A head-scratching moment
I’m watching Kittiwakes fly past Noup Head, where cliffs keep a huge breeding seabird colony relatively safe from predators. One amuses me, …
Hungry chick
We’re on the cliffs of Westray at Noup Head lighthouse, hanging over the edge again. I don’t like heights. There’s an amusingly …
A Wheatear explosion
I’ve never been able to get close to Wheatears before. They are very wary birds. There are a few families along the …
My spirit animal
I’ve walked the coast of Westray many times now, always with a large camera with telephoto lens. Partly, that’s out of fear …
Tiddly toes
Isn’t this Arctic Tern a stunning bird? One distinctive feature of Arctic Terns is that they have incredibly short legs. It probably …
Twisting and Terning
I love how high-speed photography reveals what’s happening, when the human eye and brain can’t process it. Here, an Arctic Tern is …
Incoming Tystie
The Black Guillemots are struggling to feed their chick. There’s even an outside possibility they have two chicks that they are struggling …
Catchlight
The Arctic Tern colonies on Westray all behave differently when approached. Their behaviour seems to depend upon which stage in the breeding …
A flock of Twite and an inside leg measurement
I’m walking one of the sections of coastal path on Westray. At least a path is what I call it. There’s actually …
On reflection
I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time with Arctic Terns this summer. It’s been a pleasure. I’ve been sit-in on the rocks …
Tystie takeoff
When I first saw a Black Guillemot hanging about on the cliffs with a fish, I was worried. Was I stopping it …
Missing out
Watching young birds being fed is entertaining, especially if they are twins. The look on the face of the bird which isn’t …
The diving Kittiwake
I’ve not watched a Kittiwake feeding before. It’s fascinating to see their wings beating, their eyes on the sea, their false-starts and …
The best camera…
They say that the best camera is the one you have with you. That was certainly true of my evening walk on …
And still the chase goes on…
The Arctic Tern chicks have fledged, yet Great Skuas still patrol and Arctic Tern parents still chase them off. It’s an ever-repeating …
Eider or
I’m waiting for my car to be MOTd. After a dull hour I have to go back to check how it’s going. …
A diving Arctic Tern
Evolution by natural selection has resulted in the most incredible diversity of life on Earth. One of the standout examples in my …
Emerald eyes
I’m walking along the barren rocky coast of the north of Westray. There seems to be very little directly north of here …
Juvenile Cuckoo with Meadow Pipit attendants
I’m walking along the beach at Mae Sands on a beautiful morning. I’m heading out to see one of the Arctic Tern …
Risso’s Dolphin
There’s a report on our local WhatsApp group that there’s a stranded Risso’s Dolphin on one of the beaches on Westray. Our …
“Fish!”
We’ve been out to the north end of Westray again, taking photographs of Black Guillemots with their fish. I had in mind …
Hello cheeky
Please don’t tickle this Sand Martin. If you do it’s likely to splutter flies everywhere from cheeks bursting with them. Seriously, birds …
Tension
Water; it’s incredible. Humans have evolved senses to see, smell, and taste a wide variety of sensations and yet we see water …
Black Guillemots and Butterfish
Butterfish are the Black Guillemot’s most common catch. Here’s a Butterfish which is deep red and still wriggling. Black Guillemots usually grip …
Moving air to light
Arctic Terns move between air and water, between north and south, between being territorial and migratory, between Arctic and Antarctic. Their life …
Golden light
The light is incredible on the west coast of Westray. It’s golden, and reflects beautifully off the Atlantic onto the rocky coast. …
Stares
The word Starling means little Stare, a young Stare, a juvenile Stare. Stare is what adult Starlings were always called until everyone …
Trainee wings
There are young Arctic Terns here which have yet to get their full adult plumage. Smart, aren’t they? We’ve walked a mile …
The dance
We’re on Mainland Orkney for a few days because my car needs an MOT. That’s a happy circumstance, because it gives us …
Exhaustion
Skylark, exhausted after all that shouting from on high.