Snipe – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I drew a Snipe. I was 13 years old and probably copied it out of a book I borrowed …
Lone tree
It was foggy.
Lapwings – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
As a child I remember seeing upwards of 500 Lapwings in a field on many occasions. I remember the ‘pee-wit’ sound they …
It’s getting late at the Bay of Tafts
I love sunsets at the Bay of Tafts. The sun is getting lower and there’s a warm glow in the sky.
Once the roof goes…
Once the roof goes, the walls are sure to follow.
Chocolate Headed Freshwater Gull
I remember reading as a small child that Black Headed Gulls don’t have black heads; they’re chocolate brown, and only that colour …
Seaweed on the shore
All it needs is a little rough weather and the beach at Grobust is filled with beautiful seaweed.
Greenfinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s forty years since I started my nature notebooks. I was twelve years old and lived in a tiny terrace in Oldham. …
Turnstone procession
This seal is having a snooze in Pierowall as Turnstones parade across the wet rocky shore. It doesn’t look as interested as …
The Brough of Birsay from the air
One end of the Brough of Birsay in Orkney is very different from the other.
The eyes have it
Visiting Westray as a tourist, one thing must strike you; You’re on holiday on someone’s farm. There are beautiful beef steers everywhere. …
House Sparrow – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I grew up in a tiny two-bedroom terraced house in Oldham. There, any bird in the back yard was a delight. Sparrows …
Kestrel – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I can see a male Kestrel in the treetops as the sun sets near Liddington Castle. It’s forty years since I saw …
Frankie Howerd Calls
Hearing an Eider Duck call is something you won’t forget. It’s hard to describe to someone without the same cultural references. It’s …
Water Rail
Water Rails are such skulking birds. They seem so shy and secretive. In fact I’d never seen one until today when I …
Rock rings like tree rings
Orkney used to be a lake. Most of its rocks are from the mud at the bottom of that lake or from …
Camouflage
I found a shore crab on a Westray beach and then I lost it again.
Wren – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
When I was twelve years old I drew this Wren: Now it’s forty years later and I’m fifty-two years old and I …
Thistle
I love the thistles on Westray; just not on my ankles.
A Viking Longship in St Magnus Cathedral
Here’s a magnificent Viking longship in stained glass in St Magnus Cathedral. Viking longships were ships of war and built for raiding. …
Blue Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was twelve when I sketched these Blue Tits. It’s a parent feeding a juvenile bird: Today I’m in …
Damp
In Orkney, when it’s damper inside than it is out you have a problem.
This light
The wall at the top of Einar looks beautiful in this light.
Hooded Crow – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Hooded crows are fascinating birds. Here’s one I photographed in the magnificent grounds of Villa Borghese in Rome. Forty years ago I …