid-summer the window to catch them, often standing at their burrows or whirring out low over the water.
Wildflowers are abundant in the summer months too, adding a splash of colour to the cliff and shore walks.
Frequently asked questions
A day out with Orkney’s wildlife
Tell me whether you’re keen on puffins, seabird cliffs or seals and I’ll plan the day around the tides and where the birds are. Up to 8 passengers, private or small group.
Your guide: Jean Ross, Green Badge Tourist Guide since 2008, born and brought up in Orkney.
