Air Traffic Control
The RSPB say that Gannets are: “…distinctively shaped with a long neck and long pointed beak, long pointed tail, and long pointed …
the natural history of Westray
The RSPB say that Gannets are: “…distinctively shaped with a long neck and long pointed beak, long pointed tail, and long pointed …
I normally only see Great Skuas from behind as they disappear along the cliffs. They have a wonderful habit of cruising up …
I’m walking along the coast of Westray in Orkney when I spot a Black Guillemot come in to land from a fishing …
I’d love to tell you all about my evening at the RSPB reserve at Noup Head on Westray but all you need …
The three male Two-Barred Crossbills we saw on Westray created quite a stir. Rare Crossbills on the Links The next day we …
The weather is dramatic and so are the Kittiwakes calling below: They are such refined and elegant birds. Their families are growing …
Rescuing a thirsty Hedgehog from the road and having a heartmelting few minutes as we give it a much needed drink.Filmed on …
Our first trip out to see the Razorbills, Alca torda, is a success: we can see them: There’s even a brief chance …
Noup Head is an exciting place to be when the Gannets are flying: They are massive: When the weather conditions are just …
I’m sitting on the cliffs of Westray on a beautiful day. I’m wearing full camouflage. I’ve been taking photographs of birds as …
Black Guillemots are stunning birds in their summer breeding plumage. Here on Westray they nest on the cliffs and crags, with eggs …
There’s a Rock Pipit on the cliffs on Westray: It’s incredibly well camouflaged visually: I say visually, because it just won’t be …
I’ve opened a photographic studio here on Westray. No, not for people, but for Puffins. I have a range of natural backdrops, …
Kittiwakes are the most beautiful and delicate of the gulls. Their yellow beaks, black legs, dark eyes and plaintive call are so …
Great Black Backed Gulls are gulls, yet on an epic scale. Seeing one coming towards you is quite a sight: That’s some …
Seeing an Arctic Skua is like witnessing a mythical bird come to life. If they didn’t exist they would have to have …
There are Linnets on the tops of the wind-burnt Sycamore trees in my garden: They love being up high on bare, exposed …
“I seen a peanut stand, heard a rubber band I seen a needle that winked its eye But I be done seen …
The wild North Sea coast of Westray in Orkney is not for the feint hearted on a blustery day. There are Fulmars …
I get the word that there’s a rare bird on the Island. In fact there are three of them; they are Two-Barred …
On the table in the Groatie Buckies cafe on Westray, run by Stewart and Marian Groat, is a jar of Groatie Buckies. …
In Pierowall on Westray in Orkney, the seals haul themselves up onto the rocks in the Bay. They lie scattered like the …
It’s over forty years since I first saw Oystercatchers and noted it down in my nature notebooks: I was probably on a …
The Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis. This magnificent bird was made extinct by humans in the 1850s. Were all those feather pillows worth their death?
I suspect this Limpet has been experimenting with a new hairstyle. That green hair must be quite high maintenance, because the waves …
Looking back at my photographs from 2017 I come across some which I haven’t posted. They are Razorbills. They nest along the …
Looking back at my photographs from Westray in 2017 I’m struck by this beautiful Bridled Guillemot. It’s a Guillemot, Uria aalge, but …
Walking the coast of Westray I can see a yellow plastic wheel floating in the sea among the seaweed and flotsam and …
2017 was a wonderful year for wildlife experiences in Orkney. In July the seabird city at Noup Head was a whirling, wheeling …
Biting Stonecrop is a wonderful plant. It grows on the stone walls at Einar, creeping along the stone with small succulent leaves …