Cracks in the paving
I could stand and stare at the stone Orkney beaches for hours; and I sometimes do.
Treecreeper
Treecreepers are one of those common but hardly seen species of birds; they take being elusive to another level. Seeing them from …
Herring Gull
I’m photographing the beautiful, delicate and precise Black Headed Gulls this morning when I see this monster approaching. I’m so used to …
Hinges on St Magnus Cathedral
I love these ornate hinges on the doors to St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
Bohemian Waxwings
I’ve only ever seen a Bohemian Waxwing once and it was happily gorging itself on berries on a busy urban road which …
Grey Squirrel
This routered portrait of a Grey Squirrel in the park is a cartoon exaggeration of their actual characteristics. They do look beautiful …
The Grey Wagtail and making twitchers twitch
My old colleague Ken was very keen on birds. He seemed reluctant to divulge that he was a twitcher, perhaps out of …
Moles – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago I was interested in molehills. They are tantalising glimpses of a hidden mystery. What animal might live underground and …
Mute Swan – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
It’s forty years since I drew this Mute Swan after seeing them, probably at the local park. Now here I am at …
Leftovers
There’s very little left of this carcass at Noup Head.
The Orkney Museum
I love the Orkney Museum in the centre of Kirkwall, opposite St Magnus Cathedral. One of the mind-blowing exhibits is a carved …
Blue Tit
Walking along an aerial boardwalk I see wonderful drawings of birds routered into the handrail. I love this one of a Blue …
Lapwing – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Today I’m in Exminster in Devon looking at a Lapwing across the sodden fields.
The lost sock
There’s a lost sock impaled on the barbed wire at Noup Head. The other one is probably still inside your duvet cover …
The ruins remain
On Westray the ruins of old buildings litter the farming landscape. Memories of the lives lived in joy and hardship linger around …
Rock pool gardens
The rock pools of Westray are magnificent underwater gardens. Here, red Coral Weed makes a frondy jungle.
Razorbill
I didn’t even see this Razorbill on the cliffs last summer at Noup Head until The Puffin Whisperer pointed it out to …
Russian Corks
There are corks jammed tight into the cracks in the rock in this Westray cave.
Cormorants – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Forty years ago on 17 August 1976, when I was a 12 year old boy, I saw Cormorants while on holiday in …
Fulmars
Fulmars look like gulls but aren’t. Look closer and they have strange adapted bills with tubes on their noses. Their countershading colouration …
Mute Swans – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
I was 13 years old when I saw a Mute Swan from the train. How do I remember that I was on …
Collapsing roof
With the weight of flagstones on the roof timbers, a Westray roof needs love and attention to keep it keeping the rain …
Drips
Drips of water run down the cliffs on Westray.