There’s a fish which looks like a giant tadpole washed up on Sand o’ Gill on Westray. As I attempt to get a better second photograph with my phone, it’s scooped up by my other half who runs with it into the sea in her trousers and trainers and attempts …
This is the expression of a man watching the Copper Feel Cabaret, full of sequinned bras and feather boas.
It’s rare that I get close photographs of Fulmars eating. They’re normally well offshore when I see them feasting on something. This …
There’s a familiar silhouette on the slopes below Skea Hill. It’s an Arctic Skua. There are several ‘morphs’ of Arctic Skuas. There …
The Castle o’ Burrian holds one of the best known Puffin colonies on Westray. It has relatively easy access and easy viewing, …
It’s 49 years since I was on holiday in Tenby in Wales and sketched this Beadlet Anemone, Actinia equina. I’m scouring rockpools …
There are Sanderling heading in to feast on the invertebrates left by the retreating tide on Taftend. There is a flock of …
The River Dart is one of the most beautiful rivers in England. Rising high on Dartmoor, it runs for nearly fifty miles …
Our lives make such insignificant marks which are soon washed away. They are beautiful while they last.
There’s a Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus, flying past. Their wings are very much in the centre of their body. We wait and …
Bar-Tailed Godwits, Limosa lapponica, are known as Barwits by birders. It’s a great contraction of their name. There are a couple off …
Sanderling are a delight to watch. They are busy, frenetic even, and dedicated to picking up any morsel of food they can …
There’s nothing better to life your mood than watching wildlife going about its daily business. Puffins make me smile. Every time.
It’s wet again and my trousers are soaking after lying in a wet field photographing these marvellous Penny Buns, Ceps, Porcini, or …
It’s that season again. There are dense clusters of Spectacular Rustgills in this woodland. In the light they are a fabulous bright …
There are stuttering Dunlin all over the sands at The Ouse on Westray. Lovely, aren’t they? I’m still learning to identify waders …
I’ve seen the Aurora Borealis before, over my house, Einar, on Westray. I’ve only ever seen the green arc of the lights …
Now that I can identify a few species of waders my next task is to understand whether they are adults or juveniles. …
A trip to The Ouse means I ought to have worn full waterproofs. We’re going for a walk but there are wading …
Sketching Newton Abbot is a great way of engaging with my built environment. It’s also a chance to celebrate meaningful places. Here’s …
The golden light of sunset is my favourite. That’s because dawn can easily be shortly after four in the morning and I’m …
Boomtown Fair gave me the chance to try photographing people. Here’s a woman from the Copper Feel Cabaret in her sequinned bra …
We’re not here very long, so let’s make sure we safeguard the natural world for future generations.
There are Magpie Moths, Abraxas grossulariata, all over the island at the moment. Beautiful, aren’t they? The caterpillars feed on Hawthorn and …
I love a trip to Backarass. There’s a precarious trip through a public footpath down to the cliffs. Gannets are diving, Kittiwakes …
Watching birds is a constant joy. For me, taking their photographs enhances the pleasure at the time. And editing the photographs improves …
The Arctic Terns at the Bay of Tuquoy have had success with their breeding colony this year. It’s been a pleasure to …
Driving on Westray I see bird running in the tiny road ahead of me. It’s a Curlew chick. There’s another in the …
The definition of biological sex is simple. The Universal Biological Definition is that sex is the two evolved body types which produce …
I love seeing the fields when they’re cut for hay or silage, especially when they’re undulating. This one has Oystercatchers, Curlew and …