
A bird I’m still trying to identify
I took this photograph of a bird on the west coast of Papa Westray in Orkney last summer. At first I thought …
I took this photograph of a bird on the west coast of Papa Westray in Orkney last summer. At first I thought …
Eider Ducks are called Dunters in Orkney. There are great floats of them off the coast. The males have done their job …
I took this photograph of a bird on the west coast of Papa Westray in Orkney last summer. At first I thought …
Spending time in nature really helps you appreciate it. I’ve had such a great summer on the gentle hills and cliffs of …
I have to say it. These juvenile Arctic Skuas are… a little bit ginger. It’s fabulous to watch them sweep imperiously past. …
I’ve seen Arctic Skuas get into quite a few scraps this summer. There was the time one chased a Raven. Then the …
There’s a Kittiwake at the end of the pier where the Papa Westray ferry arrives. It’s stunning in the early morning light. …
Arctic Skuas come to Orkney to breed. They’re kleptoparasites, attacking birds with fish and stealing their meal. They also attack people with …
Seeing transient rainbows flicker into and out of life on the crests of waves is a magical feeling. At the north end …
There are Fulmars, called Mallimacks here in Orkney, on the wing at the pier on Papa Westray This one is flying a …
Starlings need a brand refresh. I’m surprised they haven’t engaged a top London marketing firm to challenge public perceptions of them. Their …
A little further along the coast of Papa Westray I see an Arctic Skua sitting on a wall. It’s really not what …
Great Skuas are one of my favourite birds. They are a constant delight as they patrol the shoreline, flying low and surprising …
There are Common Eider ducks on the growing waves here on Papa Westray. Their colours are very understated. As soon as they …
How amazing is flight? These young Shags are just getting their new flight feathers. Some feathers are still emerging and unfurling. One …
Black Guillemots are the connoisseur’s auk. If you find Puffins too gaudy, or Guillemots too dowdy, then Black Guillemots are for you. …
There are Arctic Terns fishing in uneven seas off Papa Westray. Their concentration skills are immense: Arctic Terns spend the northern summer …
We’re walking around the north coast of Papa Westray. It’s one of the smaller inhabited islands of the Orkney archipelago. It’s full …
There are Oystercatchers on Papa Westray and they intend to let us know that. As soon as we arrive, and walk into …
Papa Westray is one of the few places in which the amazing, and sadly extinct, Great Auk bred. People often think that …
Today’s the day we have a day trip to Papa Westray. We have two choices; a trip on a ferry called Golden …
The Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis. This magnificent bird was made extinct by humans in the 1850s. Were all those feather pillows worth their death?
Every time I visit Papa Westray I say “Next time I visit Papay I must have a look at all those beautiful …
I’ve got three cameras with me, sitting in the back of a four seater aircraft flying over the islands of Orkney. I’m …
Westray is a small island. Just off Westray is a smaller island; Papa Westray. Just off Papa Westray is an even smaller …
I’ve always loved wild roses. The cultivated varieties rarely do anything for me, especially in garage forecourts, but wild roses are something …
It’s a long way from Papa Westray to a large landfill site or recycling centre so if it’s large, heavy or rusting …
On Papa Westray the wind knows how to blow. That means that anything that’s not tied down or cemented-in will eventually take …
The island of Papa Westray is just off Westray, part of the Orkney Islands just off the north-east coast of Scotland, part …
Today there’s time to visit Holland. No, not the province of the Netherlands, but Holland the farm on Papa Westray. It’s a …