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14th to 18th June 2018: Blooms & Bonxies
Papay is superb at any time of year, but there's no better time to be here than mid-June. Come and join us for long days teeming with wildlife.
The island is alive with breeding birds. By mid June, Curlew, Lapwing, Snipe, Redshank and Oystercatcher will all have chicks in the fields. Arctic Skuas and Bonxies (Great Skuas) will be circling their nests on North Hill, where Dunlin will be trilling from the edge of boggy pools and Twite will be giving their twanging twitter..
We'll visit Fowl Craig's seabird colony to see the Puffins and other auks. Dunters (Eiders) with crèches of ducklings encircle the island every June. Seals and a range of wading birds will be along the beaches.
The flowers will be coming out. The colony of Scottish Primrose (Primula scotica) on North Hill will be a place of pilgrimage for us. Other special plants on the maritime heath include Spring Squill and Foula Eyebright.
We'll also spend time, watched by Wheatears, in the dwarf vegetation on the sandy ground of the Links of Moclett (Papay's characterful golf course). Adder's-tongue Fern, orchids, Milkwort, Butterwort and Limestone Bedstraw are amongst the species we'll be admiring. We'll be looking out for bees, and we might even spot the Great Yellow Bumblebee - Orkney is one of the few surviving British strongholds for this rarity.
If the weather allows, we shall get to the uninhabited Holm of Papay. This rarely-visited islet boasts one of Orkney's finest Neolithic chambered cairns, as well as an enchanting range of wildlife.
As with all Papay Wildlife Club events, knowledge of the full breadth of Papay's wildlife - from beetles and mosses to fungi and flies - will be on hand. On each of these light June evenings you will have the choice between your own company, another gentle guided walk or time spent discussing and identifying the day's finds.
Price: £495 per person. £50 Single Supplement.For further information and booking please ring 01857 644215, email - papaywildlife@gmail.com or contact Papay Wildlife Club through Facebook. Papay Wildlife Club is run by Papay Development Trust (SC029585), the island's community development charity.
2018 Papay Wildlife Club holidays
About Papay Wildlife Club
Blooms & Bonxies
14th to 18th June 2018
Mushrooms & migrants
20th to 24th September 2018