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  • Cottascarth and Rendall Moss

Cottascarth and Rendall Moss

All covid rules and restrictions have now been lifted in Scotland. We will continue to make our reserves and centres as safe as possible for all. Please help protect yourself and each other by using covid sense, washing or sanitising your hands, wearing masks if appropriate and giving everyone space to enjoy their day. Thank you and we hope you enjoy your visit.
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Address
RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, Lower Cottascarth Rendall, Orkney KW17 2PA
Grid ref
HY369195
What3Words
immunity.nicely.moon

When you visit this tranquil wildlife haven, you'll discover a magical mosaic of mires and heath that is a special place for some of the UK's most magnificent birds of prey - merlins, kestrels and hen harriers. It also has one of the highest densities of breeding curlews in Europe.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free, but donations are very welcome.
Children
Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

  • Car park
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails
  • Educational facilities

Accessibility

  • Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By bus

Buses stop at Norseman village, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east of the reserve. Bus route is No 6 Kirkwall to Tingwall. Up to date travel information can be found on travelinescotland.com.

By bike

Cycle route 1 of the National Cycle Network runs through Norseman village, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east of the reserve.

By road

The reserve is 4.5 miles (7.3 km) north of Finstown off the A966. Take the minor road west at Norseman village, signposted for RSPB Cottascarth, then turn right at Settisgarth, following the signs for the reserve. The road passes through the farmyard at Lower Cottascarth Farm (follow the signs for the hide) to the car park just above it. Lower Cottascarth is a working farm so please be considerate and aware of farm machinery and equipment as you pass through the farmyard.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

For flights and ferry information to Orkney, contact VisitOrkney at West Castle Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1GU. Website: visitorkney.com  Tel: 01856 872856.

Get directions from Google Maps
View on What3Words
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Group booking information

Group visits are welcome, however the Cottascarth car park is not accessible for vehicles larger than a minibus. For more information, please contact the Orkney office on 01856 850176.

Schools booking information

School visits are available on our Orkney reserves on a variety of topics. Please contact the Orkney office on 01856 850176 for further details.

Contact Cottascarth and Rendall Moss

  • RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, Lower Cottascarth Rendall, Orkney KW17 2PA
  • orkney@rspb.org.uk
  • 01856 850176
  • Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

    Wading curlew illustration

    Curlew

    In spring, you can hear their gorgeous, 'bubbling' song.

    Hen harrier male

    Hen harrier

    Hen harriers breed on the moorland here.

    Adult male merlin in flight

    Merlin

    Keep your eyes peeled for a dashing merlin on a high-speed hunt.

    Short eared owl

    Short-eared owl

    Short-eared owls can be seen hunting over the farmland all year.

    Snipe illustration

    Snipe

    These cryptically-coloured waders can be seen here all year-round, with the greatest numbers in spring.

Nature spectacles

Our wonderful turf-roofed stone hide at Cottascarth is a fantastic space in which to relax on a fine spring day and watch for the spectacular twisting, turning and swooping sky-dancing display flight of the hen harrier.

Seasonal highlights

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

Look to the skies for sky-dancing hen harriers above the moorland. Listen out for the familiar call of the cuckoo near the Eddie Balfour hide. Spend a little time on your way past Rendall Moss enjoying the bubbling calls of displaying curlews.

See if you can spot a stonechat perched on top of the thistles in front of the hide. Enjoy the sight of short-eared owls hunting across the moorland on a summer evening. Watch out for buzzards drifting past – look out for one of the many Orkney birds that have been marked with red wing tags to help monitor them.

Enjoy the changing colours of the hills, which turn a subtle shade of pink and purple as the heather comes into flower in late summer and early autumn. You may also be lucky enough to catch sight of a merlin chasing migrating meadow pipits.

Visit the Eddie Balfour hen harrier hide around dusk and watch hen harriers travelling through on the way to their communal winter roosts. Watch and listen for ravens displaying in late winter – marvel at their aerial acrobatics, including dramatic barrel rolls.

About Cottascarth and Rendall Moss

Habitat

Cottascarth is a tranquil wildlife haven. The expanse of heather moorland is home to birds of prey such as hen harriers and merlins. The car park at Cottascarth offers panoramic views towards the northern isles of Orkney across Rendall Moss, a mosaic of mire, wet heath, scattered willow scrub and grassland which is alive with the bubbling calls of curlew in spring.

Conservation

Eddie Balfour, after whom the hide at Cottascarth is named, started one of the longest running raptor studies in the world here and his pioneering 30-year study and the work it inspired are responsible for much of what we know about hen harriers today. Eddie’s work at Cottascarth ensured that this area was protected – in 1971 it became the first RSPB nature reserve in Orkney. In addition to its importance as a site for breeding hen harriers, Cottascarth also holds a significant assemblage of moorland birds.

Management of the reserve focusses on providing an undisturbed and protected haven for the range of species which find a home here, and light grazing by sheep helps keep the moorland and grassland areas in ideal condition for breeding birds. The mixed habitats on Rendall Moss benefit from grazing to produce a mosaic of vegetation heights amongst which breeding waders can nest and raise chicks. Rough patches of long vegetation also provide ideal hunting grounds for hen harriers and short-eared owls, their sharp eyes pinpointing the Orkney voles which use these areas.

Site information

The reserve covers 325 hectares, with large areas of moorland on the hillsides and a fantastic patchwork of mire, wet heath, blanket bog, scattered willow scrub and grassland on the lower ground. The site is part of the West Mainland Moorlands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Orkney Mainland Moors Special Protection Area (SPA), designated for its specialist moorland habitats and breeding birds.

Please note there are livestock on this site and you may encounter them on your visit here.

RSPB Scotland welcomes responsible access, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Latest forum posts

  • Vandelism at RSPB reserve Brodgar

    I've just been reading sadly that there has been vandalism at RSPB reserve Brodgar in Orkney. It’s nothing to do with any wildlife. But sadly the historical stone circle at that RSPB reserve has been covered in graffiti. It a big criminal effence to ...

    Posted 11/04/2019 by THOMO
  • Wrapping up the Fortnight

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    Posted 25/06/2018 by Whistling Joe
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read our forum

Latest blog posts

  • Stoat Snippet 102

    Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question?  Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at info@on...(r...

    Posted 01/07/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
  • Stoat Snippet 101

    The latest blog from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, the world's largest stoat eradication, explaining the impact of invasive non-native species during this year's Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) week.(read more)

    Posted 28/05/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
  • Curlews in Orkney - Outrageous Goals, Extravagant Hope , by Richard Clubley

    photo courtesy of RSPB Images When Stephen Hawking was writing “A Brief History of Time” someone advised he would lose half the potential readership with each equation he included; so he settled on just e=mc² in the entire book. I’m thinking the same...

    Posted 21/04/2021 by EleanorD9
  • Stoat Snippet 100

    Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question? Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at stoatsig...(r...

    Posted 21/04/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
read our blog

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

The Eddie Balfour hen harrier hide is designed as a large, open, welcoming hide that is ideal for visiting families. See how many animals you can spot in our brightly coloured mural inside the hide. There is a picnic spot with a bench outside the hide – look carefully at the old sycamore tree and see if you can find the wooden seal hiding in its branches!

We hold family-friendly events throughout the year.

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/cottascarthandrendallmoss

Leisure activities

Visit in spring, and Cottascarth offers one of the best spots on Mainland Orkney for taking photographs of skydancing hen harriers.

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