A precarious life on the edge of a precipice
Who would have guessed that Gannet chicks could be so cute close up? Their white downy feathers are not quite as brilliant …
Who would have guessed that Gannet chicks could be so cute close up? Their white downy feathers are not quite as brilliant …
All it takes is a silver spinner and Mackerel are tickling my line. I have my Robert Welch kitchen knives with me. …
We’ve toured the Island today and our final destination is the Ouse. There were reports of a Short Eared Owl there earlier …
We’ve come to look for the Short-Eared Owl. Instead, as I pull up the car, there’s a male Hen Harrier heading over …
This week I’m reading Reverend George Low’s Fauna Orcadensis from 1813. Today it’s the entry on the Starling: This is a harmless, …
There’s a raggedy Raven in the skies. I’ve been reading the Reverend George Low’s Fauna Orcadensis from 1813 on the Raven. It’s …
The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock. What brilliant names. I’ve just had a small Wrannock in my …
Great Skuas, Stercorarius skua, are known as Bonxies in Orkney. Their flashing go-faster white wing-stripes are a familiar sight as they patrol …
The Lobster creels are groaning with Lobsters, Homarus gammarus, today. Not all of them are regulation size, so Stewart measures them carefully …
Westray has traces of a formerly thriving seaweed industry scattered above many of its shores. These kelp-drying walls are called tangle dykes, …
On Mainland Orkney stands the Kitchener Memorial. Have you noticed the three sheep making use of its shadow? Horatio Herbert Kitchener died …
We have the largest gull in the world in the waters around our coast. And it is magnificent. The Fauna Orcadensis by …
I hesitate to tell you about my trip to Sanday. It was awful. I don’t want to paint the island in a …
The Holm of Aikerness is a series of small islets just off Aikerness, which is the northernmost tip of Westray, where the …
In the battle of Bonxie v Baakie there was only ever going to be one winner. It was the Bonxie. Here it …
There’s a Three-Bearded Rockling, Gaidropsarus vulgaris, in the creel. It’s a spectacular fish, a relative of the Cod and Haddock, but very …
I find crabs endlessly fascinating. We’re out on a creel boat and I’m enjoying seeing crabs being hauled in. How marvellous is …
We’re aboard the Ailsa Jane and I’m taking advantage of the creel boat having a very low side where the creels get …
Eider Ducks are called Dunters in Orkney. There are great floats of them off the coast. The males have done their job …
Solo Hiking 96 Miles on the West Highland Way
Our friend is coming out to Westray for a visit today. He’s flying his light aircraft over from the Orkney Mainland. I …
There’s a Short-Eared Owl on the Island; I’ve read WhatsApp reports in the Westray birds & wildlife group. We’re driving to get …
Black Guillemots are one of my favourite birds. I’m told, “They’re the purist’s bird for those who dislike the easy familiarity of …
There’s a hard surface at the back of my house. That doesn’t stop the plants from growing there, though. There are Northern …
Perhaps the best part of the coastline for walking in Westray is the west coast. The section from Mae Sands to Noup …
Bonxie v Baakie. Who do you think will win the epic battle of the fish? It’s Great Skua v Great Black-Backed Gull …
We’re on another adventure today. We’re going out on a creel boat from Pierowall with skipper Stewart McNab. He’s a local, born …
A Puffin on one of its last evenings at the Castle o’ Burrian in Westray. This is a photograph I’ll be ordering …
The Bay of Tafts is not quite, but almost, my nearest beach. It’s a five minute cycle ride away, although the time …
In a sheer rock cliff there is a natural cavity in which a pair of Puffins have made their nest. Today their …