Oceanwide Expeditions

Flora & Fauna

Very few places in Britain can boast such a concentration of rare and important birds as the Scottish islands. About one million seabirds make the islands their summer destination and the sheer noise of these seabird cities, inhabited by Northern Fulmars, guillemots, Razorbills, kittiwakes and puffins is incredible.

The Scottish islands are also home to one of the world's best long distance travellers, the Arctic Tern. They arrive in mid-May after a 16,000 kilometres (10,000 mile) journey from the Southern Ocean, spend about three months in the islands, and then return to their wintering grounds at the other side of the world. Perhaps they come to see the rare, beautiful but diminutive Scottish Primrose. The Orkney Islands is one of the few places where it grows!

Frequently visited
places

Frequently visited Scottish islands are:
(For more detailed information on our programmes, please see the itineraries section) 

• The Orkney Islands. The Orkneys are situated about 12 kilometres to the north-east of the Scottish mainland and comprise about 70 islands. Nature lovers are drawn to the Orkneys because of the abundance of wildlife. The cliffs on the islands of Westray, Copinsay and on Orkney Mainland are colonised by thousands of fulmars, Common Guillemots, kittiwakes and Razorbills. Great Skuas and Arctic Skuas haunt the cliff tops, while gannets and shags have settled the lower ledges. Grey and Common (or Harbour) seals are very common and Minke and Humpback Whales are frequent visitors to Orkney waters. Furthermore there are regular sightings of Killer Whales, as well as White-beaked, Risso's and Atlantic White-sided Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises.  
• The Shetland Islands. The Shetlands are situated about 165 kilometres (100 miles) to the north-east of the Scottish mainland, about 85 kilometres (50 miles) from the Orkney Islands. The landscape and the light found in Shetland are famous and have been inspiring artists for centuries. The Shetland Islands are also a number-one wildlife watching destination. They can boast an enormous wealth of bird life and sea mammals. Hundreds of thousands of fulmars, puffins and guillemots dominate the huge seabird colonies that adorn the rugged cliffs. Over 150 bird species have been recorded here, including Red-throated Diver, Great and Arctic Skua, Razorbill, Storm Petrel, Red-necked Phalarope and Golden Plover. 
• The Hebrides, sometimes named the Western Isles, are situated in the north-west of Scotland, close to the Scottish mainland. Several islands have large populations of seabirds, such as puffins, Common Guillemots, Razorbills, Northern Fulmars, kittiwakes, Common Shags and Great Skuas. The White-tailed Eagle (also named Sea Eagle) can also be seen on some of the islands. In the far west of the Outer Hebrides lies St Kilda, an island built of volcanic rock and with cliffs rising to over 400 meters, the highest in Britain and home to the largest seabird colony in the country. St Kilda has its own sub-species of birds and mice, and of sheep, the Soay, probably brought here by Stone Age man over 5,000 years ago. Until 1930 St. Kilda was inhabited, but then the last of the islanders left leaving only a handful of windswept ruins.