A one egg policy
Fulmars have a strict one egg policy. There are 500,000 breeding pairs in the UK though, so perhaps that’s just as well.
the natural history of Westray
Fulmars have a strict one egg policy. There are 500,000 breeding pairs in the UK though, so perhaps that’s just as well.
The Sea Pink or Thrift as it’s also known is utterly stunning on Westray at this time of year.
Something’s been travelling very slowly and licking the rocks from side to side. It must be the Limpets again.
Evolution is a wonderful thing. Being grey above and white below is a classic countershading strategy used by many seabirds and often …
Thrift on the cost of Westray.
When the sun shines on Grobust beach, it’s time to do what AA Milne described and get sand between the toes. When …
In the musical South Pacific, Emile sings ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ where he describes seeing a stranger, knowing that you will see her …
The scientific name for the Arctic Puffin is Fratercula arctica, or Little Brother of the Arctic. Classy.
I love Puffins or, as the Italians have it Pulcinella di Mare; Punch of the Sea. We’re wandering along the cliffs at …
The Red Campion is out in bloom again near the Mill on the route to the Castle o’ Burrian. That reminds me; I must remember to take a magnifying glass with me so I can try to tell the difference between the male and female plants next time.
I’ve always loved wild roses. The cultivated varieties rarely do anything for me, especially in garage forecourts, but wild roses are something …
Today there’s time to relax after a weekend of photography with a trip to Papa Westray. If you think that Westray is …
I’m hoping that the Hen Harrier will be hunting on Westray this summer. I’ve seen a Hen Harrier over Westray’s moorland several …
The sands at Mae Sands are verdant with Sea Rocket. The curious flowers are white or lilac and the leaves are fleshy …
I’ve cycled to Mae Sands and the seaweed surrounding me seems to have messages for me. If only I could read its …
This Limpet looks so fresh and clean but I just can’t bring myself to eat it. I think it was the way …
In the garden of Einar I have some unusual, old and very abandoned plants. There are Sycamore trees more than six feet …
Red Campion is pink. It doesn’t matter how many times I look at it, or photograph it, it still looks pink to …
What we throw away tells a lot about us. A quick look at my bin would tell you I like an occasional …
Limpets. Their traces are everywhere on the stones on Westray’s beaches. The name limpet means ‘rock-licker’ and that’s what they do, with …
The Potentilla is spreading with beautiful vigorous red runners over the shell sand at Grobust.
I’m sitting in a stone-age house; the new stone age, when the climate was warmer and people began to settle rather than …
The Arctic Skua is one of the most recognisable silhouettes in Orkney, patrolling the shoreline hunting for birds’ eggs, young birds and …
There are beautiful pink flowers in the garden at Einar. They look like Bistort in which case I wish I had more …
It’s time for a bath and that means yet another spider to wash down the plug hole.
Please drive carefully during the breeding season.
The thistle is Scotland’s national symbol. Scottish independence is as prickly as one.
The Yellow Flag Bog Irises have withstood the winter weather and the first ones are coming into full flower in Rapness. Iris …
“Birds do, it, Bees do it, Even agricultural pests like Crane Flies do it.”
On Westray I pray for a still day and then the midges appear and I give thanks for the blustery ones.