Arctic Tern on the handrail
We had only just arrived on Papa Westray when we saw an Arctic Tern on the handrail. They’re such handsome birds, with …
Yet another fish shot
A Black Guillemot in breeding plumage is a thrill. Even more so when it has a freshly caught fish to display.
2020 highlights of a wilder Orkney life
In 2020 I managed two trips to Orkney. I did it by self-isolating for two weeks before travelling and then taking all …
Magnificent Mallimacks
There are Fulmars, called Mallimacks here in Orkney, on the wing at the pier on Papa Westray This one is flying a …
Sitting pretty
A little further along the coast of Papa Westray I see an Arctic Skua sitting on a wall. It’s really not what …
Stumbling across a Great Skua
Great Skuas are one of my favourite birds. They are a constant delight as they patrol the shoreline, flying low and surprising …
Scootie Allan
On our walk around Papa Westray we are excited to see Arctic Skuas. At least we are until they attack us. There’s …
The flight feathers of the Tappie Whaesie
How amazing is flight? These young Shags are just getting their new flight feathers. Some feathers are still emerging and unfurling. One …
A bit of singing and dancing
Black Guillemots are the connoisseur’s auk. If you find Puffins too gaudy, or Guillemots too dowdy, then Black Guillemots are for you. …
The gift of two summers
There are Arctic Terns fishing in uneven seas off Papa Westray. Their concentration skills are immense: Arctic Terns spend the northern summer …
Nasal drift
“Dolphin!” I yell. “Dolphin!!!” I yell again, pointing as if my life depends upon it. The Puffin Whisperer looks at me from …
Don’t try that old broken wing trick on me, Sandy Laverock
We’re walking around the north coast of Papa Westray. It’s one of the smaller inhabited islands of the Orkney archipelago. It’s full …
Blood-footed Oyster-pickers
There are Oystercatchers on Papa Westray and they intend to let us know that. As soon as we arrive, and walk into …
720 Auks make a mattress
Papa Westray is one of the few places in which the amazing, and sadly extinct, Great Auk bred. People often think that …
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 …
Holland Farm from the air
Every time I visit Papa Westray I say “Next time I visit Papay I must have a look at all those beautiful …
St Anne’s Kirk, Papa Westray, from the air
I’ve got three cameras with me, sitting in the back of a four seater aircraft flying over the islands of Orkney. I’m …
The plane arrives at Westray airfield
We’re sitting in the waiting room at Westray Airfield. I was tempted to say Airport rather than Airfield, but I’m not sure …
On the edge
Just how close are these two 5,600 year old houses to being lost to the sea? It was a thrill to fly …
I sent my love two roses…
I’ve always loved wild roses. The cultivated varieties rarely do anything for me, especially in garage forecourts, but wild roses are something …
Hay Turner
It’s a long way from Papa Westray to a large landfill site or recycling centre so if it’s large, heavy or rusting …
Sharing a bench
On Papa Westray the wind knows how to blow. That means that anything that’s not tied down or cemented-in will eventually take …
A 5,600 year old picnic venue
The island of Papa Westray is just off Westray, part of the Orkney Islands just off the north-east coast of Scotland, part …
Holland
Today there’s time to visit Holland. No, not the province of the Netherlands, but Holland the farm on Papa Westray. It’s a …
Trouble with lichen
Today there’s time to relax after a weekend of photography with a trip to Papa Westray. If you think that Westray is …
The Kelp Store
One of Orkney’s most important exports used to be the ash from Kelp, the seaweed which is regularly washed ashore by storms …
Knap of Howar
A day trip to Papa Westray and a walk to the Knap of Howar. Domestic houses in the United Kingdom which are …