Eday has been described as a microcosm of the habitats and landscape features that make up Orkney's North Isles. The elevated 'spine' of the island is covered in heath and bog and as the undulating topography descends shoreward, the more fertile lands are a patchwork of agricultural fields or 'parks' as they are called in Orkney. The island has a number of freshwater lochs, the largest of which is Mill Loch at the north end. Although none are abundant in terms of fish, they provide important habitats for wildlife.
Eday's coastline is rugged and varied with rocky shores, dramatic sea cliffs and long sandy beaches. In places the relentless battering of the sea over many millennia has exposed layers of sandstone known as the 'Eday beds', a soft stone that is a rich russet red in hue - shown at its most dramatic to the north of the island at the Red Head. At the isthmus or 'waist', dune backed beaches stretch out, joining the north and south portions of the island. In other low lying areas, sections of flagstone jut out obliquely from the shoreline and in places large sandstone boulders cover the beach.
As the months come and go on Eday, so too do a wide range of birds, engaged in their natural cycles of breeding and migrating in harmony with the changing seasons. Some birds are resident on the island and among the many species you can see year round, are oystercatcher, curlew, snipe, short-eared owl, hen harrier, eider duck, shag and cormorant.
Spring and summer is a hive of activity as birds set about rearing young. The resident species are joined by other colourful characters, coming to the island just to breed. Puffin can be seen in small numbers along Eday's west coast, whilst kittiwake, razorbill and guillemot are present on the north and north east cliffs. The largest seabird colony is on the Grey Head on the Calf of Eday, a small island to the north of Eday itself. Sadly here, as with the rest of Orkney, the spectacular sounds, sights and smells of thousands of breeding seabirds is becoming increasingly subdued as birds fail to breed in response to depleted sandeel populations in the surrounding waters. This has had a measurable knock on effect on the arctic skuas that come to Eday to breed during the summer - these birds aquire their food by hijacking other seabirds for their hard earned catches.
Further inland on Eday's Mill Loch, red-throated divers arrive during June and July. These beautiful birds with their haunting calls, can be viewed with ease from the bird hide located next to the loch. Small numbers of teal and mallard also breed here and in recent years there has been an increasing number of greylag geese, often seen with a sizeable crèche of youngsters on parade around the loch.
In the spring and autumn months the island is visited by passage migrants such as redwings, fieldfares, waxwings, finches and warblers. At this time just about anything could turn up as some birds are blown off course by strong winds.
Even in the winter months, birds from cooler climbs come to enjoy our comparatively warm weather. Shoveller, teal and widgeon come to the lochs and coastal waters, whilst divers, scoter and long-tailed ducks can all be seen off shore.
Orkney as a whole only has a limited number of terrestrial mammal species. The Orkney vole, wood mouse, rabbit and brown rat are the most common small mammals on Eday and as with the other northern isles, we lack the brown hare that can be seen elsewhere in Orkney.
However, as you head to the coast, things start to get exciting! The island has a healthy otter population and the lucky walker may come across one of these enigmatic creatures pottering along the shoreline. Looking a little further out across the water, you could well feel the doleful gaze of grey and common seals as they eye you from the safety of the water or hauled out on a skerry. Both species breed along the island's coast. For the common seal, June and July is the breeding season and pups take to the water almost immediately. The grey seals wait for the blustery November weather and at this time their white fluffy pups can be seen dotted along the coast.
Eday's cliffs provide an excellent vantage point for whale and dolphin watching. There are a handful of sightings every year and the lucky and patient watcher may catch a glimpse of a variety of cetaceans. Recent sightings include minke whale, killer whale and harbour porpoise.
Historically the sea provided an important source of protein for the island community. Today a small number of islanders creel for crabs and lobsters, while coalfish, pollack and mackerel are among the other fish that are caught in the near shore area.
One of the most exciting fish to pass by our island is the basking shark. Every year individuals are spotted feeding off the coast in late summer. Basking shark are the second largest fish in the world and the largest animal to regularly visit the UK. However, these giants are gentle ones as they are filter feeders, trawling for plankton in the surface waters.
At a more diminutive scale, rock-pooling is an excellent way to glimpse the aquatic world. All manner of weird and wonderful creatures can be found in the pools that are left as the tide retreats. A variety of fish species, crabs, shrimps, starfish, anemones, shellfish and sea slugs are among the myriad of potential finds! You can explore alone, with free loan of nets from our Heritage and Visitor Centre, or the Island Ranger is happy to accompany you on an outing to the island's prime rock-pooling locations!