The corby betakes himself to the precipices
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
In a sheer rock cliff there is a natural cavity in which a pair of Puffins have made their nest. Today their …
It takes every inch of wing space to stop a Puffin. And both feet.
Living in a hot burrow underground in summer with a youngster must get a bit smelly. Even at this late stage the …
Stronsay is one of the ‘other’ Orkney islands. I’ve not been there before because there’s no way of getting there from Westray …
There’s a bird calling and we don’t know where it is. The sound is coming from below our feet somewhere on the …
On the cliffs of Westray are two Fulmar resting places. They’re both in the north-end of the island. One is a bare …
I’ve seen Puffins flying underwater in an avian aquarium. They’re incredibly elegant. I’ve seen them flying and been amazed by their speed …
Twite are such beautiful birds. They’re small brown finches, closely related to Linnets. The subtlety of their plumage is just sublime and …
I can see a Black Guillemot in the Atlantic. It has the familiar shape of a Butterfish in its grasp, held tightly …
I love the small bright yellow boat in Pierowall bay. Having called it a boat, someone will probably correct me and tell …
There are entire manuals written on posing for portraits. They tell you exactly how to stand, hold your arms and hold your …