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 …
Good Year
Yellow wheel on Lamb Holm.
Struggling up the property ladder
Finding a new home is always a struggle. There’s the emotional wrench of leaving your old home behind, the uncertainty of whether you’ll fit into your new place and the difficulty of finding somewhere suitable when there’s so much competition. It’s difficult for people in the same way it’s difficult for Hermit Crabs.
Wren on a chilly morning
There are millions of Wrens in the UK and yet they are so elusive. Today’s cold weather seems to have brought them …
Reed Bunting – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s forty years since I first saw a Reed Bunting. I was so excited about seeing such a rare (to me) bird …
Bitter cold
It was bitterly cold out on the Exminster Marshes this morning.
Lawyer’s Wigs – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Shaggy Ink Caps are a common fungus. They are white with brown scales on the cap. Here’s the entry I made in …
Canada Geese
Today I had a trip to Exminster Marshes. There were 1,500 Canada Geese on the fields.
Velvet Shank – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I spotted some beautiful fungi on a rotten stump. Here’s the entry I made in my nature notebooks: Today …
Herring Gull
I’m currently searching for Herring Gulls so I can take some close-up photographs of them. As you do. I took some close-up …
Gannet
The name Gannet comes from the Old English ganot which means strong or masculine. It’s from the same Old Germanic root as …
My eyes popped out on stalks
My eyes metaphorically popped out on stalks when I saw this Hermit Crab in a Westray rock pool. There are well over …