Mice nibble #15
When arriving back at Einar I go through the same routine. It involves turning the electricity on: That wiring looks safe, doesn’t …
Peace to you
Orkney’s Italian Chapel is a jewel, a relic, a prayer and a tiny beacon of hope. It’s also a spectacular work of …
St George at the Italian Chapel
There’s time for us to visit the Italian Chapel on Orkney’s tiny Lamb Holm island. It’s connected to other islands and the …
Pipping Pipits
Meadow Pipits are very common birds of farmland. It’s the most common songbird in upland Britain. They thrive in Orkney. They fly …
To bee or not to bee
There’s a bumble bee on this thistle. At least I think it’s a bee. Then I see its eyes. Its eyes are …
Once a decade, the Thistle Butterfly
The UK is full of butterflies at the moment. It’s a once in a decade phenomenon. Have you seen one? They are …
Prickly problem
We’re sitting in a thistle patch in Orkney. Luckily they are relatively sparse. We have company: There’s a juvenile Goldfinch exploring the …
Technology
Arriving in Orkney by ferry is a great experience. We’ve got a day on the Mainland before heading to Westray on yet …
A poisonous debate
Ragwort. It’s a beautiful yellow-flowered plant which flowers profusely in summer and is food for a myriad of wonderful creatures. Just look …
A new Goldfinch generation
There’s an adult Goldfinch twittering and chattering loudly from the top of one of the Oak trees at Boys Hall Moat. The …
Bempton birds – Gannets displaying
When two Gannets fall in love, they like to let each other know about it: I like the final one. Don’t you?
Tree Sparrows on the edge
I’ve only ever seen Tree Sparrows before at Tree Sparrow Farm. That’s a sign, isn’t it? If the place is named after …
Bempton birds – when you know you’re being watched
Many birds are perfect parcels of protein. There are plenty of predatory species which would treat them as a tasty snack. This …
Bempton birds – Cousin Puffin and the Ancestral Auk
Non-scientists often think the mysteries of the living world have been solved. Nothing could be further from the truth. There’s plenty of …
Bempton birds – eyelids
Blinking birds. Gannets are everywhere at Bempton Cliffs. I’m hoping to get a good look at their eyes. Gannets’ eyes are special. …
Bempton birds – the miracle of flight
The power of flight still astonishes me. If only I could be up there with the birds at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. The …
Bempton birds – coming in to land
Landing makes flying seem easy: I love the way this Guillemot is dangling its feet, like two paddles, to provide enough drag: …
Bempton birds – staring at the sky
Gannets look astonishingly alien, don’t they? They’re not inhabitants of this world. When they display to one another they point directly at …
Bempton birds – nesting materials
A Kittiwake flies past with some grass in its beak. It looks like its nest needs reinforcements: They sometimes carry so much …
Bempton birds – violence and aggression
It’s not all mutual preening and sweetness and light at Bempton Cliffs. It’s a difficult life, perched on a ledge surrounded by …
Bempton birds – Gannets, Gannets, everywhere
Try going to Bempton and getting a photograph without a Gannet in it. Try it. Go on. Here’s a Puffin in flight; …
Bempton birds – eggs and chicks galore
There are hundreds of thousands of seabirds here at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. I particularly love the Kittiwakes. They’re such delicate, elegant gulls, …
Bempton birds – pecking and preening
It must be very frustrating to be a bird with an itch. Despite having extremely flexible necks and long-jointed feet and legs …
One leaf or two?
Look at any seed of a flowering plant and there’s a major feature you may never have realised is there. You can …
Thistle is the life
There are thistles everywhere here in Parco della Caffarella in Rome. They are very architectural against the flowing meadows of buttercups beneath: …
Little Egret
Walking around the park I see a Little Egret take flight: The Italian name for the Little Egret is Garzetta. That’s quite …
A field full of bees
I’m in a field in a park in Rome. It’s annoying that I can hear a busy road nearby. Then I realise …
Look up!
Looking straight ahead only ever gives you one view of life. It’s always a good idea to look sideways at your life …
The Hooded Crow and the Moon in Blue
As we walk down a sloping meadow we see a Hooded Crow. It’s one of my favourite birds. They are full of …
Swallows, Swifts and House Martins
There are two Barn Swallows resting in the tree up ahead. That’s good. I’d like to photograph them and they’ve been flying …