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Orkney

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top of the page.

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Scotland

For books that cover regions of Scotland see:

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Ayrshire
Borders
Central Valley
Dumfries & Galloway
Fair Isle
Fife
Grampian
Highland
Inner Hebrides
Orkney
Outer Hebrides
Shetland

The Orkney Book of Birds

Tim Dean and Tracy Hall

2nd edition

2015

"The Orkney Book of Birds is a totally unique volume that focuses solely on almost 200 birds you are most likely to find in Orkney and offers outstanding watercolours of each species in an instantly recognisable island setting. Tim Dean and Tracy Hall both live in the islands and have devoted several years to compiling The Orkney Book of Birds. Tim has spent a lifetime in ornithology and gives a detailed and expert commentary of each bird: when and where you might see them in the islands; how easy or difficult they are to find; and what local name Orcadians might have for them. Tracy has created 50 stunning plates depicting 178 Orkney localities in which she has reproduced each bird in meticulous detail to aid identification. The Orkney Book of Birds provides answers to the What? Why? Where? and When? of bird watching in the county."

Finding Birds in Orkney

Harold Stiver

2014

"Orkney contains some of the most amazing bird species in the world and this guide will help the visitor to find them. It is designed to do this in three different ways. 1) A summary of some of the best areas, how to get there and what birds you might expect. This includes all of the RSPB Reserves. 2) Three tours outlines to help you plan a productive visit. Included are: Tour 1- Seaching for Seabirds Tour 2- Marshes and Moors Tour 3- Wonderful Westray 3) A list of all the bird species and information on the likleyhood of each one and where and when they are to be found."

Orkney

Howie Firth

2013

"On the edge of Britain, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea, lie the Orkney Islands, renowned for their seascapes and wildlife, and the continuity of community life for more than five thousand years. It is an ancient land; fossils millions of years old have been found on the islands. Orkney's archaeology has World Heritage status, with its stone circles, chambers and a growing number of fresh discoveries. Six centuries of Norse rule have left an imprint on language and culture. More recently the strategic position of the naval anchorage of Scapa Flow gave the islands a key role in two world wars. Today innovative local companies are harnessing the power of wind, wave and tide to give Orkney a lead in the green economy of the future."

The Orkney Book of Birds: Pocket Edition

Tim Dean and Tracy Hall

2011

"Four years after the arrival to your shelves of The Orkney Book of Birds, we are now delighted to present a practical and new edition designed for your pocket. Nothing from the original has been left out, indeed Orkney's world of birds changes constantly and the author has been able to add updates. Pocket-sized perfection when you're out and about! The Orkney Pocket Book of Birds is a totally unique volume that focuses solely on almost 200 birds you are likely to find in Orkney and offers outstanding watercolours of each species in an instantly recognisable island setting."

The Orkney Book of Birds

Tim Dean and Tracy Hall

2007

"The Orkney Book of Birds is a totally unique volume that focuses solely on almost 200 birds you are most likely to find in Orkney and offers outstanding watercolours of each species in an instantly recognisable island setting. Tim Dean and Tracy Hall both live in the islands and have devoted several years to compiling The Orkney Book of Birds. Tim has spent a lifetime in ornithology and gives a detailed and expert commentary of each bird: when and where you might see them in the islands; how easy or difficult they are to find; and what local name Orcadians might have for them. Tracy has created 50 stunning plates depicting 178 Orkney localities in which she has reproduced each bird in meticulous detail to aid identification."

Orkney

Patrick Bailey

2007

"The essential guide for the discerning tourist and island devotee, the "Pevensey Island Guide: Orkney" describes everything the visitor needs to know about the islands' heritage, landscape, climate, flora and fauna. It contains fascinating information about all the key places of interest, from areas of outstanding beauty such as heather covered hills, to the ancient capital steeped in history. It is illustrated with over 100 superb colour photographs showing every aspect of the island and its people."

Stronsay's 'Garden' Birds

John Holloway

2006

"A detailed record of the bird life of Stronsay, observed and recorded over 17 years."

Sillocks, Skarfies and Selkies: The Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of Orkney

Chris Booth and Jean Booth

2005

"Does it occur in Orkney? Is it rare? When and where can it be seen? The purpose of this book is to try, if possible, to answer some of these questions, attempting to produce a complete list of Orkney's vertebrate fauna, together with illustrations, details and where applicable, their traditional Orcadian name."

Eddie: An Orkney Ornithologist Remembered

Compiled by Olaf Cuthbert

2005

"A book produced by the Orkney Field Club about Eddie Balfour - Orkney's world-respected ornithologist, renowned for his work as a naturalist and, in particular, hen harriers."

Islands of Birds: A Guide to Orkney Birds

Eric Meek

4th edition

2004

A photographic guide to birdwatching sites on the islands plus annotated species list.

The Wildlife of Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre

Craig Whyte

2003

"Craig Whyte one-time RSPB warden on Rousay, takes the reader through a journey through a diverse landscape to discover a land of birds, seals, otters and wildflowers. A systematic list of bird species, including records dating from the mid-19th century to the end of the 20th, is a valuable resource for the birdwatcher, while the author's colourful habitat descriptions, with reference to his personal experience of the islands, forms the main body of text."

Orkney Nature

R.J. Berry

Poyser

2000

"The Orkneys have been strangely neglected by naturalists when compared to Shetland or Western Scotland, although they have long been a place of pilgrimage for archaeologists and historians. This work seeks to make available the islands' animals, plants and scenic history to casual readers as well as specialists. The Orkney Islands are a special place, both in terms of their natural history and human inhabitants. Their rich coastal habitats host significant seabird colonies and marine communities. Their northerly position provides a major land fall for migratory birds."

Islands of Birds: A Guide to Orkney Birds

Eric Meek

2nd edition

1989

A guide to birdwatching sites on the islands plus annotated species list.

The Natural History of Orkney

R.J. Berry

Collins

1985

"Orkney is a very special place for naturalists. Closer to Oslo than to London, its geography and climate create quite distinct environmental conditions - even though it is only six miles from the Scottish mainland. On these islands of fierce gales, long summer days and long winter nights, the wildlife has adapted in intriguing ways… Starlings adapt to ground-nesting…local sheep eat seaweed…and there are voles exclusive to Orkney. Here is one of the very few areas where the rare and delicate Scottish Primrose thrives…where you find the British stronghold of the Hen Harrier, and vast colonies of seabirds and seals. This is the first - and long-needed - survey of the islands' natural history, complete in one volume. Because Orkney is exceptional, it is vital reading for the serious naturalist, as well as for being a comprehensive and absorbing guide for every visitor. In his tracing of the island's evolution from its geological creation to the effects of oil technology; in the detailed, yet fascinating exploration of the plants and animals (and where best to see them), Professor Berry's expertise and enthusiasm is backed by that of local specialists, and Orkney's long tradition of natural history study. Appendices include definitive lists of all the species of flora and fauna on record, and an extensive bibliography."

Islands of Birds: A Guide to Orkney Birds

Eric Meek

1st edition

1985

A guide to birdwatching sites on the islands plus annotated species list.

The Birds of Orkney

Chris Booth, Mildred Cuthbert and Peter Reynolds

Orkney Press

1984

Birds and Mammals of Orkney

William Groundwater

1974

300 pages.

Orkney Birds: Status & Guide

E. Balfour

1972

63 page booklet.

How To Know the Orkney Birds

James Omond

1925

59 pages with black and white illustrations.

The Ornithologist's Guide to the Islands of Orkney And Shetland

Robert Dunn

1837

From the introduction:

"Having frequently sustained considerable loss and inconvenience in my business from the want of fine examples of many of our native water-birds, I came to the determination, in the early part of 1831, of visiting the Orkney and Shetland Islands, for the purpose of procuring some of the rarer kinds, being well aware that as these islands are the most northerly of the British Isles, and the nearest to Norway and Iceland, they must consequently be the first places of resort for birds migrating from those countries, some few of which never migrate further to the southward, but remain there and breed, in consequence of their being but little disturbed, the inhabitants few in number, the ground in general not admitting of much cultivation, and the is- lands affording many localities peculiarly adapted as sites of incubation; all of which advantages are peculiarly favourable to the feathered race."

Fauna Orcadensis: or, The Natural History of the Quadrupeds, Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes of Orkney and Shetland

Rev. George Low

1813

From the author's preface:

The utility of provincial histories of all kinds is now generally acknowledged to be great, as these are certainly the materials from which a general structure, either of civil, military, or natural history, is to be raised. In no branch of history is this more apparent than in that of Nature. She must be sought and described on the spot, and her various productions investigated in their proper climates, soils, and beds. Hearsay descriptions of natural subjects are seldom to be depended on, unless taken from the most attentive observers, and even these, to be convincing, must be made on the spot, as change of climate or soil sometimes makes such alterations in the appearance of natural objects, as may deceive even adepts in the science.

The following sketch of the Natural History of the Orkney Islands was at first designed as an information of what might be remarkable here to a gentleman, whose writings on the same subject do him honour, and are well known to the public. But by degrees swelling to some bulk, by his advice it was thrown into a systematic arrangement, and now appears as a separate work