The scolders are at it again
You may be the great Baakie, Lord of All He Surveys, largest gull in the entire world, but you’re still going to …
Let me introduce the band…
Great! The backing singers have arrived. Now let me introduce you to the star of the show: Razorbills are such great entertainers. …
Waves
I love a breezy day on Westray. The waves fascinate me. Watching them roll and seeing a small tunnel appear within them, …
A Red-Necked Phalarope drops in
I see it from a distance initially. It’s always best to be lying on the ground in complete camouflage-pattern waterproofs with high …
Black Guillemot and fish
There are 19,000 pairs of Black Guillemot in the UK. I’m enjoying the company of the ones which breed off the coast …
Pickieterno over the rainbow
I’m out taking photographs of the female Grey Phalarope. Yes, this one: I did come here to take photographs of Dunlin, which …
Dunlin
Yesterday I wrote about my experience looking for Dunlin. I did see them, but my trip was hijacked by one of the …
Give ’em enough Phalarope
It’s another day on Westray and another chance to walk the cliffs and paths of the island. I’ve got the usual camera …
Whaup in Buttercups
Whaup is the Orcadian name for the Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata. Here’s one flying above the Buttercups in Westray: They’re severely threatened …
Scolder
Eurasian Oystercatchers have no fear. They’re happy to make the lives of any other bird, or even human, a misery with their …
Rock Pipit
There are three types of Pipit: paper, scissors and rock. This is a Rock Pipit: Although it’s beautiful and close and detailed …
The biggest gull in the world
Hunter, pirate, scavenger, the Great Black-Backed Gull is a curious opportunist. It is the apex predator unless a White-Tailed Sea Eagle appears. …
A Sand Plowman’s lunch
The name Sanderling is from the Old English sand-yrðling, or ‘sand-ploughman’. I’m enjoying watching them eating their ploughman’s lunch. Still photographs may give you …
Eider/Or
There’s a Dunter, Somateria mollissima, commonly known as the Eider Duck, on the waves. I particularly like the chick’s hairstyle. When it …
Wet Gannet, shaking
This Gannet was very wet after a dive. As it flew past it decided to shake itself dry. I suspect it’s the …
Past the Point o’ the Scurroes to Cross Kirk
On Westray, a recent building is one built in 1100 AD. There are plenty buried in the sand which are older than …
Sandy Laverock
This juvenile Ringed Plover is a wonderful bird. In Orkney the Ringed Plover is called Sandy Laverock. The UK conservation status of …
Sea splash
Grobust is one of my favourite beaches on Westray. At one end are rocks which act as a roosting place for gulls …
Whale
There’s a whale corpse in the car park at Taftend. It takes up the space a car would, or even a little …
Lighthouse shadows
I had an enjoyable time flying a drone this summer. I only set it up a few times, as I had to …
Noltland Castle
I’ve wanted to take a decent photograph of Noltland Castle ever since I first saw it, as I struggled up the hill …
Fields like corduroy
I love the hay and silage fields on Westray. From above they look just like corduroy, with their parallel cords of cut …
What was this artificial island used for?
There are several large lochs on Westray. Naturally they’re in depressions in the landscape. The Loch of Burness is in a natural …
Scenes from the sea
It’s all about perspective. Looking at familiar scenes from a different place always makes you think more deeply about them. Similarly, seeing …
Grobust
Grobust is one of my favourite beaches on Westray. Can you see the bodyboarders with their bright boards? I love the slightly …
10 ways you know you’re in Orkney
10 ways you know you’re in Orkney Orkney is a very special place. What makes it so special? Here are ten ways …
Are these the most northerly cliff-nesting House Martins in the UK?
I spot a House Martin, Delichon urbicum, on the cliffs at the Castle o’ Burrian. That’s nice. Then I spot another one. …
Regatta Day
I love the Westray Regatta. I don’t understand which boats are which. I don’t know the rules. I don’t know where they …
The return of the pot-boiler
There’s a spot on Westray where a buried ruin of a house is being lost to the sea. Whenever there’s a storm …
Harbour Seals
Amazingly, there are limbs inside the fat-suit which seals wear. You would, however, be forgiven for thinking otherwise: This one is delicately …