Wet pebbles
The pebbles are beautiful and wet inside the mouth of this sea cave on Westray.
Frozen Moment
The sea on Westray is so clean and clear when the waves crash and it bubbles and foams in the air.
The trees have ears – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I bought my first SLR camera when I was 11 from my neighbour Ron for £6. It was a massively heavy Russian …
Mandarin Duck
Mandarin Ducks are one of the most spectacular birds in existence. They are originally from the Far East and were introduced to …
Saint Olaf in St Magnus Cathedral
In life Saint Olaf was a violent and brutal warlord; a killer Viking who lived 1,000 years ago. Yet he’s a Christian …
Long-Tailed Tits – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I love the description of Long-Tailed Tits that I wrote in my nature notebooks forty years ago: They really are a very …
Telegraph insulator
I recognised this piece of pottery on a Westray beach instantly. It’s that bit attached to a telegraph pole which insulates it. …
Puffballs – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
When I was eleven years old I joined my local natural history and microscopical society. The next youngest member was called Darwin …
Diamonds under your feet
I love the way Westray’s flagstones break naturally into diamond shapes over their surface.
Colourful seaweed
I always had a sneaking suspicion that seaweed was all that strange brown colour. Not so. Just look:
Dacrymyces deliquescens – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was excited to see every mushroom or fungus I could find. Even something as plain as Dacrymyces deliquescens …
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. …