Injured animal
Arriving on Papa Westray, we have to walk the full length of the island to get to North Hill and the drama …
Kittiwake, Kittisleep
There’s a Kittiwake at the end of the pier where the Papa Westray ferry arrives. It’s stunning in the early morning light. …
The pool
There’s a rock pool fed with fresh water fram a tiny waterfall on the west coast of Westray. I love how green …
Escape?
After seeing a couple of successful attacks by Great Skuas against juvenile Kittiwakes I feared the worst when this one strayed over …
If rocks could think and feel and see…
If rocks could think and feel and see then life would be very different from their perspective. These rocks are so contorted, …
Great Northern Diver
I had such a wonderful time last winter going to see Great Northern Divers in Brixham in Devon.
Juvenile Arctic Skua
Arctic Skuas come to Orkney to breed. They’re kleptoparasites, attacking birds with fish and stealing their meal. They also attack people with …
Wave rainbows and bubble-bath seals
Seeing transient rainbows flicker into and out of life on the crests of waves is a magical feeling. At the north end …
A lone Swift at Noup Head
There’s a Swift at Noup Head on Westray. Swifts are called that for a reason. Can you see the fly it’s about …
I Dream of Puffins
I dream of Puffins. I dream of being out on the soft, grassy cliffs and being surrounded by quirky birds cocking their …
Stenness sheep
We’re at the Standing Stones of Stenness when a sheep stares at me. There are only four of the twelve ancient stones …
Sunset and the whale
When you can see the horizon, on days when you can spin and see the sea and the clouds surrounding you, there’s …
Puffins are good for the soul
Puffins are the size of pigeons. They can fly at up to 55mph. And they are always a joy to see. Puffins …
You’ll never find Brian here
I’ve always thought Brian was a strange name. The name had a peak of popularity around the time of The Magic Roundabout …
Heartwave
One August day, while walking the wild west coast of Westray I experienced the most marvellous Atlantic waves. The intense translucent turquoise …
Light and shade
I’m walking the wild west coast of Westray again. It’s magnificent. For a few months each year it’s inhabited by Arctic Skuas, …
If ever I could fly
Of all the birds of the sea, the greatest fliers are the Fulmars: There is no bird so alive to the shifting …
Peregrination
We’re walking the coast of Westray when I see it perched there. “There!” I say to the Puffin Whisperer, as I crouch …
The Great Skua and the Gannet’s tail
Gannets are big birds. On the cliffs they dwarf their Guillemot neighbours. They have fearsome beaks and could easily do you severe …
Noticing
Noticing. It’s a newly fashionable word. I used to say observing. It’s something I do all the time. Noticing. The act by …
The Gift
I spent many days with the Puffins on the coast of Westray this summer. All were a joy. Some days were too …
A Comedy of Puffins
These Puffins have quite a lot to say to one another. They’re surprisingly social birds, with calls, displays and occasional disputes with …
Sedge Warblers
I’ve had great views of Sedge Warblers in Somerset. They manage to fly non-stop from sub-Saharan Africa to the exact spot they …
Not every Puffin makes it
Puffins face constant threats. There are Great Skuas overhead every day on the lookout for the weak, the old, the unwary, or …
I’m exhausted and exhilarated at being a witness to something so primeval
May I introduce you to the cast of characters of this eternal struggle? This is an adult Kittiwake, one of the most …
Sand Martins and Eurocentric colonialism
We are all connected to the natural world. Without food and water and shelter to raise our families we cannot exist. We …
Cotognata and a lifetime’s ambition
Quince jelly is a luxury in England, sold in Waitrose and chosen by foodies to go with ‘just the right cheese’. In …
The Sparrowhawk is of shadows made
The Sparrowhawk is of shadows made
No Earthly dust was used to bring
This death that on smoked wings arrives
And cracks the air open with a dance
Ceps, Porcini, Penny Buns
It’s time for strange unearthly shapes to emerge from the damp autumnal ground. Yes, it’s mushroom season. This year I’ve been fabulously …
A Damson conversion
Last year I had an interesting job. I was working away long hours on an industrial estate in Kent. One of the …