Jim and Jean, This is straying somewhat from TV, but if you're interested in birds, one thing you'll have to look out for (if it still occurs) is the winter hen harrier roost at Durkadale, though I'm not clear as to its exact location. Presumably your house looks down in that direction, though. Part of an "Orcadian" article from 2002: "The Birsay Moors Reserve is an important area for hen harriers. Orkney is well known nationally for its hen harriers courtesy of the work initiated by Eddie Balfour in the 1940s. "Although Orkney’s hen harrier population has dropped considerably since its peak in 1978, even today this reserve holds as many as 14 nesting harriers, over two per cent of the British breeding population. "However, breeding productivity here continues to be low, a problem that recent research has linked to poor food supplies. The past couple of years have been more successful, thanks to a spell of experimental feeding and a couple of good summers. Perhaps less well known is the important winter roost at Durkadale, at which up to 25 hen harriers gather at dusk. "Viewed from the road it is quite an impressive sight, even though they can be very difficult to pick out against the heather in the failing light." http://www.orcadian.co.uk/features/articles/birdieman3.htm Norman Tulloch

Hi everyone Norman is quite right about the birds, as orkney is host to a quite different selection of birds in winter than summer, not to mention the migrants each spring and autumn. So they add a lot of interest to our winter days. In fact there are frequent fine spells in winter, which are very conduisive to walking, photography, painting, or whatever other outdoor pursuit you might like. So the "long dark winter" is a bit of a myth really in my view. What you never really get used to is the rapid change in day length and the even more rapid changes in weather! Also there are lots of things happening here, so if that is your interest take part.