Bonxie v Baakie
Bonxie v Baakie. Who do you think will win the epic battle of the fish? It’s Great Skua v Great Black-Backed Gull …
“O whare will I get a skeely skipper?”
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 …
Puffin sunset
A Puffin on one of its last evenings at the Castle o’ Burrian in Westray. This is a photograph I’ll be ordering …
Puffling preparations
In a sheer rock cliff there is a natural cavity in which a pair of Puffins have made their nest. Today their …
Brakes deployed
It takes every inch of wing space to stop a Puffin. And both feet.
Puffin bedding
Living in a hot burrow underground in summer with a youngster must get a bit smelly. Even at this late stage the …
Finding where the noise is coming from
There’s a bird calling and we don’t know where it is. The sound is coming from below our feet somewhere on the …
A day trip to Stronsay
Stronsay is one of the ‘other’ Orkney islands. I’ve not been there before because there’s no way of getting there from Westray …
Alternative nesting sites
On the cliffs of Westray are two Fulmar resting places. They’re both in the north-end of the island. One is a bare …
Bumpy landing
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 seriously underrated
Twite are such beautiful birds. They’re small brown finches, closely related to Linnets. The subtlety of their plumage is just sublime and …
Black Guillemot with Butterfish
I can see a Black Guillemot in the Atlantic. It has the familiar shape of a Butterfish in its grasp, held tightly …
A funny Tern
I love the small bright yellow boat in Pierowall bay. Having called it a boat, someone will probably correct me and tell …
Let the Puffin photographs begin
There are entire manuals written on posing for portraits. They tell you exactly how to stand, hold your arms and hold your …
Gannet missile technology
As I child I read a book called Magic of the Senses by Vitus B. Droscher, a popular science exploration of the …
Flying Wren
I’ve enjoyed the Wrens at Einar this year. They’ve been a joy. Their lives are led in a sheltered garden, full of …
A Common Tern in the Bay of Tafts
There’s a Tern hunting for fish at the Bay of Tafts. It’s a beautiful day and visibility is good. Amazingly there’s someone …
Feather bed
The encyclopaedia says there are four seasons in temperate latitudes. Billy Connolly, however, said, “There are two seasons in Scotland; June and winter”. …
Absolute scenes
Absolute scenes here today at Einar as the Wrens fledged. I’ve been watching the parents bringing invertebrates into one of my ‘useful …
Great Yellow Bumblebee – Bombus distinguendus
This time I know what I’m looking for. I’m a man on a mission to find one of Britain’s rarest bumblebees. I’ve …
The shock of an Owl
I’m standing in the garden of Einar, against a stone wall, taking photographs of Swallows. They’re great to practise on because they’re …
Bottles
There’s a piece of marshland I regularly trespass on. It’s between a river and a railway and accessible only by climbing down …
Sparkly Puffin
Humans and Puffins. We share a love of sunlight on turquoise ocean. And sparkles. We both love sparkles. I’ve just added another …
Wall Pennywort
Umbilicus rupestris is a great scientific name for Wall Pennywort. Its alternative name is Navelwort. I prefer the name Bellybutton plant, but …
No
Farming near a town must be very stressful. It’s not just the dogs being walked near sheep. Although that’s stressful enough. There’s …
Buzzard chick
I’ve cycled out to The Wood again. I’m collecting my trail camera (more of which, later) and want to check on the …
Bee Orchid
I’ve seen Bee Orchids before. I went all the way to Brixham to search for them and was successful. They were a …
Bluebells
Bluebells are a woodland species. Here, on Dartmoor, there are fields of them. It used to be forest but we cut all …
Warbling in the reeds
I’m having a wander through the reeds in the heat of the sun. I can hear the robotic call of the Reed …
Goldmoss
I’m cycling around villages in South Devon when I see an old stone wall completely covered in intense yellow-gold flowers. It looks …