On Wednesday 26th June, Matt Willmott and Ali Robertson of the RSPB came up to Whalsay School to visit our S4 Biology class. We watched a fascinating presentation on Whimbrels and then headed out to a breeding site to see the birds for ourselves.
Whimbrels or Peerie Whaaps are very similar to a Curlew (Whaap) to look at, although they are smaller, have a straighter beak and have a very different call. Whimbrels fly all the way from the West Coast of Africa every summer to breed here. Most British breeding pairs are in Scotland (mostly Shetland). Recently there are have been some interesting shifts in distribution of these birds. Their populations appear to have moved from Unst and Fetlar which has led to a big increase of Whimbrels in Whalsay. In fact 10% of the British Breeding Population is in Whalsay!
We headed off towards Isbister and visited a site where Whimbrels are breeding. There were larks singing and a threatening looking Scooty Alan was circling. We were told that Scooty Alans predate on the eggs and young chicks of various species but actually help defend the Whimbrel by not taking their eggs. This is because Whimbrel eggs look exactly like their own and they can’t tell the difference.
Matt showed us an old peat bank and explained why these can be quite dangerous for baby Whimbrels, especially if they are trying to escape predators. They can easily fall to their death over a peat bank. RSPB are planning to improve this environment for Whimbrels by filling in some of these old peat banks to make a slope rather than a straight drop. It is all about restoring some of the old, obsolete peak banks, not stopping people cutting peat. They also plan to make some more watery pools for the waders to use.
We really enjoyed learning about the Whimbrels and were amazed that Whalsay plays such an important role in their lives. It is a nationally important site! We feel it is important that everybody knows about this and we are planning to help the RSPB raise awareness. We also hope to play a part in helping to improve the environment for our feathery summer visitors.
The weather stayed nice for us so we finished off our trip with a picnic at the play park and a few cheeky homebakes were washed down with a cup of tea from our flasks 
Thanks goes to Lohn Lowrie Irvine for the use of his lovely photos of the Whimbral and chick.