Short birdwatching visit · RSPB
Birsay Moors
- Tier
- Worth a special trip
- Best season
- spring and summer
- Headline birds
- Short-eared Owl · Golden Plover · Dunlin
- Parking
- Parking is provided at the visitor facilities, with a Blue Badge space at the picnic area.
- Hides
- Public hide provided; follow its wildlife-disturbance signs.
- Step-free
- Rough vehicle approaches require care; wheelchair space can be made inside the hide.
Evie · KW17 2PL
Birsay Moors offers open-country birdwatching among blanket bog, rough grassland and small lochs on Orkney Mainland. The RSPB manages the moor and its grassy margins for a mixture of upland birds and hunting raptors. Golden Plover, Dunlin and Curlew give the landscape a strong spring and summer character, while Short-eared Owl is another reserve species. This is an exposed outing with broad views; the public road and established visitor facilities offer alternatives to walking over the moor.
When to go and where to look
Birsay Moors offers an upland watch for the RSPB's recorded Golden Plover, Dunlin and Curlew in spring and summer, with Short-eared Owl another named possibility in the entry. The public hide can provide a settled view, but its wildlife-disturbance signs determine how to use it. Unsurfaced tracks have slopes and can become especially muddy between autumn and spring, so match the route to conditions rather than assuming an easy approach. Watch across the habitat from authorised positions and leave breeding birds space. Check the current public access arrangements before choosing the length of the outing.
Sources: RSPB visitor information — Confirmed · Visitor routes and access. Planning reviewed 2026-10-25.
Birds and seasons
- Short-eared Owl · Headline bird — Typically year-round Source for Short-eared Owl
- Golden Plover · Headline bird — Typically spring and summer Source for Golden Plover
- Dunlin · Headline bird — Typically spring and summer Source for Dunlin
- Curlew — Typically spring and summer Source for Curlew
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Public hide provided; follow its wildlife-disturbance signs.
- Paths
- Unsurfaced tracks have slopes and can become particularly muddy between autumn and spring.
- Toilets
- No reserve toilets; facilities are available in Dounby.
- Parking
- Parking is provided at the visitor facilities, with a Blue Badge space at the picnic area.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs close, preferably on a short lead, from 1 April to 15 August.
- Access notes
- Rough vehicle approaches require care; wheelchair space can be made inside the hide.
- Step-free access
- Rough vehicle approaches require care; wheelchair space can be made inside the hide.
Getting there: Arrive via the public road between Evie and Dounby; use the designated parking areas.
Sources
Social preview photograph: Common Starling standing in grass in Oxfordshire. Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted for the preview.
Nearby special trips
- North Hill · 20.3 straight-line miles
- Pool of Virkie · 84.5 straight-line miles
- Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve · 86.1 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, 3.3 miles away in a straight line.
- Trumland · 5.9 miles in a straight line
- The Loons and Loch of Banks · 5.9 miles in a straight line
- Brodgar · 7.5 miles in a straight line