Short birdwatching visit · RSPB
Hobbister
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- year-round
- Headline birds
- Great Northern Diver · Red-breasted Merganser · Black Guillemot
- Parking
- Four unmarked spaces are provided at the southern entrance; parking is also available at Waulkmill Bay.
- Hides
- There are no formal viewing structures.
- Step-free
- Not stated by the operator
Hobbister · KW17 2RA
Hobbister overlooks Waulkmill Bay and Scapa Flow, offering moorland and coastal birdwatching in the same reserve. Black Guillemot and Red-breasted Merganser give the shore a different character from the rough inland ground, while Twite and Curlew are among the birds named by the operator. Great Northern Diver adds winter interest on the sea. The waymarked walk crosses varied, sometimes boggy terrain, so it suits visitors comfortable with rough paths rather than those seeking a surfaced promenade.
Birds and seasons
- Great Northern Diver · Headline bird — Typically autumn and winter Source for Great Northern Diver
- Red-breasted Merganser · Headline bird — Typically year-round Source for Red-breasted Merganser
- Black Guillemot · Headline bird — Typically year-round Source for Black Guillemot
- Twite — Typically year-round Source for Twite
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- There are no formal viewing structures.
- Paths
- A two-mile circular trail includes rough, wet ground, a steep peat-bank section and a stile.
- Toilets
- No reserve toilets; facilities are listed at Waulkmill Bay and Scapa beach.
- Parking
- Four unmarked spaces are provided at the southern entrance; parking is also available at Waulkmill Bay.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs on a short lead during breeding season and around livestock.
- Access notes
- The uneven tracks and coastal approaches include slopes and muddy areas.
- Step-free access
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
Getting there: Use the signed reserve access off the A964 and designated parking.
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
- Birsay Moors · 11.3 straight-line miles
- North Hill · 29.7 straight-line miles
- Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve · 77.6 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, 8.0 miles away in a straight line.
- Brodgar · 7.6 miles in a straight line
- Mill Dam, Shapinsay · 8.6 miles in a straight line
- Birsay Moors · 11.3 miles in a straight line