It's salami time! The 2025 Orkney Boreray salami is now available from Kirkness & Gorie in Kirkwall Made by Highland Charcuterie & Smoke House Ltd the Orkney Boreray mutton is subtly flavoured with Gorse Flowers & Bog Myrtle. Best before 5/1/26 so buy now for Christmas & Hogmanay celebrations

A blurry view through wet window & horizontal rain! Getting a bit breezy in Orkney. I opened up 1 side of the electric fence so the sheep could fully access the part of the field most sheltered from the current SE wind, but over weekend will be able to access the best shelter from forecast W wind.

On a damp & breezy morning I see the sun, in its annual movement from north to south across the horizon, is now rising directly in the east. By mid winter it will be hidden from sight behind the hill to the south of the farm, never rising high enough to peek above the hill.

Another glorious day in Orkney with the sheep enjoying some visitors to the farm who came to meet the sheep and learn about their lives and history.

Waiting for the ferry to Scrabster taking sheep to abattoir. Hopefully last time we do this. Working hard on getting on-farm slaughter with Tiny Trailer Abattoir in 2026 for Orkney Boreray, North Ronaldsay & other sheep farms

Orkney Boreray mutton sheep enjoying the sun Look out for news about the Orkney Boreray mutton from Taste Tradition & the butchers and restaurants they'll be supplying. The sheep look in fantastic condition having enjoyed a wonderful life for over 2 years or more at Airy Farm in Stronsay

Latest #ScottishFoodGuide news scottishfoodguide.com/news/border-... #demijohn #scottishshellfish #buccleucharms #allantoninn #errington #wildhearth #mhor #hardiesmill_ethical_scotchbeef #cairnomohr #allanschilli @orkneyboreray.bsky.social #scotlandthebread #ScottishCheeseTrail #slowfood

While we're very busy at Burnside getting mutton sheep over from members of the Orkney Boreray Co-op Ltd on other isles in Orkney, and preparing for the big trip down to Dingwall early next week, we make time to give the ewes and lambs a welcome treat of Balfour willow to eat.

Orkney Boreray mutton is coming soon! www.macbeths.com will have it available to buy in early Sept. You can pre-order from them Limited quantities of this fabulous rare mutton, one of only 5 Slow Food Presidium products in whole of UK @slowfooduk.bsky.social ‪‪@wendybarriescot.bsky.social‬

Reason why I've not been posting much recently now revealed Orkney Boreray Co-operative Ltd are working on bringing on-farm slaughter to Burnside, plus North Ronaldsay for 2026 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Thx to BBC Radio Orkney for great coverage & Rob Flett for fantastic photos/video

Some of the ewes and lambs at Burnside enjoying Orkney's sunshine.

Simmer dim When the sun hangs suspended behind hills to the north illuminating the northern lands in a seemingly eternal twilight But those of us in the north reaches of Britain know the #SummerSolstice merely starts the relentless cycle of drifting down to overwhelming darkness

@northwards.bsky.socialMany thanks to northwardsltd.com for getting my @edinvalefarm.bsky.social Macbeths Butchers beef order to me in perfect chilled condition - superb @PastureForLife roast beef for Sunday lunch :-)

Glad to see our study making it on the cover of @jappliedecology.bsky.social. More results from this projects are on their way on the response of pollinator resources, pollinators and birds! #naturalgrazing #rewilding

1st lamb for a lovely ewe I bred who managed to nearly tear off one horn just before joining Balaclava flock Vet gave her plenty of local anaesthetic, safely removed horn & she travelled well to Westray and made an excellent recovery under Kim's experienced care Lamb has unusual tan colouring

For those in Orkney

News from Wester House Lambing season has finally started! S.Kayleigh, 1st to lamb this year. The first out wasn't a straightforward birth & needed assistance, & both were yellow, indicating the birth was stressful, and it was long. Fortunately, both lambs seem to be doing fine

Tiny Neptune is now 3 days old. She's doing really well & Lisa is attentive & patient. They've now moved from a small area with shelter & lush grazing to the lambing fields Showing her size, Lisa & Neptune with Louise & Noah, 6 days older than Neptune. Both have father S.Atlas

Just like that, lambing is over at Burnside. Lucy had her first lamb about 7.30 this evening, hiding behind the old hen house windbreak. All seems well. I'm behind on posting photos.....which I will catch up on..... but all fine and tiny little Neptune is doing really well

Also seen at the 5am check this morning was Hannah with 1 of her twins. The 2nd followed very quickly - too quick to video! Here they both are a few minutes after that. Father of this pair is Atlas

Experienced ewe Friddy, age 8, had her twins not long before my 5am check this morning. All looking good. She's passed her placenta and eaten it. The darker lamb is interesting since Friddy's fleece is such a light colour and has not darkened with age. The father is George who is a darker ram.

Calling Curlews at sunrise in Orkney

Good to see recognition in The Guardian that the right density of sheep in the right places & managed in the right way is a key factor in increasing biodiversity www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Marianna's little flock lives as part of the Burnside flock. Her ewe Kornelie had a lovely healthy lamb about an hour ago. Here the lamb, possibly a female from what I can see, is mastering the art of feeding

In the soft, misty, pre-sunrise light a young ewe found snuggled in the rushes with her first lamb. This is Leah, one of Cara's line. George is the lambs father.

Louise has recovered really well from lambing the 'chunk', and he's already at the bouncing stage. Both are now in the ewe & lamb field. Lamb (he'll be named when daughter comes up to help with lambing in a few days) is feeding well and his poo is already showing colostrum yellow.

Update from Lochend in Shapinsay "Well Lochend Fiona would like to introduce you to her beautiful boy girl twins, she was scanned as a single!! and despite being a first timer she seems to be on the ball and doing just fine... so just like that lambing 2025 is all wrapped up."

One of each twins for 8 year old Frisky in Westray

At Burnside Young S.Louise gave birth to a big chunky ram lamb before dawn this morning. Sexing was easy without picking up the lamb - you can see him peeing towards the end of the video!

In the pre-sunrise Orkney light (05.30), a cold brisk wind doesn't stop the curlews calling

More lambs born at Lochend in Shapinsay This is Settisgarth Amelia with her twin boys. Amelia was born at Burnside in 2018, parents Adrian and Cleo. Her gorgeous dark fleece comes from Cleo.

While mum Kate looks for twin 1, who is sleeping soundly in the long grass and totally ignoring Kate's calls, twin 2 practices bouncing

Burnside update A much better video of Akari with her new ewe lamb. Akari is not the most trusting of sheep so she is shepherding her new lamb well away from me!

Kate had twins this morning~7.30am Video shows them at 5 hours old. She is such an exceptional mother. Full awareness that she has 2 lambs and making every effort to keep track of them both to an extent not seen in all ewes having twins for the first time Videos of the twins being born to follow

One advantage of standing quietly in the lambing field for a long time is that lots of birds can be seen. Here a pair of Wheatears (I think!) & a short-eared owl

At last a second lamb born at Burnside, to D.Akari. Found at first light (05.15) Father S.George, but the lamb has the typical colouring of his great great grandfather S.Adrian

The Boreray flock at Balaclava in Westray, which has a number of different breeds, has now started lambing with Lochend Duna producing a gorgeous pair of male/female twin lambs

More lambs born at Lochend, Shapinsay "There are some moments that just take your breath away. Lochend Belinda had boy girl twins at a little after 4.10 this afternoon and was happy to share them with me for a minute. (11 is the girl, 10 the boy)"

From Burnside Still waiting on next 3 ewes to lamb, so in the meantime a short video of Nora in her favourite spot to lie while mum and the first group of pregnant ewes get a treat feed. It's a good indication of a ewe lambing in the next few hours if they don't come to get their little treat.

So young Nora goes for a little chat with Lisa but protective mum Libby spots the interaction & rushes over to intervene. Lisa is a lovely ewe so Libby could have left them :( Nora dutifully runs away into the rushes with Libby, but gets to enjoy a feed at the end - spot the wriggling black tail

Shapinsay update "From a baltic and blustery Orkney... Lochend Elvira would like to introduce you to her boy girl twins... she stayed close as we checked them out... she was wanting to tuck them back into the sheltered hollow in the marsh grass she had chosen for her and them. This is not zoomed in"

It's all happening in Shapinsay! News from Lochend flock: "This morning Lochend Doris presented us with these beautiful dark girl boy twins"

Final check on the lambing flock for the night. Libby's ewe lamb nicely tucked up for the night. Libby is not impressed I've dared to approach her lamb!

I found this magnificent chap in the polycrub, where I assume the eggs overwintered. He's around 3-4cm long. Enjoyed browsing apple tree leaves yesterday & moved onto mint today. I thought it looked like Garden Tiger Moth but woodland trust website says can be seen from August, not April

A better view of Libby's new lamb and good signs it's feeding well. I 'think' it's a female but I'll not be trying to get close enough to check properly for a couple of days at least.

News from Shapinsay "A lovely surprise at Courthall, Shapinsay today. Ivy who scanned as having a single lamb gave birth to twins! I think Ivy might have her hooves full with these two - full of bounce, energy and the joys of spring right from the get go."

Lambing has started at Burnside. Extremely protective new mum Libby finally bought her lamb out of the rushes where she gave birth so I could see it. Good to see it feeding - a bit under 4 hrs old. Ideally lambs need a belly full of antibody-rich colostrum within 6 hrs Libby has eaten her placenta

A productive day yesterday at Courthall flock in Shapinsay Iona produced a lovely pair of twins, followed quickly by Imogen having her single lamb. One of Iona's twins has a lovely minky brown coloured splosh on the right side of her neck. Update today is that all mums & lambs are doing very well

A couple of days ago Lochend in Shapinsay had their second lambing. A lovely ewe lamb to first time mum L.Faith

They use goats to clear the grass and weeds that cover the cobblestone roads of Paris-Roubaix, the most famous one-day bicycle race in the world. Stay tuned for Sunday, 13 April 2025.