Short birdwatching visit · RSPB
Trumland
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- spring and summer
- Headline birds
- Merlin · Short-eared Owl · Curlew
- Parking
- Use parking at the pier, about three-quarters of a mile from the reserve entrance.
- Hides
- Views are from the public trail and island road; no enclosed hide is described.
- Step-free
- Not stated by the operator
Brinian · KW17 2PU
Trumland offers an upland walk on Rousay through wet heath, blanket bog, willow scrub and rocky ground. The reserve's breeding birds include Curlew, Red-throated Diver, Merlin and Short-eared Owl, although visitors should enjoy them from the established trail without approaching breeding places. Its hills provide wide views across Orkney, making the route an outing for landscape as well as birds. Rough ground and gradients require more preparation than a short lowland reserve visit, and the ferry journey needs planning.
Birds and seasons
- Merlin · Headline bird — Typically year-round Source for Merlin
- Short-eared Owl · Headline bird — Typically year-round Source for Short-eared Owl
- Curlew · Headline bird — Typically spring and summer Source for Curlew
- Cuckoo — Typically spring and summer Source for Cuckoo
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Views are from the public trail and island road; no enclosed hide is described.
- Paths
- A roughly three-mile waymarked trail has rough, steep sections.
- Toilets
- No reserve toilets; facilities at the heritage centre open during ferry times.
- Parking
- Use parking at the pier, about three-quarters of a mile from the reserve entrance.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs on a short lead during breeding season and around livestock.
- Access notes
- Uneven hill paths and steep sections make the route unsuitable for a level-access outing.
- Step-free access
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
Getting there: Arrive on Rousay by ferry; the reserve entrance is a walk 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 · 5.9 straight-line miles
- North Hill · 16.4 straight-line miles
- Pool of Virkie · 79.0 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, 6.7 miles away in a straight line.
- Onziebust · 2.4 miles in a straight line
- Birsay Moors · 5.9 miles in a straight line
- Mill Dam, Shapinsay · 7.0 miles in a straight line