Wheatears full of character
Wheatear know how to strike a pose. Northern Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe, are small yet very powerful birds. They have been stunningly successful …
Overdue MOT
This car’s MOT looks overdue. I’m not sure the lights on this one are legal. It’s expensive to get rid of a …
Stare and Starling
I love how busy and gregarious Starlings are. Their original name was Stare but over time the diminutive form, Starling, came to …
The sad decline of Humanists UK and a very silly professor
How embarrassing for her that she has decided to promote such claptrap. Fancy a dog knowing more than a Professor of Public Engagement in Science.
Garden flowers
The stone walls in the garden at Einar are a wonderful way of sheltering the garden plants here. They are full of …
The Tadpole Fish
There’s a fish which looks like a giant tadpole washed up on Sand o’ Gill on Westray. As I attempt to get …
Boomtown Fair portrait #6
This is the expression of a man watching the Copper Feel Cabaret, full of sequinned bras and feather boas.
Feeding Fulmar
It’s rare that I get close photographs of Fulmars eating. They’re normally well offshore when I see them feasting on something. This …
Arctic Skua
There’s a familiar silhouette on the slopes below Skea Hill. It’s an Arctic Skua. There are several ‘morphs’ of Arctic Skuas. There …
Great Black-Backed Gulls at the Castle o’ Burrian
The Castle o’ Burrian holds one of the best known Puffin colonies on Westray. It has relatively easy access and easy viewing, …
Beadlet Anemone giving birth
It’s 49 years since I was on holiday in Tenby in Wales and sketched this Beadlet Anemone, Actinia equina. I’m scouring rockpools …
Sanderling and seaweed
There are Sanderling heading in to feast on the invertebrates left by the retreating tide on Taftend. There is a flock of …
Ospreys on the Dart
The River Dart is one of the most beautiful rivers in England. Rising high on Dartmoor, it runs for nearly fifty miles …
Foam and footprints
Our lives make such insignificant marks which are soon washed away. They are beautiful while they last.
Gone fishing
There’s a Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus, flying past. Their wings are very much in the centre of their body. We wait and …
Bar-Tailed Godwits
Bar-Tailed Godwits, Limosa lapponica, are known as Barwits by birders. It’s a great contraction of their name. There are a couple off …
Small, plump and energetic
Sanderling are a delight to watch. They are busy, frenetic even, and dedicated to picking up any morsel of food they can …
Puffins make me smile
There’s nothing better to life your mood than watching wildlife going about its daily business. Puffins make me smile. Every time.
Penny Buns
It’s wet again and my trousers are soaking after lying in a wet field photographing these marvellous Penny Buns, Ceps, Porcini, or …
The Spectacular Rustgill
It’s that season again. There are dense clusters of Spectacular Rustgills in this woodland. In the light they are a fabulous bright …
Dunlin delight
There are stuttering Dunlin all over the sands at The Ouse on Westray. Lovely, aren’t they? I’m still learning to identify waders …
Aurora Borealis
I’ve seen the Aurora Borealis before, over my house, Einar, on Westray. I’ve only ever seen the green arc of the lights …
Ringed Plover
Now that I can identify a few species of waders my next task is to understand whether they are adults or juveniles. …
Curlew Sandpipers at The Ouse
A trip to The Ouse means I ought to have worn full waterproofs. We’re going for a walk but there are wading …
The Pizza Cafe
Sketching Newton Abbot is a great way of engaging with my built environment. It’s also a chance to celebrate meaningful places. Here’s …
Two of my favourite things – sunsets and Puffins
The golden light of sunset is my favourite. That’s because dawn can easily be shortly after four in the morning and I’m …
Boomtown Fair portrait #5
Boomtown Fair gave me the chance to try photographing people. Here’s a woman from the Copper Feel Cabaret in her sequinned bra …
“Alas, poor Puffin! I knew him…”
We’re not here very long, so let’s make sure we safeguard the natural world for future generations.
Magpie Moths
There are Magpie Moths, Abraxas grossulariata, all over the island at the moment. Beautiful, aren’t they? The caterpillars feed on Hawthorn and …
Backarass Puffin
I love a trip to Backarass. There’s a precarious trip through a public footpath down to the cliffs. Gannets are diving, Kittiwakes …