Juvenile Puffin flypast
I’ve taken a few thousand photographs of Puffins flying past me in the past few days. Most of them have fish in …
Twinkle twinkle little Puffin
Evenings are special when the sun sets slowly over the North Sea. Puffins gather in huge floats in the bay and fly …
The Black Guillemots of Aikerness
I’ve had a few trips recently to the far north of Westray. It’s a great place to go as it’s too far …
Outbuilding Sparrows
There’s a male House Sparrow chirping insistently on a bare patch of ground. He’s fluffed up his belly and is enjoying the …
Leave only footprints
They say ‘Take only photographs, leave only footprints’. The Dunlin wading in the mud in the pools at the north end of …
Red-Throated Diver
I had a message that there was a Red-Throated Diver, Gavia stellata, in one of Westray’s many bays a few days ago. …
The Arctic Skua family
The Arctic Skuas on the Westside have a chick. It appears to be bigger than they are. It’s easy to see the …
Ground-nesting Sandy Laverock
There’s a Ringed Plover nest here, next to the footpath, near the coast: I can tell that because, as I walk past, …
Oystercatchers in buttercups and bill-tip clines
Eurasian Oystercatchers are loud in volume and loud in plumage. There are no words for skulking, camouflage or whisper in the Oystercatcher’s …
Gannetry
There’s a Northern Gannet colony at Noup Head on Westray. Whenever there’s a breeze in the right direction the Gannets appear at …
Sunset through the haar
It’s easy to forget the time when you’re immersed in nature. When the light is this orange, though, you know it must …
Fish!
I’ve spent several days recently photographing Atlantic Puffins with fish. It’s for a wonderful creative project I’m involved with. More about that …
A minute and counting
Common Guillemots are free-diving pursuit divers. Their diet is fish, and the fish which are alive in today’s ocean are the descendants …
We’re going on a Puffin hunt
Arctic Skuas are one of my favourite birds. They do, however, hunt Puffins to rob them of their fish. I’ve previously photographed …
Fat Puffling with fish incoming
How fat must this Puffin’s Puffling be? We’ve been sitting half way down a cliff for the past three hours and a …
Heads or tails?
“Heads or tails?” “Heads.” “Sorry, it’s tails.” When you see an Atlantic Puffin arriving with a beak full of sand eels the …
Bridled Common Guillemots
There are Common Guillemots, Uria aalge, flying in front of the cliffs at Noup Head on Westray. It’s a breezy day and the …
Another reason to love Dunters
Dunter is the Orcadian name for the Common Eider Duck. I find it hard to believe that Eider Ducks are still extant. …
Flypast
I’m sat on the cliffs of Westray in pleasant light. It’s the middle of summer and it’s finally made it to 16 …
The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #40
After the City – Bird in the Belly
The scolders are at it again
You may be the great Baakie, Lord of All He Surveys, largest gull in the entire world, but you’re still going to …
Let me introduce the band…
Great! The backing singers have arrived. Now let me introduce you to the star of the show: Razorbills are such great entertainers. …
Waves
I love a breezy day on Westray. The waves fascinate me. Watching them roll and seeing a small tunnel appear within them, …
A Red-Necked Phalarope drops in
I see it from a distance initially. It’s always best to be lying on the ground in complete camouflage-pattern waterproofs with high …
Black Guillemot and fish
There are 19,000 pairs of Black Guillemot in the UK. I’m enjoying the company of the ones which breed off the coast …
Pickieterno over the rainbow
I’m out taking photographs of the female Grey Phalarope. Yes, this one: I did come here to take photographs of Dunlin, which …
Dunlin
Yesterday I wrote about my experience looking for Dunlin. I did see them, but my trip was hijacked by one of the …
Give ’em enough Phalarope
It’s another day on Westray and another chance to walk the cliffs and paths of the island. I’ve got the usual camera …
Whaup in Buttercups
Whaup is the Orcadian name for the Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata. Here’s one flying above the Buttercups in Westray: They’re severely threatened …
Scolder
Eurasian Oystercatchers have no fear. They’re happy to make the lives of any other bird, or even human, a misery with their …