Latest news with #Orcadian
The Courier
31-05-2025
- The Courier
Angus pensioner went on Orkney knitwear shoplifting spree
An Angus pensioner went on a summer shoplifting spree in Orkney. Allison Anne Marnie has been ordered by a sheriff to pay more than £1,300 to compensate the losses suffered by four craft and gilt stores. The 67-year-old had travelled with her husband and were staying in an AirBnB when she carried out the thefts. Marnie was sentenced at Kirkwall Sheriff Court earlier this month, having previously pled guilty by letter to thefts of knitwear from four outlets. The court heard she had later sought to sell some of her haul on eBay. She took goods totalling nearly £1500 from Starlings gift shop and Judith Glue's store in Kirkwall, on July 7, and from Orkney Souvenirs in Kirkwall and The Quernstone in Stromness, on July 12. Sheriff Robert McDonald had continued the case for a background report and to establish the extent of the losses incurred by the businesses. Procurator fiscal Sue Foard said none of the traders had made an insurance claim due to the high excesses they would have had to have paid. While many of the items had been recovered undamaged, she said by the time they were returned, they were viewed as old stock and out of season, meaning they could not be sold at the original price. The knitwear included cardigans, scarves, mittens, gloves and socks. Defence solicitor Fiona MacDonald said Marnie suffered from adverse mental health which had been exacerbated by the death of a close family member and believes she had 'some form of breakdown.' The accused had accepted responsibility at the earliest opportunity and was willing to recompense the retailers, she said. The Orcadian newspaper reported shop owners were unhappy with the result of the case. One, Fiona Mitchell of Castaway Crafts, said she had first reported the stealing spree after noticing goods on eBay. A not guilty charge to stealing from her store was accepted by prosecutors so she is not included in those receiving compensation. Judith Glue said she had expected a punishment element from the court, as well as the repayment order. Marnie admitted an analogous recent offence in Edinburgh. Her attendance at the hearing was excused. Sheriff McDonald said in fixing compensation orders, he took into account the items recovered would be heavily marked down when put on sale again. He set the figures at £250 for Starlings, £550 for Judith Glue's, £300 for Orkney Souvenirs and £240 for The Quernstone. Marnie, of Dishlandtown Street, Arbroath, was ordered to pay at £100 per month.
Press and Journal
25-04-2025
- Climate
- Press and Journal
How hot will your area be? Expected temperatures ahead of next week's 'mini-heatwave'
A 'mini-heatwave' could hit parts of the north-east,Highlands and islands next week according to the Met Office. Parts of the region will reach highs of 21C by the middle of next week, as summer-like weather arrives the week May begins. The warm weather will be due to high pressure sitting to the east of the UK and low pressure to the west, meaning that heat will come in from mainland Europe. This weekend, however, temperatures will stay cooler and more unsettled across the region, with it getting warmer when the new week begins on Monday, with temperatures rising day by day. Wednesday and Thursday will see Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands and islands experience the warmest temperatures, although the Met Office said none will 'likely threaten' Scotland's all-time April temperature record. This was set on April 17, 2003, when it hit 27.2C at Inverailort in the Highlands. With the warm weather expected next week to be above average for an April, it will not officially be considered a heatwave, as it would need to be this for at least three consecutive days or above the 'heatwave threshold', which varies by area. Here is the highest temperature some towns and cities across the north-east and Highlands and islands are expected to experience next week: The Granite City is predicted to hit highs of 18C on Monday, April 28. Elgin could reach temperatures as warm as 17C on Wednesday, April 30. The Highland capital is expected to be as warm as 20C on Wednesday, April 30. The Aberdeenshire town is expected to see temperatures reach highs of 21C on Wednesday, April 30, as well as 20C on Monday, April 28 and 19C on Tuesday, April 29. The Orcadian capital could hit highs of 14C on Wednesday, April 30, with a sunny day forecast. Lerwick will only reach highs of 12C on Wednesday, April 30. The Argyll town is expected to see high temperatures of 19C on both Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30. The Blue Toon could only reach highs of 13C next week, on Monday, April 28, Wednesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 1 respectively. 16C could be the highest temperature in Stonehaven next week. It's expected to reach that on both Monday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 30. On Tuesday, April 29 and the following day, Stornoway is expected to hit 17C, although the former will be more overcast. 16C could be Wick's highest temperature next week, with it predicted to hit this on Wednesday, April 30. A Met Office spokesman told The Press and Journal: 'Wednesday is expected to be the peak of the heat, when temperatures in Scotland could reach 25C, with the low 20s being perhaps more widespread. 'Compared with last April we will see higher values.'
STV News
21-04-2025
- General
- STV News
Orkney's curlew population back on the rise as charity removes invasive species
The Orcadian curlew population is on the rise following an effort to reduce the numbers of an invasive predator, experts have said. In a report, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said on Monday that the species population has grown, after an initiative to reduce the number of stoats living on the islands came into force. Stoats are small, carnivorous mammals that were first recorded in Orkney in 2010. A 2017-2019 survey of wading birds in Orkney revealed that the number of curlews in the isles had declined by more than 50% when compared with the previous survey recorded from 2006-2010. The Orkney Native Wildlife Project began removing stoats in 2019 and the latest survey, which covered 100 sites and recorded pairs of wading birds per square kilometre, showed a modest recovery since the low in 2019 from 12 to 14.5 pairs per square kilometre. This marks a 21% increase – a stark contrast to mainland Scotland's population, where curlew populations have decreased by 13% between 2012 and 2022, and a wider UK-wide decline of around 50% since 1995. The RSPB says the latest figures from Orkney mark a significant success for conservationists, despite the overall drop in curlew population. The wildlife charity says more than 7,000 stoats have been removed from the Orkney isles in recent years, which has been integral to restoring the number of native curlews. It also said chick survival rates have increased since 2019. The RSPB says ongoing high nest success would help make these species more resilient to all factors affecting them, such as poor chick survival because of bad weather as was seen in 2024. They are a promising sign of future successes and recovery as each year's chicks reach maturity and begin raising their own young in future years. Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said: 'It is fantastic to see that the hard work of the project team and many volunteers is starting to restore a positive future for vulnerable species in Orkney. 'This is the first major population survey for waders since work started to remove stoats from Orkney and the signs are really promising, as we see declines for curlew reversed. 'Archipelagos like Orkney are always a delicate balance, with native predators, disease, bad weather and many other factors that influence the survival of our wildlife, but these are largely things that our wildlife has adapted to. 'Removing the invasive stoats from the islands is essential to giving Orkney's wildlife the best chance to build the resilience it needs to meet these threats. 'There is still work to do to see numbers return to before stoats were first recorded, but results like this show the difference we are making.' STV News is now on WhatsApp Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
The Independent
20-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Orkney's curlew population back on the rise as charity removes invasive species
The Orcadian curlew population is on the rise following an effort to reduce the numbers of an invasive predator, experts have said. In a report, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said on Monday that the species population has grown, after an initiative to reduce the number of stoats living on the islands came into force. Stoats are small, carnivorous mammals that were first recorded in Orkney in 2010. A 2017-2019 survey of wading birds in Orkney revealed that the number of curlews in the isles had declined by more than 50% when compared with the previous survey recorded from 2006-2010. The Orkney Native Wildlife Project began removing stoats in 2019 and the latest survey, which covered 100 sites and recorded pairs of wading birds per square kilometre, showed a modest recovery since the low in 2019 from 12 to 14.5 pairs per square kilometre. This marks a 21% increase – a stark contrast to mainland Scotland's population, where curlew populations have decreased by 13% between 2012 and 2022, and a wider UK-wide decline of around 50% since 1995. The RSPB says the latest figures from Orkney mark a significant success for conservationists, despite the overall drop in curlew population. The wildlife charity says more than 7,000 stoats have been removed from the Orkney isles in recent years, which has been integral to restoring the number of native curlews. It also said chick survival rates have increased since 2019. The RSPB says ongoing high nest success would help make these species more resilient to all factors affecting them, such as poor chick survival because of bad weather as was seen in 2024. They are a promising sign of future successes and recovery as each year's chicks reach maturity and begin raising their own young in future years. Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said: 'It is fantastic to see that the hard work of the project team and many volunteers is starting to restore a positive future for vulnerable species in Orkney. 'This is the first major population survey for waders since work started to remove stoats from Orkney and the signs are really promising, as we see declines for curlew reversed. 'Archipelagos like Orkney are always a delicate balance, with native predators, disease, bad weather and many other factors that influence the survival of our wildlife, but these are largely things that our wildlife has adapted to. 'Removing the invasive stoats from the islands is essential to giving Orkney's wildlife the best chance to build the resilience it needs to meet these threats. 'There is still work to do to see numbers return to before stoats were first recorded, but results like this show the difference we are making.'
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Orkney's curlew population back on the rise as charity removes invasive species
The Orcadian curlew population is on the rise following an effort to reduce the numbers of an invasive predator, experts have said. In a report, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said on Monday that the species population has grown, after an initiative to reduce the number of stoats living on the islands came into force. Stoats are small, carnivorous mammals that were first recorded in Orkney in 2010. A 2017-2019 survey of wading birds in Orkney revealed that the number of curlews in the isles had declined by more than 50% when compared with the previous survey recorded from 2006-2010. The Orkney Native Wildlife Project began removing stoats in 2019 and the latest survey, which covered 100 sites and recorded pairs of wading birds per square kilometre, showed a modest recovery since the low in 2019 from 12 to 14.5 pairs per square kilometre. This marks a 21% increase – a stark contrast to mainland Scotland's population, where curlew populations have decreased by 13% between 2012 and 2022, and a wider UK-wide decline of around 50% since 1995. The RSPB says the latest figures from Orkney mark a significant success for conservationists, despite the overall drop in curlew population. The wildlife charity says more than 7,000 stoats have been removed from the Orkney isles in recent years, which has been integral to restoring the number of native curlews. It also said chick survival rates have increased since 2019. The RSPB says ongoing high nest success would help make these species more resilient to all factors affecting them, such as poor chick survival because of bad weather as was seen in 2024. They are a promising sign of future successes and recovery as each year's chicks reach maturity and begin raising their own young in future years. Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said: 'It is fantastic to see that the hard work of the project team and many volunteers is starting to restore a positive future for vulnerable species in Orkney. 'This is the first major population survey for waders since work started to remove stoats from Orkney and the signs are really promising, as we see declines for curlew reversed. 'Archipelagos like Orkney are always a delicate balance, with native predators, disease, bad weather and many other factors that influence the survival of our wildlife, but these are largely things that our wildlife has adapted to. 'Removing the invasive stoats from the islands is essential to giving Orkney's wildlife the best chance to build the resilience it needs to meet these threats. 'There is still work to do to see numbers return to before stoats were first recorded, but results like this show the difference we are making.' For more information about the project, visit:
