Razorbills
Looking back at my photographs from 2017 I come across some which I haven’t posted. They are Razorbills. They nest along the …
Bridled Guillemot
Looking back at my photographs from Westray in 2017 I’m struck by this beautiful Bridled Guillemot. It’s a Guillemot, Uria aalge, but …
Identifying Goose Barnacles on a floating wheel
Walking the coast of Westray I can see a yellow plastic wheel floating in the sea among the seaweed and flotsam and …
2017 highlights of a wilder Orkney life
2017 was a wonderful year for wildlife experiences in Orkney. In July the seabird city at Noup Head was a whirling, wheeling …
Hoverflies on the Biting Stonecrop
Biting Stonecrop is a wonderful plant. It grows on the stone walls at Einar, creeping along the stone with small succulent leaves …
Too much for dinner
The seals on Westray always look in such good condition when I see them: I’m hoping that’s because the seas are clean …
Trouble With Lichen
There’s lichen everywhere on Westray. It shows how clean the air is here, how salt-tolerant lichen is and also how difficult it …
Green Shore Crab
Have you ever noticed that crabs have their head inside their body? That can feel a little weird if you think about …
The linguistic displacement of Ravens
There’s a Raven’s nest in this ruinous building on Westray:
Ravens are special because, just like humans, they display linguistic displacement; they can communicate using language about objects far away in space or time.
That’s what I’m doing now, with you.
Swallowing a flatfish
This gull is about to swallow this flatfish whole: I’m not sure I can watch.
Vanessa through the ages
This summer I saw a Red Admiral butterfly in high winds feeding on Westray in Orkney: The scientific name of the Red …
The last call of the wilderness
Curlews are a familiar site on Westray. Their distinctive ‘Whaup whaup’ can seem very eerie when it echoes around the Island. The …
Going over the top; walking the coast of Westray
Westray is full of Neolithic, Iron Age and Bronze Age middens; rubbish dumps full of wonderful finds. If you live on a …
Sniff my fingers
Grey seals are very distinctive. This one was hauled out at Broughton in Pierowall. They have that famous Roman nose: I first …
Domestic
Puffins live so close together that there are frequent small territorial acknowledgements and disputes. They also pair for life so there are …
House proud
This Puffin was sitting outside its burrow in the soil at the top of the cliff last summer. Its mate was inside …
Puffin portraits
Puffins have a wide variety of poses which humans find appealing. We can easily imagine them as having human characteristics, or anthropomorphise …
When language is lacking
I’m on the deck of the Northlink ferry from mainland Scotland to Mainland Orkney when I see a black fin in the …
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 …
Compass Jellyfish
I’ve been very lucky with jellyfish this summer on Westray. The jellyfish haven’t been quite so lucky. This looks like a Compass …
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 …