2nd August – August is getting off to a promising start, it’s a beautiful evening for a Shorewatch, with the sea glassy calm. The evening sun always makes Hoy High lighthouse look great and the effect is doubled by the reflection.
We took a run up to Birsay this afternoon for a change of scenery. There are still a few puffins around, but not for much longer. Spotted this little group napping on a rocky shelf.
4th August – No cetaceans seen this morning on Shorewatch but thrilled to see this rose-coloured starling. According to the bird book they are a “very rare migrant from C. Europe: 40-50 per year”.
Originally thought it was just melanistic variation of our own starlings but looked it up for confirmation.
I notified the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) and they have checked it and passed the details on to the County Recorder for Orkney. Exciting stuff!
10th August – When you’ve left your easel at home the next best thing is to tape your canvas to the road!
German artist, Veronika, captures an explosion in a Stromness garden.
12th August – the £33m superyacht Triple Seven is in Kirkwall today, having just arrived from Shetland.
It’s rumoured that Hollywood A-lister, Tom Cruise, was visiting our northern neighbours whilst taking a break from filming in England. Apparently he flew south from Shetland.
Note that the portholes in the hull are quite low down, it’s so that diminutive passengers can see out.
13th August – This would normally be Stromness’ gala week, “Shopping Week”, but due to on-going Covid precautions it has been reduced to three days.
A popular event is always the raft race, a 1.16 km course from Stenigar up to the harbour. This is the first capsizing of the day, actually on the start line! Better luck next year.
27th August – It’s a while since we posted here, we’ve been a bit preoccupied with various things. Still been managing to get out and do some Shorewatch sessions though and we were rewarded with the sight of a pod of Orca passing through the watch site. The huge, straight dorsal fin of the bulls makes them easily identifiable from the others.
The Orca pods that travel around the Northern Isles are given identification tags. This group are the 27s and they can range as far as Iceland.
Scapa Views 
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