Wheatears

The Flower of the Vine returns

Wheatears are back on Westray. They’ve made their way from Africa to Westray to raise their families in hollows, rabbit burrows and …

The Northern Wheatear’s scientific name is Oenanthe oenanthe. It means ‘Flower of the Vine’ in Ancient Greek. Its binomial name is a …

Northern Wheatear are powerful birds and migrate to Africa for our winter. It’s astonishing that so soon after being an egg they …

I’ve never been able to get close to Wheatears before. They are very wary birds. There are a few families along the …

The light is incredible on the west coast of Westray. It’s golden, and reflects beautifully off the Atlantic onto the rocky coast. …

I’ve taken to walking the Westside of Westray. Yes, I’ve been taking a Walk on the Westside. The glorious weather has meant …

A walk up the west coast of Westray revealed several pairs of Wheatear, which are very active at the moment. They’re exceptionally …

Wheatears are very wary birds. They bounce away to the next perch as soon as you approach. Walking along a footpath or …

It’s always a delight to see a Wheatear. They’re quite incredible in their capacity to migrate. They can travel many thousands of …

How much do we have the freedom to do whatever we please and how much are we blind robots carrying out biological …

I’m flushing Wheaters with every walk and drive on Westray. There isn’t a path or a road which doesn’t have a wary …

My adventures on the fourth of five days walking the entire coast of Westray.

I’m sitting in a stone-age house; the new stone age, when the climate was warmer and people began to settle rather than …