The One Minute Puffin Cure #2
It takes an extraordinary amount of time to keep in tip-top waterproof condition when you spend your time in the salty ocean. …
The One Minute Puffin Cure #1
I met a German tourist at the Castle o’ Burrian on Westray in Orkney. He’d just been to see the Puffins. His …
Sunday’s Puffin
And the Puffin that hatches on the Sabbath dayIs bonny and blithe and good and gay.
Saturday’s Puffin
Saturday’s Puffin has a fight at a party.
Friday’s Puffin
Friday’s Puffin laughs loud and hearty.
Thursday’s Puffin
Thursday’s Puffin has far to go.
Wednesday’s Puffin
Wednesday’s Puffin is full of woe.
Tuesday’s Puffin
Tuesday’s Puffin is full of grace.
Monday’s Puffin
Monday’s Puffin is fair of face.
Woodlice on my carpet
I have a woodlouse issue. The red carpet in the bedroom is, well, carpeted in them. Woodlice are crustaceans, just like crabs, …
St George at the Italian Chapel
There’s time for us to visit the Italian Chapel on Orkney’s tiny Lamb Holm island. It’s connected to other islands and the …
Pipping Pipits
Meadow Pipits are very common birds of farmland. It’s the most common songbird in upland Britain. They thrive in Orkney. They fly …
To bee or not to bee
There’s a bumble bee on this thistle. At least I think it’s a bee. Then I see its eyes. Its eyes are …
Once a decade, the Thistle Butterfly
The UK is full of butterflies at the moment. It’s a once in a decade phenomenon. Have you seen one? They are …
Prickly problem
We’re sitting in a thistle patch in Orkney. Luckily they are relatively sparse. We have company: There’s a juvenile Goldfinch exploring the …
A poisonous debate
Ragwort. It’s a beautiful yellow-flowered plant which flowers profusely in summer and is food for a myriad of wonderful creatures. Just look …
A new Goldfinch generation
There’s an adult Goldfinch twittering and chattering loudly from the top of one of the Oak trees at Boys Hall Moat. The …
Bempton birds – Gannets displaying
When two Gannets fall in love, they like to let each other know about it: I like the final one. Don’t you?
Tree Sparrows on the edge
I’ve only ever seen Tree Sparrows before at Tree Sparrow Farm. That’s a sign, isn’t it? If the place is named after …
Bempton birds – when you know you’re being watched
Many birds are perfect parcels of protein. There are plenty of predatory species which would treat them as a tasty snack. This …
Bempton birds – Cousin Puffin and the Ancestral Auk
Non-scientists often think the mysteries of the living world have been solved. Nothing could be further from the truth. There’s plenty of …
Bempton birds – eyelids
Blinking birds. Gannets are everywhere at Bempton Cliffs. I’m hoping to get a good look at their eyes. Gannets’ eyes are special. …
Bempton birds – the miracle of flight
The power of flight still astonishes me. If only I could be up there with the birds at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. The …
Bempton birds – coming in to land
Landing makes flying seem easy: I love the way this Guillemot is dangling its feet, like two paddles, to provide enough drag: …
Bempton birds – staring at the sky
Gannets look astonishingly alien, don’t they? They’re not inhabitants of this world. When they display to one another they point directly at …
Bempton birds – nesting materials
A Kittiwake flies past with some grass in its beak. It looks like its nest needs reinforcements: They sometimes carry so much …
Bempton birds – violence and aggression
It’s not all mutual preening and sweetness and light at Bempton Cliffs. It’s a difficult life, perched on a ledge surrounded by …
Bempton birds – Gannets, Gannets, everywhere
Try going to Bempton and getting a photograph without a Gannet in it. Try it. Go on. Here’s a Puffin in flight; …
Bempton birds – eggs and chicks galore
There are hundreds of thousands of seabirds here at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. I particularly love the Kittiwakes. They’re such delicate, elegant gulls, …
Bempton birds – pecking and preening
It must be very frustrating to be a bird with an itch. Despite having extremely flexible necks and long-jointed feet and legs …