Coot taking flight
This beautiful Coot saw me and decided to fly for it. It had just achieved take-off and was about to retract its …
Sun dog
I’ve seen a sun dog before but never this clearly. There are two of them either side of the sun. Here’s one …
Red-Breasted Merganser
I’d never seen a Red Breasted Merganser before and yet I knew instantly what this was. The name came bubbling back to …
Black Headed Gull
Black Headed Gulls know how to dress: those understated grey wings; not-white undercarriage; the eye shadow detail; and the accessories to die …
Gannet
Walking along the Bay of Tafts I’m sad to see the body of a Gannet. Its fragile ribs and delicate feathers are …
The Blusher – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
When I was a child a group of retired gentlemen naturalists took me under their wing. I went on weekly countryside walks …
Greenfinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I drew a Greenfinch. It may have been from a photograph or it may have been from a stuffed …
Boulders on my border
The mini-boulders on Westray’s beaches are a never-ending source of stripes and spots of beautiful muted colours.
Heron in the mist
Heron in the mist
Robin
There’s a routered Robin portrait at the park which I’m admiring for its child-like simplicity. An then there’s the real thing. Utterly …
Redshank in high-heels
This Redshank appears to walk with high-heels on as it potters busily on the tideline.
Confusing Gulls
Gulls are confusing. They all look superficially the same with their big bills, grey backs and beady eyes, but there are some …
Bullfinch – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s forty years since the very first time I saw a Bullfinch. I’ve seen them since and always appreciated them as a …
Great Black Backed Gull – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I spotted a Great Black Backed Gull and noted it down in my nature notebooks: Today I’m in Dartmouth …
Guano bicycle
All it takes is one broken window and the birds get in. When the birds get in they need a perch. And when the birds perch they leave fertiliser.
Brent Geese
There’s a flock of geese heading my way. As they come closer they get darker and darker. Brent Geese come in light-breasted …
Cormorant
To me, Cormorants are proof, if proof be needed, that birds are descended from Dinosaurs. They are just so… reptilian!
A smile on their face
The woodcarver who made this pair of birds in St Magnus Cathedral had a smile on their face. They look like lovebirds to me.
Red-Breasted Merganser
Finally a bit of sun and a return trip to Exminster Marshes is rewarded by a Red Breasted Merganser so curious it …
Urtica
There are lots of Nettles at Einar. Their scientific name is Urtica dioica, with urtica meaning to burn. They certainly do.
Cracks in the paving
I could stand and stare at the stone Orkney beaches for hours; and I sometimes do.
Treecreeper
Treecreepers are one of those common but hardly seen species of birds; they take being elusive to another level. Seeing them from …
Herring Gull
I’m photographing the beautiful, delicate and precise Black Headed Gulls this morning when I see this monster approaching. I’m so used to …
Hinges on St Magnus Cathedral
I love these ornate hinges on the doors to St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.