When you think of October in Scotland, autumn colours and trees usually spring to mind, with leaves falling on the ground and the landscape turning yellow/orange in colour. In Orkney, we don’t often get to see autumn colours on our trees, as soon as they start to turn there is usually a big wind which whips the leaves off. That is my one big miss from living in the Highlands – the autumn colours – but I can live with that, as long as we can have an autumn holiday.
Autumn Holiday
Our autumn holiday this year took us all the way down to Bedfordshire, where we combined a visit to see family and friends, a gig and of course lots of wildlife.
The autumn colours were absolutely stunning, as you can see from the photos below:
I try not to have target species when I go away, as more often than not, you are left feeling disappointed if you don’t see the one bird you were hoping to. However, I was keen to try and see a Nuthatch – a bird that has so far eluded me. Having seen and heard Nuthatches on Morten Hilmer’s Wildlife in the Forest web cam, I felt even more keen to try and see them, especially as we would be near suitable habitat.
You will be pleased to hear that we struck gold with the Nuthatches! We heard them calling on our first day out, and then on our second day of the holiday at The Lodge, RSPB HQ we saw a Nuthatch coming to the bird feeders near the café. Now, what’s not to love….. Sitting outside with coffee and cake, watching a Nuthatch – amazing! It wasn’t quite so obliging for the camera, but here’s a record shot and you can make out what it is.
We saw lots of fantastic wildlife on our holiday including several lifers, some photos of these are below:
We also saw lots of birds and mammals that were more familiar to us:
So, we had a lovely relaxing break away and came back, refreshed and ready to enjoy the wonders of autumn in Orkney!
Autumn in Orkney
Autumn in Orkney conjures up a very different picture. Usually the weather plays a big part in this with gales and rain, but we also have sunshine, frost and lots of rainbows. As there are fewer trees in Orkney, we have this wonderful open landscape.
But, it also brings lots of wildlife and I am not just talking about migrating birds. October heralds the start of the Grey seal pupping season, and this is a fabulous wildlife spectacle to witness. From the beginning of October through to December, our female Grey seals will come ashore to rocky beaches to give birth to a single pup. Grey seal pups are born with a white, fluffy coat and are incredibly cute!
My Seal Pup Walks run from October to December every year, allowing us the opportunity to watch the seals in their natural environment, and witness their life cycles without causing them any disturbance. It is a time of year that I look forward to, and I absolutely love to take small groups on this walk which is a really special experience.
As well as the seals, there is lots of wildlife to be seen during in October and throughout the winter months. The following walks are available to book:
- Hidden Gem – All Year
- Stromness Saunters 1 – All Year
- Stromness Saunters 2 – All Year
- Brodgar Wildlife Walk – September to April
- Seal Pup Walk – October to December
- A Stroll Around Shapinsay – All Year
Islands – Shapinsay
I was lucky to have 2 trips to Shapinsay in October, and as we still had plenty of daylight before the clocks went back, we did a combination of both the summer and winter route. There are lots of birds and other wildlife to see on Shapinsay at this time of year, and the route we do from February to March takes in the RSPB Mill Dam reserve and Vasa Loch, both of which are home to a variety of wildfowl and waders. There are usually seals hauled out around Balfour village – both Harbour and Grey.
A Stroll Around Shapinsay is a lovely day out and easily accessible from Kirkwall. This walk will run throughout the winter months, albeit as a shorter day due to there being less daylight hours.
Islands – Flotta
Flotta: A Hidden Gem has continued to be popular this year, and my last trip was mid-October when we were blessed with a beautiful day. Flotta is an island which continues to surprise me, every time I go there, I see something different or unexpected. On this particular trip, we were lucky to see a Peregrine falcon interacting with a Hen harrier, something that none of us had witnessed before. We also saw Buzzards, Red Grouse and Harbour porpoises. Our return ferry journey gave us views of Long-tailed ducks, Great Northern divers and my first Slavonian grebe of the autumn. A cracking day out!
As I am currently updating the website with prices, descriptions and new photos ready for 2025, Flotta: A Hidden Gem is not linkable, but the website will be fully updated by the 31st December this year. If you would like more information about Flotta or any of my other walks, then please do get in touch with me.
As we move into November, I will leave you for now with some autumnal wildlife in Orkney.
