Short birdwatching visit · RSPB
Onziebust
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- spring and summer
- Headline birds
- Curlew · Redshank · Wigeon
- Parking
- Parking is available at the pier and in four spaces at the Community Centre.
- Hides
- Birdwatching is from the public roads and established tracks.
- Step-free
- Not stated by the operator
Egilsay · KW17 2QD
Onziebust is a working farm reserve on Egilsay, with flower-rich grassland, wetlands, two lochs and a varied coastline. Curlew, Lapwing and Redshank are among the breeding waders named by the operator. Winter brings Wigeon, Teal, Turnstone and Snipe, making the island worth considering beyond summer. Public roads and tracks offer views across the reserve, and a walk from the pier can form the main outing. Livestock, gates and rough track surfaces are part of the visit.
Birds and seasons
- Curlew · Headline bird — Typically spring and summer Source for Curlew
- Redshank · Headline bird — Typically year-round Source for Redshank
- Wigeon · Headline bird — Typically autumn and winter Source for Wigeon
- Teal — Typically autumn and winter Source for Teal
- Lapwing — Typically spring and summer Source for Lapwing
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Birdwatching is from the public roads and established tracks.
- Paths
- Routes from the pier use unsurfaced tracks and narrow roads; some sections are uneven or hilly.
- Toilets
- No reserve toilets; facilities are in the ferry waiting room.
- Parking
- Parking is available at the pier and in four spaces at the Community Centre.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs on a short lead during breeding season and around livestock.
- Access notes
- The beach route includes farm gates and narrow, uneven ground.
- Step-free access
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
Getting there: Take the ferry to Egilsay; the operator describes walking routes from the pier.
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 · 8.2 straight-line miles
- North Hill · 14.8 straight-line miles
- Pool of Virkie · 76.6 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, 9.0 miles away in a straight line.
- Trumland · 2.4 miles in a straight line
- Mill Dam, Shapinsay · 7.9 miles in a straight line
- Birsay Moors · 8.2 miles in a straight line