A trip on the Golden Mariana
Today’s the day we have a day trip to Papa Westray. We have two choices; a trip on a ferry called Golden …
Today’s the day we have a day trip to Papa Westray. We have two choices; a trip on a ferry called Golden …
I’ve heard of a travelling circus. I’ve heard of a flying circus. But a floating circus? That’s a new one on me. …
There’s a tiny patch of Biting Stonecrop on the stone wall outside my window. I wonder if it was planted there? It’s …
There’s a young Great Skua ahead. That spells danger. There must be an adult or two around somewhere and I feel my …
Great Skuas eat fish, carrion or other birds. I’ve seen them pluck another bird clean out of the air and head down …
It’s a dull day today. There’s a sea haar which is muting every colour to an Orkney pallet and reducing shadows to …
Walking to the north coast of Westray I’m struck by how diverse the views are. Here are Curlews on the bay with …
To the north of Westray the Island becomes more and more desolate. Grass becomes shorter and bare rocks peek out from behind …
Great Black Backed Gulls are properly massive. And I mean massive. And their beaks? Massive too. Seeing one call overhead on Westray …
Here are some of my favourite Puffin outtakes of 2019: Westray has said goodbye to its Puffins for another year. Farewell our …
Great Skuas are called great, not because they are wonderful, which they are, but because they are large. They’re really Greater Skuas. …
Puffins this way. That’s what the sign says. Except the Puffins are going this way and that way in a dizzyingly busy …
Along the Westray coast are hundreds of Fulmars’ nests. Their fluffy chicks are a constant surprise while scrambling among the rocks. They …
There’s a Rock Pipit on the rocks. They occasionally go in the meadows here too, which is confusing, since the Meadow Pipits …
Did you know birds have an arm-wing and a hand-wing? You can see it well on Puffins when they fold their wings …
Air pollution because of road traffic is something which affects us all. Some people suffer particularly badly. Air pollution kills 7 million …
The north end of Westray is completely different from the south. There are bare cliffs, epic rock features and spectacular waves. Here’s …
In Latin, that’s ‘Boreas domus, mare amicus’. It’s the motto of Orkney. Isn’t the sea amazing? It’s the power and the fragility, …
Puffins are hunted by Great Skuas (known in Orkney as Bonxies). The Bonxies patrol the coast and appear, low and fast, unseen …
Alfred Schnabel, the incredible digging Puffin, almost throws himself off the cliffs in his Herculean efforts to dig grass roots out of …
Puffins are delightful to watch. The more you watch, the more you notice. The more you notice the less you understand. We …
It takes an extraordinary amount of time to keep in tip-top waterproof condition when you spend your time in the salty ocean. …
I met a German tourist at the Castle o’ Burrian on Westray in Orkney. He’d just been to see the Puffins. His …
And the Puffin that hatches on the Sabbath dayIs bonny and blithe and good and gay.
Saturday’s Puffin has a fight at a party.
Friday’s Puffin laughs loud and hearty.
Thursday’s Puffin has far to go.
Wednesday’s Puffin is full of woe.
Tuesday’s Puffin is full of grace.
Monday’s Puffin is fair of face.