Too much for dinner
The seals on Westray always look in such good condition when I see them: I’m hoping that’s because the seas are clean …
Trouble With Lichen
There’s lichen everywhere on Westray. It shows how clean the air is here, how salt-tolerant lichen is and also how difficult it …
Green Shore Crab
Have you ever noticed that crabs have their head inside their body? That can feel a little weird if you think about …
The linguistic displacement of Ravens
There’s a Raven’s nest in this ruinous building on Westray:
Ravens are special because, just like humans, they display linguistic displacement; they can communicate using language about objects far away in space or time.
That’s what I’m doing now, with you.
Swallowing a flatfish
This gull is about to swallow this flatfish whole: I’m not sure I can watch.
Vanessa through the ages
This summer I saw a Red Admiral butterfly in high winds feeding on Westray in Orkney: The scientific name of the Red …
The last call of the wilderness
Curlews are a familiar site on Westray. Their distinctive ‘Whaup whaup’ can seem very eerie when it echoes around the Island. The …
Going over the top; walking the coast of Westray
Westray is full of Neolithic, Iron Age and Bronze Age middens; rubbish dumps full of wonderful finds. If you live on a …
Sniff my fingers
Grey seals are very distinctive. This one was hauled out at Broughton in Pierowall. They have that famous Roman nose: I first …
Domestic
Puffins live so close together that there are frequent small territorial acknowledgements and disputes. They also pair for life so there are …
House proud
This Puffin was sitting outside its burrow in the soil at the top of the cliff last summer. Its mate was inside …
Puffin portraits
Puffins have a wide variety of poses which humans find appealing. We can easily imagine them as having human characteristics, or anthropomorphise …
When language is lacking
I’m on the deck of the Northlink ferry from mainland Scotland to Mainland Orkney when I see a black fin in the …
Wheatears – nothing to do with wheat, ears or even ears of wheat
The name Wheatear sounds so romantic, so descriptive and so elegant. Wheatear. In fact the name is a polite form of its …
Mr Punch
It’s Mr Punch on the rocks on Westray.
The magic of a Merlin
At the very north of Westray the coast is exposed. In the far distance I can see a falcon. It’s so far …
Twite
There are small brown birds on the lichen-covered rocks on the coast of Westray. It takes me a while to identify them. …
Redshanks
Redshanks must be one of the most annoying birds for British birdwatchers. They are beautiful, active, entertaining to watch and have great …
Puffins on the rocks
It’s good to enjoy the Puffins while we can. They are critically endangered. They are ‘red listed’ which means they are at …
Compass Jellyfish
I’ve been very lucky with jellyfish this summer on Westray. The jellyfish haven’t been quite so lucky. This looks like a Compass …
The Fulmar Triathlon
Fulmars are one of my favourite birds. All animals have some sort of compromise in their bodies because of the range of …
Sea Rocket
Sea Rocket covers the top of many beaches on Westray. Cakile maritima has either white or a pinky-lilac shade of flowers. It …
Bright-line Brown-eye Moth caterpillar
There’s a green caterpillar on the sand of The Ouse. It’s got a bright yellow line along its side and tiny black …
Sand Martins
The Sand Martins are teetering on the edge of leaving Westray now. Their chicks must be fully grown and there are only …
Gertrude Tanglewing
It’s been a very blustery day, it’s nearly dark and I’m just settling down for the evening when there’s an urgent message …
Vanellus vanellus – so good they named it twice
The scientific name for the Lapwing is Vanellus vanellus. It means fan. Well, it means Fan fan if you’re being strictly accurate. …
Tangled roots
Grass looks so unremarkable and is so ever-present in Orkney that it takes something special to shock me into considering it from …
Greylag Geese
Greylag Geese are all over Westray at the moment because the farmers have created the perfect habitat for them: acres and acres of fresh green grass. It must be like waking up and seeing delicious breakfast as far as your eyes can see.
I’m Shy!
The critically endangered Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula arctica. Climate change leading to lack of Sand Eels and marine pollution are the likely causes …
Sanderling in the mud
Sanderling. It sounds like it could be a verb as well as a noun. If it’s a verb, then these Sanderlings are …