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If Orkney ever needed a new name, Birdland would be very appropriate. We have no fewer than 12 RSPB reserves here, and of course the birds know no boundaries: they don’t stick to their reserves but crisscross our skies continually. This really is the land of birds.
Dimensions: 14mm x 8mm
The reserve closest to Ola Gorie’s heart is the one in the heart of Neolithic Orkney at Brodgar. Ola lived at Brodgar for many years, and would often step out her back door to take the circular walk through the bird reserve: along the shore of Stenness Loch, past the magnificent Ring of Brodgar stone circle, then back home via the grassy path bordering the road.
Whether it’s a still, icy winter morning, when ducks and swans throng the loch, or a summer’s day with temperatures rising, flowers peeking out of the verges, and curlews, lapwings and oystercatchers filling the air with their calls, Brodgar is always a lovely walk. Down by the lochside, herons can be seen stalking for fish (the loch is full of trout).
In spring, the start of warmer days is signaled by the skylarks that start unfurling their glorious ribbons of song high above the standing stones. By contrast, autumn brings skeins of migrating geese overhead with their calls like the creaking of rusty hinges.
Over the years, Ola has drawn inspiration from specific bird species in her designs. Puffin and Robin are two of our most popular wildlife collections, for instance. But the Birdland collection is different. It doesn’t celebrate any particular bird, but rather Orkney generally: the land of birds.
In her designs, the graceful birds in flight are set against the reeds of a lochside, or beautiful mother-of-pearl clouds. Some fly free in a clear Orkney sky…welcome to Birdland!
If Orkney ever needed a new name, Birdland would be very fitting. We have 12 RSPB reserves here, and of course the birds know no boundaries – they don’t stick to reserves but crisscross our skies continually. Orkney really is the land of birds.
