The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock
The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock. What brilliant names. I’ve just had a small Wrannock in my …
Bonxies on a boat
Great Skuas, Stercorarius skua, are known as Bonxies in Orkney. Their flashing go-faster white wing-stripes are a familiar sight as they patrol …
Giving lobster the ‘v’ s
The Lobster creels are groaning with Lobsters, Homarus gammarus, today. Not all of them are regulation size, so Stewart measures them carefully …
The pattern of Tangle dykes at Grobust
Westray has traces of a formerly thriving seaweed industry scattered above many of its shores. These kelp-drying walls are called tangle dykes, …
“…it meddles not with lambs or poultry, but for carrion and garbage none is more so.”
We have the largest gull in the world in the waters around our coast. And it is magnificent. The Fauna Orcadensis by …
Playing British Bulldog with the sheep of the Holm of Aikerness
The Holm of Aikerness is a series of small islets just off Aikerness, which is the northernmost tip of Westray, where the …
The struggle for survival
In the battle of Bonxie v Baakie there was only ever going to be one winner. It was the Bonxie. Here it …
Unattractive and covered in slime. But enough about me…
There’s a Three-Bearded Rockling, Gaidropsarus vulgaris, in the creel. It’s a spectacular fish, a relative of the Cod and Haddock, but very …
Partan and the famed red leather from Persia
I find crabs endlessly fascinating. We’re out on a creel boat and I’m enjoying seeing crabs being hauled in. How marvellous is …
Mallimacks
We’re aboard the Ailsa Jane and I’m taking advantage of the creel boat having a very low side where the creels get …
A flying visit
Our friend is coming out to Westray for a visit today. He’s flying his light aircraft over from the Orkney Mainland. I …
Cattieface
There’s a Short-Eared Owl on the Island; I’ve read WhatsApp reports in the Westray birds & wildlife group. We’re driving to get …
Tysties with Butterfish
Black Guillemots are one of my favourite birds. I’m told, “They’re the purist’s bird for those who dislike the easy familiarity of …
Life
There’s a hard surface at the back of my house. That doesn’t stop the plants from growing there, though. There are Northern …
Scootie Allan over Muckle Water
Perhaps the best part of the coastline for walking in Westray is the west coast. The section from Mae Sands to Noup …
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 …
The Bay of Tafts
The Bay of Tafts is not quite, but almost, my nearest beach. It’s a five minute cycle ride away, although the time …
Puffling preparations
In a sheer rock cliff there is a natural cavity in which a pair of Puffins have made their nest. Today their …
Fattie cutties and Kevin the kayaKing
My friend sends me a message saying her son is on the island with his “Ace wife”. “Do meet him”, her message …
Brakes deployed
It takes every inch of wing space to stop a Puffin. And both feet.
Not-so-cool bag
We’re out for the sunset and choose a beach with a view. There’s cloud and sunshine and the most beautiful atmosphere to …
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 …
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 …