Orkney Museum has an assortment of stone balls in its cabinets. They’re from the Neolithic and our ancestors kept them and prized them. Many have ornate carvings, with knobbles and concentric circles on them. Others are plain. I wonder whether they were for throwing? Since more modern humans evolved two …
There’s a whale corpse in the car park at Taftend. It takes up the space a car would, or even a little …
Once there were purple flowers here with protruding yellow stamens. Now there are berries: It’s Bittersweet, also known as Woody Nightshade, Solanum …
They’re an unearthly yellow colour. They sprout at the bases of decaying trees. They grow in tufts and tight bundles. They are …
I’ve been suspicious about the truth of what I’m taught ever since I was a child. At primary school I learned all …
I had an enjoyable time flying a drone this summer. I only set it up a few times, as I had to …
One of the exciting finds at Killerton on our fungus foray with the Devon Fungus Group is a Parasol Mushroom. Our leader …
Killerton is one of my favourite National Trust places in Devon. It’s one of the ones which was sold to the National …
Gabriel and I are visiting the deepest gorge in the South West at Lydford, owned by the National Trust. We’re walking along …
We’re in Wistman’s Wood when I spot a familiar sight. It’s a Beefsteak Fungus, Fistulina hepatica. It’s only small and I’m not …
My son Gabriel’s coming to visit for the weekend. He’s bringing his camera and wants to have a few trips out. We …
I’ve wanted to take a decent photograph of Noltland Castle ever since I first saw it, as I struggled up the hill …
I love the hay and silage fields on Westray. From above they look just like corduroy, with their parallel cords of cut …
There are several large lochs on Westray. Naturally they’re in depressions in the landscape. The Loch of Burness is in a natural …
I’m currently reading the third volume of the Ladybird Book of British Birds and their nests from the 1950s. Times have changed: …
It’s all about perspective. Looking at familiar scenes from a different place always makes you think more deeply about them. Similarly, seeing …
Grobust is one of my favourite beaches on Westray. Can you see the bodyboarders with their bright boards? I love the slightly …
10 ways you know you’re in Orkney Orkney is a very special place. What makes it so special? Here are ten ways …
It was both sad and entertaining to see that BBC Bitsize, the BBC’s resource for school children, had a list of the …
I’m currently reading the third volume of the Ladybird Book of British Birds and their nests from the 1950s. Times have changed: …
I spot a House Martin, Delichon urbicum, on the cliffs at the Castle o’ Burrian. That’s nice. Then I spot another one. …
I love the Westray Regatta. I don’t understand which boats are which. I don’t know the rules. I don’t know where they …
There’s a spot on Westray where a buried ruin of a house is being lost to the sea. Whenever there’s a storm …
Amazingly, there are limbs inside the fat-suit which seals wear. You would, however, be forgiven for thinking otherwise: This one is delicately …
We’re watching the Gannets at Noup Head when the Puffin Whisperer gets very excited. She’s seen one with an egg. The adult …
It’s rare to see a puffling, as young Puffins are called. They’re usually hidden in their rock or earth burrows, safe from …
Noup Head lighthouse isn’t visible until we’re almost on top of it. There’s dew on the grass and on the purple flowers …
There’s a Skeldro, Chaldro or Shaalder, as the Oystercatcher is known in Orkney, in the air. It’s giving me what can only be …
There’s a marked difference in the size of fish which Puffins bring to their burrows. I’m sure that they were bringing smaller …
We are at Noup Head watching the birds fly by. We get a close pass from a Great Black-Backed Gull. Aren’t they …