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 …
Whaup on a stab
There’s a Curlew on a fence post, or, as Orcadians might say, a Whaup on a stab. I’ve slowed the car down …
Big fish, small bird
This Arctic Tern has caught a fish which is clearly causing it a problem. It can’t feed it to its chick and …
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 …
“Owl!”
We’ve been sitting in this bird hide for three hours. There’s been nothing. A distant Curlew. A noisy Blackbird rushing across the …
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 …
The dive of the Pickieterno
Getting just one shot of an Arctic Tern diving is difficult enough. Getting two? Even more difficult. Getting a whole sequence and …
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.
Arrow
As the weather in Orkney has been so idyllic, I’ve been out with my camera for many, many hours, including sitting on …
Silverweed on coral beach
Calling a plant as wonderful as this Potentilla a weed seems deeply unfair, but that’s botany for you. The underside of the …
Westside Wheatears
I’ve taken to walking the Westside of Westray. Yes, I’ve been taking a Walk on the Westside. The glorious weather has meant …
At night I dream of the Ocean
This Atlantic Puffin has come to rest on the low, grassy cliffs, where its burrow faces the North Sea. It flaps its …
Rock Pipit
This Rock Pipit on the coast of Westray reminds me… I must plump up my duvet when I make my bed.
Return to Oystercatcher beach
I can’t resist their orange good looks. Birds with red plumage have enhanced vision in the red of the spectrum. I wonder …
The fish dance
Black Guillemots like to display their fish on the cliffs. It would be a shame not to spend some time appreciating their …
I can’t resist a flypast
Whenever there’s a Great Black Backed Gull flying past I just can’t resist taking a portrait. I love their faces. Am I …
Flashy wings
The go-faster stripes on this Great Skua are very distinctive. They’re very Starsky & Hutch and their 1976 Ford Gran Torino.
Arctic Terns at sunset
We’ve been out with the Arctic Terns this evening and I’ve loved seeing their behaviour. They interact with all the other bird …
Attention-seekers
Waders. They’re either nearly invisible, clad in the most extreme camouflage possible, or they’re Oystercatchers. This Oystercatcher was attempting to get my …