Wild Orkney Walks

  • Home
  • Wild Orkney Walks

Wild Orkney Walks Welcome to Wild Orkney Walks where we can take you on foot to show you our wonderful wildlife.
(26)

My name is Megan and I set up my own business, Wild Orkney Walks, to share my love and passion of Orkney’s wildlife with others. I have 19 years’ experience of working in the tourism industry with VisitScotland throughout the Highlands and in Orkney. I am a volunteer with the BTO, RSPB, Orkney Nature Festival and Orkney Field Club which includes survey work, habitat management and public engagemen

t. My passion doesn’t stop with birds though, I am equally as passionate about dragonflies, butterflies, mammals and our beautiful wildflowers. One of the many things I love about walking in Orkney is the surprise of the unknown, you never know what you might see and where, which adds to the enjoyment of being outdoors.

A Stroll Around Shapinsay is available to book through the winter months, and it is a fabulous island to visit for some ...
10/11/2024

A Stroll Around Shapinsay is available to book through the winter months, and it is a fabulous island to visit for some winter winter wildlife including Whooper swans, Long-tailed ducks, Great Northern divers and hopefully seals. Between November and March, it is a shorter day and the price has been adjusted to reflect this.

There are spaces on A Stroll Around Shapinsay on Wednesday 13th Novemer. Please get in touch for more info/to book.

https://wildorkneywalks.co.uk/walks/a-stroll-around-shapinsay/

I never thought I would be doing a wildflower post in November, but it has been unseasonably mild so far. Over the last ...
06/11/2024

I never thought I would be doing a wildflower post in November, but it has been unseasonably mild so far. Over the last couple of days, we have been walking a route on our local patch and have counted 26 species of plant in flower. It's amazing when you look closely, just how many there are.

Have you noticed anything different or unusual this November?

As it is a tad breezy and wet today, I should be getting on with my winter admin work, however, I am easily distracted w...
31/10/2024

As it is a tad breezy and wet today, I should be getting on with my winter admin work, however, I am easily distracted with wildlife web cams! There are a few that I follow in Denmark, New York and North Carolina, but my current favourite is the Panama fruit feeders. This is one of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology web cams and they provide a list of the birds that you can see to help you identify them. In addition to the colourful birds, I have also seen butterflies, squirrels, agoutis and basilisks so far!

Do you watch any wildlife web cams? What are your favourites? Please share in the comments below.

Watch the Panama Fruit Feeder cam

29/10/2024

I received this lovely review after my Seal Pup walk yesterday. 😀

The Seal Pup walks are running until the 20th December, so there is still plenty of time to book onto one. Numbers of pups will be continuing to build up till mid-November so there will be lots to see.

The Seal Pup walk is one of my favourites at this time of year, there is always lots going on and cute pups, what's not ...
24/10/2024

The Seal Pup walk is one of my favourites at this time of year, there is always lots going on and cute pups, what's not to like?!

There are currently 3 spaces on Monday 28th October at 1.30pm but, I will be running these walks every week until mid-December. So, if you fancy a short walk with guaranteed seals and cute pups, then please get in touch.

https://wildorkneywalks.co.uk/walks/seal-pup-walk/

We have been away on holiday this week. Gorgeous weather, autumn colours and different/new wildlife. We're back to work ...
18/10/2024

We have been away on holiday this week. Gorgeous weather, autumn colours and different/new wildlife.

We're back to work from Monday 21st so please get in touch if you are interested in a walk to see autumnal wildlife in Orkney.

FRIDAY 11th OCTOBER - FLOTTA: A HIDDEN GEMThis will be my last Flotta trip for this season. We should see a variety of m...
09/10/2024

FRIDAY 11th OCTOBER - FLOTTA: A HIDDEN GEM
This will be my last Flotta trip for this season. We should see a variety of mammals and birds, including some migrants or maybe even some of our winter visitors. If we're lucky with the weather, we might spot Harbour Porpoises and any late wildflowers. This is a full day out, meeting at 7.40am and returning at 5.15pm. Price £85pp incl ferry fare.

Bookings must be confirmed with me by 7pm on Thursday 10th October.

https://wildorkneywalks.co.uk/walks/flotta-a-hidden-gem/

08/10/2024

This is a timely, and useful reminder about how to behave around seals, especially as the Grey seal pupping season gets underway.

On my Seal Pup Walks I am always aware of how the adult seals are reacting to our presence and if they look alarmed or on edge, then we will move on. It is a real privilege for us to sit and observe them, so the last thing we want to do is cause any disturbance.

This week we were lucky to have an Indian summer with 4 days of sunshine in a row! Back to normality next week with chan...
05/10/2024

This week we were lucky to have an Indian summer with 4 days of sunshine in a row! Back to normality next week with changeable weather, but there is still lots of wildlife to see. The Seal Pup Walk has started and already we are seeing pups on the beaches with lots of females hanging around. Here's my availability for the coming week:

Tues 8th HIdden Gem Walk 10am
Wed 9th - No Walks due to strong winds
Thurs 10th - A Stroll Around Shapinsay
Fri 11th - available morning or afternoon

Check out my website for more information on walks at this time of year.

https://wildorkneywalks.co.uk/walks/

29/09/2024

Just before we started our Orkney vole survey for the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, I spotted these 2 otters making their way towards the shore. Sadly we lost sight of them behind the big rock but it was still amazing to see them. 😀

A Stroll Around Shapinsay is continuing to be a popular walk with bookings every month throughout the summer, and 3 sche...
26/09/2024

A Stroll Around Shapinsay is continuing to be a popular walk with bookings every month throughout the summer, and 3 scheduled trips in October so far. Shapinsay is a lovely island to visit with a great variety of wildlife to see throughout the year. In October, we should see some bird species like Whooper swans coming back to spend the winter months with us. We currently have spaces on the 2nd, 10th and 21st October.

If you are interested in a different day out, or any of our other walks, then please do get in touch.

https://wildorkneywalks.co.uk/walks/a-stroll-around-shapinsay/

I have spaces on my Hidden Gem walk tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon at 2pm. We will pass through a variety of habitats look...
23/09/2024

I have spaces on my Hidden Gem walk tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon at 2pm. We will pass through a variety of habitats looking for birds, wildflowers, mammals and insects. The Met office says it will be sunny in the afternoon, so why not join me to see what we can find?

https://wildorkneywalks.co.uk/walks/hidden-gem-short-walk/

It's very wet and windy in Orkney today, although I can see a peedie bit of blue sky from my office window! Thankfully I...
10/09/2024

It's very wet and windy in Orkney today, although I can see a peedie bit of blue sky from my office window! Thankfully I have rearranged the tour I was meant to have this morning, it's just not weather for going out wildlife watching today!

I do have a couple of spaces left on a walk at Mull Head tomorrow, but otherwise I am pretty much fully booked for this week.

Stay safe everyone!

Orkney & Shetland are in for a wild day.

Gales developing
Persistent rain
Gusts to 65 mph possible, especially for Orkney this afternoon
Caithness also becomes very windy with 50-55 mph gusts

Rain eases from Orkney in the afternoon but not Shetland.

While on a walk at Mull Head last week, I spotted a moth which I didn't immediately recognise. My app wasn't able to ide...
02/09/2024

While on a walk at Mull Head last week, I spotted a moth which I didn't immediately recognise. My app wasn't able to identify it, so after a look through the moth book at home, I posted on the Orkney Insects Open Forum group. Someone identified it as a Manchester Treble Bar. It's a beautiful moth, see photo below.

This is a small selection of some of the butterflies, moths and caterpillars that I have seen recently. It's worth keeping your eyes peeled when you are out or join me for a wildlife walk to see what we can find.

As the saying goes "there's no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing" and that has certainly been true of ou...
25/08/2024

As the saying goes "there's no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing" and that has certainly been true of our summer this year! Thankfully most of my clients come prepared, and we have seen some wonderful wildlife on our walks recently. I have spaces on a couple of mixed group walks next week:

Tuesday 27th - Mull Head Walk 10am - 2pm £60pp
Wednesday 28th - Stromness Habour 10.30am - 12.30pm £30pp

If you are interested in either of these, or if you would like to do another walk on a different day, then please get in touch.

Yesterday we enjoyed a fabulous walk on Shapinsay with lots of wildlife to be seen including 35+ species of birds and 40...
21/08/2024

Yesterday we enjoyed a fabulous walk on Shapinsay with lots of wildlife to be seen including 35+ species of birds and 40+ wildflowers as well as butterflies, moths and caterpillars. My next trip is on Friday 23rd August and there are still spaces available.

The walk is approx 6 miles at a leisurely pace with a visit to the RSPB Mill Dam reserve and a secluded beach. Price £70pp/£35pp for children and the return ferry fare is included. Drop me a message for more info or to book.

Address


Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 22:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 22:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 22:00
Thursday 09:00 - 22:00
Friday 09:00 - 22:00
Saturday 09:00 - 22:00
Sunday 09:00 - 22:00

Telephone

+447718820828

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wild Orkney Walks posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Wild Orkney Walks:

Videos

Just before we started our Orkney vole survey for the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, I spotted these 2 otters making their way towards the shore. Sadly we lost sight of them behind the big rock but it was still amazing to see them. 😀

Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins hawking for insects. #wildorkneywalks #hiddengemwalks #orphir #swallows #housemartins #sandmartins #orkneybirds #orkneywildlife #orkneyislands

After a busy day of admin work, I was looking for something to help me relax and found this short video which I recorded last month. I was doing a survey when I spotted the seaweed and was mesmerised by the movements, almost forgetting that I was meant to be counting birds! 🤣 I hope that it will also help you to unwind and relax after a busy day at work.

The Brown hares in the fields around us have been very active since the end of January. Lots of mate guarding, chasing, boxing and even a bit of mating! This morning one came through the fence into the rough ground behind our house. They are such beautiful animals to watch but so fast when you are trying to film them!

What a start to the week.... An "eco twitch" to see this Hoopoe. Eco as we were able to walk from home and see it on our local patch, however, not only is it a patch/year tick but also a lifer for me! Here's a short video of it feeding, it is a stunning bird - I hope you enjoy it watching it as much as I did! 😄

Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk

It is always amazing to see a predator close up, so we are feeling very honoured to have this male Sparrowhawk frequenting our garden this winter. The first time we saw him he had disposed of one of our winter Robins, but in this footage it was a Redwing that he was plucking. They are such beautiful birds and fabulous to watch from the living room window. Wishing you all a Happy New Year with lots of special wildlife moments in 2023!

Seal Pup
Seal Pup

One of the many Grey seal pups that I have seen this autumn/winter on my Seal Pup walks. If you would like to see all of the action and drama on the pupping beaches, why not join me for a walk? Available to book until the end of December this year. For more information, send me a message or check out my website.

Seal Pup
Seal Pup

One of the many Grey seal pups that I have seen this autumn/winter on my Seal Pup walks. If you would like to see all of the action and drama on the pupping beaches, why not join me for a walk? Available to book until the end of December this year. For more information, send me a message or check out my website.

Seal Pup
Seal Pup

One of the many Grey seal pups that I have seen this autumn/winter on my Seal Pup walks. If you would like to see all of the action and drama on the pupping beaches, why not join me for a walk? Available to book until the end of December this year. For more information, send me a message or check out my website.

A Bar-tailed Godwit which I saw while doing a recce for one of my wader walks. The BTO have a useful guide to help with identifying Bar and Black-tailed Godwits. https://www.bto.org/develop-your-skills/bird-identification/videos/identifying-black-tailed-and-bar-tailed-godwit

While on Hoy for the weekend, in August, we were lucky to see these Risso's dolphins in Longhope.

"My" hedgehog was having a good forage in the garden the other evening. Most of the time I was only able to see it's back as it was busy eating, but if you watch to the end you will see it's face briefly.

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Telephone
  • Opening Hours
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Videos
  • Claim ownership or report listing

  • Want your business to be the top-listed Travel Agency?

Share

Our Story

My name is Megan and I am Wild Orkney Walks. My aim in setting up the business is to share my love and passion of Orkney and its wildlife with people.

Wild Orkney Walks offers guided walks for small groups from 1 person up to a maximum of 8 people. There is no transport provided, we meet at a convenient point, but there are some walks which are accessible using public transport. We also offer a Bespoke service, for example if your group size is larger than 8, or you want to see a particular species, or maybe visit another island.

I have 19 years experience of working with VisitScotland, not just in Orkney but also throughout the Highlands.

I am a volunteer with the RSPB, Orkney Field Club and the Orkney Nature Festival and through my volunteering I have gained experience in leading guided walks, habitat management and survey work. I recently received the Puffin Long Service Award for 10 years volunteering with the RSPB. One of my great passions is the story of the White-Tailed Eagles on Hoy, and I am one of the regular Eaglewatch volunteers.