Raven on Marwick Head

This is the same bird that often comes down to see me when I walk along the cliffs on Marwick Head. I like the reflection of the yellow lichen on his plumage.
I made an early start so as to make the most of the sunny day and was at The Loons hide by 7.45am. Pretty much the usual birds but with the addition of a pair of black-tailed godwits. I walked to Marwick and was really happy to hear the distinctive sound of a corncrake coming from a field. They are extremely difficult to see and are really more known for their call, like cuckoos. Their call is like their scientific name- crex crex, imagine someone running a pencil along the teeth of a comb and you'll get the idea. Only a couple of puffins on the cliffs with hundreds of razorbill, guillemot, fulmar and kittiwake. Orkney Nature Week is on at the moment and I passed a couple of groups of walkers who may have come up for it. I then headed past the remains of the palace at Birsay and onto the Brough of Birsay before being collected by the wee bus. More here.