Patterns in the sand
There are billions of tiny almost indistinguishable grains of sand yet together they can make the most wonderful patterns. We are all …
Black Headed Gull – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago as a boy I was happy keeping my nature notebooks. On holiday in Wales I saw a Black Headed …
Mushrooms in the field
There’s something otherworldly about mushrooms. They’re more closely related to animals than they are to plants. A very different kind of life …
Song Thrush – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was a small child on a mission – to see wildlife and to feel the joy of observing …
Alive
The fact that I’m alive is so incredibly unlikely. To be here now, to witness the Earth turning around the Sun, is a privilege.
The bit in-between
Winter days on Westray are very much like the short flight between Westray and Papa Westray. The flight is the shortest scheduled …
Stormy sunset on Westray
Walking down to Grobust beach from the tiny car park I’m suddenly aware of how dramatic the sky has become. There’s such …
The worms of Woo
Lugworm casts litter the beach at the Sands of Woo on Westray.
The Late Swallow – a poem by Edwin Muir
Orcadian poet Edwin Muir is a favourite of mine. As I watched the Swallows at Einar I remembered his wonderful poem The …
Chaffinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Male chaffinches are such beautiful birds, and I’m not the only one who thinks so; female Chaffinches agree with me. In fact, …
‘The refugees born for a land unknown’ – a poem by Edwin Muir
‘I have fled through land and sea, blank land and sea,
Because my house is besieged by murderers
And I was wrecked in the ocean, crushed and swept,
Spilling salt angry tears on the salt waves,
Coal Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I’m a man on a mission. I’ve recently rediscovered my old nature notebooks from when I was a child and I’m on …
Robins – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
As a twelve year old boy, seeing any wild bird was a thrill. Seeing a Robin was a particularly special occasion, especially …
Woodpigeon – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was very excited to see a fat Woodpigeon and record it in my childhood nature notebooks. I was …
Blue Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was a 12 year old boy heading off into the woods with the intention of finding wildlife. I …
Jay – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Jays always seem like exotic birds to me. They’re pink! They have a crest! They have blue and black feathers! They look …
Great Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was busy compiling my nature notebooks. I was twelve years old when I started them and was very …
