Swallows and streamers
Scientists have placed Swallows into wind tunnels and studied the aerodynamics of their flight. Their long tail streamers appear to help their …
Swallow shuteye
When the sun shines in Orkney, it’s best to make good use of it. This Swallow agreed.
Sharp Swallow
I’m having fun in the sun practising my bird in flight photography. Perhaps the most difficult bird to photograph is the Barn …
2021 highlights of a wilder Orkney life
I had a wonderful time on Westray in Orkney in 2021. The Puffins returned to breed and provided constant entertainment with their …
Feather bed
The encyclopaedia says there are four seasons in temperate latitudes. Billy Connolly, however, said, “There are two seasons in Scotland; June and winter”. …
Swifts, Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins – how do you tell them apart?
They’re small, fast and easily confused. How do you tell Swifts, Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins apart? Firstly, Swallows, House Martins …
Two thirsty Swallows make it Summer in Spring
It’s clearly thirsty work flying from Africa to the UK. I pop into the Devon Wildlife Trust Reserve at Bovey Heathfield for …
Late Swallows walking the high barbed wire
A few months ago we had a trip to Dartmoor and saw Barn Swallows enjoying some of their first weeks of flying. …
The first walk, Britain’s rarest bumblebee and a fattie cuttie
Arriving back on Westray means I want to experience it all at once. I want every sensation. I want to be at …
Return to Challacombe Farm
I’ve been to Challacombe Farm before. It’s teeming with animals for food and fun
2019 highlights of a wilder Orkney life
The turning of the year is always a great time for reflection. Celebrating the darkest day with the thought that longer days, …
A life of contrasts
In late summer I checked the outbuildings at Einar for Swallows. Many of the nests were empty. This one wasn’t. It must …
Swallows, Swifts and House Martins
There are two Barn Swallows resting in the tree up ahead. That’s good. I’d like to photograph them and they’ve been flying …
What did Barn Swallows do before barns?
Our UK Swallows are known as Barn Swallows in the USA. It’s a good name because they love nesting in barns. Here’s …
Swallow over the rainbow
I’ve seen some spectacular rainbows on Westray. Some have been fleeting. Some have been intense. Some have been full arcs which split …
Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows and Bank Swallows
I’m surprised to see what I think are Sand Martins here in Virginia. Surely they’re not the same species? Then the realisation …
Seaton Wetlands
Sunshine; warmth; the feel of spring in the air. It’s a while since I’ve felt that; and that’s also true for wildlife. …
The Second Ladybird Book of British Birds #2 – The Swallow
Since this Ladybird book was published we’ve been to the moon, we’ve entered the computer age, there’s been huge urbanisation, the human population has more than doubled and we’ve caused mass destruction of habitat and extinction of species. What’s happened to Swallows in that time?
Swallows in the air
We are wandering around Matera, a city in the south of Italy watching the Swallows. The city is vast and seemingly empty, …
The Late Swallow – a poem by Edwin Muir
Orcadian poet Edwin Muir is a favourite of mine. As I watched the Swallows at Einar I remembered his wonderful poem The …
Swallows – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Swallows seem unearthly. Their flight is so elegant, so fast and so controlled they seem as if they inhabit a different world. …
Waiting for flies
Unaware of the smartphone camera inches from their heads.
Waiting impatiently
This morning the young Swallows are huddling on the toilet window ledge. This time I try photographing them with a Nikon D300 …
Clinging on
Families of young swallows are fledging and cling to the window ledges of Einar in the strong winds.
Twittering and chattering
It’s early in the morning and I can hear the sudden twittering and chattering of birds. It’s so loud it must be …
Summer Visitors
It’s wonderful to see that the Swallows who visit Orkney in the Summer to breed have done so well. There are at …