Wheatears – nothing to do with wheat, ears or even ears of wheat
The name Wheatear sounds so romantic, so descriptive and so elegant. Wheatear. In fact the name is a polite form of its …
Mr Punch
It’s Mr Punch on the rocks on Westray.
The magic of a Merlin
At the very north of Westray the coast is exposed. In the far distance I can see a falcon. It’s so far …
Twite
There are small brown birds on the lichen-covered rocks on the coast of Westray. It takes me a while to identify them. …
Redshanks
Redshanks must be one of the most annoying birds for British birdwatchers. They are beautiful, active, entertaining to watch and have great …
Puffins on the rocks
It’s good to enjoy the Puffins while we can. They are critically endangered. They are ‘red listed’ which means they are at …
The Fulmar Triathlon
Fulmars are one of my favourite birds. All animals have some sort of compromise in their bodies because of the range of …
Sea Rocket
Sea Rocket covers the top of many beaches on Westray. Cakile maritima has either white or a pinky-lilac shade of flowers. It …
Bright-line Brown-eye Moth caterpillar
There’s a green caterpillar on the sand of The Ouse. It’s got a bright yellow line along its side and tiny black …
Sand Martins
The Sand Martins are teetering on the edge of leaving Westray now. Their chicks must be fully grown and there are only …
Gertrude Tanglewing
It’s been a very blustery day, it’s nearly dark and I’m just settling down for the evening when there’s an urgent message …
Vanellus vanellus – so good they named it twice
The scientific name for the Lapwing is Vanellus vanellus. It means fan. Well, it means Fan fan if you’re being strictly accurate. …
Tangled roots
Grass looks so unremarkable and is so ever-present in Orkney that it takes something special to shock me into considering it from …
Greylag Geese
Greylag Geese are all over Westray at the moment because the farmers have created the perfect habitat for them: acres and acres of fresh green grass. It must be like waking up and seeing delicious breakfast as far as your eyes can see.
I’m Shy!
The critically endangered Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula arctica. Climate change leading to lack of Sand Eels and marine pollution are the likely causes …
Sanderling in the mud
Sanderling. It sounds like it could be a verb as well as a noun. If it’s a verb, then these Sanderlings are …
As rare as Witches’ Hats
On the endless A9 as I travel north from Devon to Orkney the lay-by numbers help denote the passing of a day …
Puffin love
Puffins mate for life and meet up again every year to have their one egg and baby puffling. Can you tell?
Out on the cliffs
Out on the cliffs, in the windiest and most exposed spot, where the Puffins are, is a Wren.
Ringed Plover
There’s a bird on the rocks in Rapness Bay. In fact, there are two now: It’s a Ringed Plover. In Orkney it’s …
Stanger Head
Walking along the sea cliffs towards Stanger Head and the edges are covered in Sea Campion Silene uniflora: It’s got very distinctive …
Wildflower meadow
It’s no wonder the field at Einar is a literal hive of activity with bees. The Red Clover Trifolium pratense is here …
One foot out of the duvet
When you’re just getting comfortable in bed and you realise you’ve got one foot sticking out of the duvet.
A Linnet in the garden
Einar has a small area of walled garden. It’s grown over almost completely with shrubs and wind-dwarfed trees and where there is …
The Wild Westray
On the West Westray coast there’s nothing between you and America except the Atlantic Ocean. The coast is a fractured and windswept …
Turquoise
On the west coast of Westray, the wild Atlantic coast is full of sea caves and breathtaking horizons. Each inlet has a …
Admiring the garden
It’s beautiful evening sunlight on Westray when we see this Puffin emerge from its rock burrow and stand in the open air. …
Sea Thrift
In August the Sea Pinks, known as Thrift, are often just dried husks on the coast of Westray.
The quiet hunt
There’s something in the air today in Devon. It’s the merest hint of a dampness and a chill in the air whispering …
Puffarazzi
The RSPB are running a great citizen science project at the moment. They are calling for Puffarazzi – an army of Puffin …