
The Arctic Tern and the Lumpfish
There are 60 Arctic Terns in this colony but sadly only three surviving chicks. That’s better than the collapsed colony at the …
There are 60 Arctic Terns in this colony but sadly only three surviving chicks. That’s better than the collapsed colony at the …
Each year at Einar, the Linnets build their nests and raise their chicks. It takes two weeks from laying to hatching and …
There’s a Skeldro, Chaldro or Shaalder, as the Oystercatcher is known in Orkney, in the air. It’s giving me what can only be …
Puffins have gone from our shores for another year. It’s been a wonderful summer with them and a pleasure to see them …
This week I’m reading Reverend George Low’s Fauna Orcadensis from 1813. Today it’s the entry on the Starling: This is a harmless, …
There’s a raggedy Raven in the skies. I’ve been reading the Reverend George Low’s Fauna Orcadensis from 1813 on the Raven. It’s …
The Orcadian name for the Wren is the Wirran or Wrannock. What brilliant names. I’ve just had a small Wrannock in my …
Great Skuas, Stercorarius skua, are known as Bonxies in Orkney. Their flashing go-faster white wing-stripes are a familiar sight as they patrol …
We have the largest gull in the world in the waters around our coast. And it is magnificent. The Fauna Orcadensis by …
There’s a Short-Eared Owl on the Island; I’ve read WhatsApp reports in the Westray birds & wildlife group. We’re driving to get …
It’s time for me to catch the ferry away from Orkney for a short while. I have an evening to spare and …