Natural highs and lows

This morning I was working at a property near the RSPB's Loons reserve. As I was a little early for the appointment, I briefly stopped off at the Listening Wall, a curved structure set above the wetlands which concentrates the sounds of nature for those seated and listening. Sadly, all I managed was an indignant female Mallard. I had better luck at my next port of call, the main (and only) hide on the reserve. As I opened one of the shutters, I spotted a very distant Hen Harrier quartering the far side of the reed bed. Probably due to the attentions of this raptor, it seemed as though every Snipe in Orkney was in the air, as small flocks whooshed by the hide. The back wall of the hide is decorated with a mural by talented local artist Anne Bignall. With a few wisps of Snipe visible top left Then, whilst I was working at the customer's properrty, even more Snipe and several flocks of Golden Plover went over my head, their calls ringing out through the pleasant Autumnal morning....

Quite a pleasant day, truth be told. Sunny periods and showers, with much gentler breezes than of late. As I rose from bed, I peeked out of the bedroom curtains but the sky didn't look too promising. Halfway through emptying the dish washer, I noticed that there was a pinkish tinge developing, so kitchen duties ground to halt whilst I captured the moment. Mid-morning, I took a wander around the garden, to see if there was anything about. The Sedum which had been keeping all the nectaring insects in a good mood was in a sorry state. It looked like a mini version of the Tunguska event from 1908, where an atmospheric air burst of a comet or meteoroid flattened  2,150 km 2  of Siberian forest. I couldn't find any bees, however, I did manage to spot a hoverfly, perched in a sunny spot on the front door frame. I think this is a male Eristalis pertinax . Until I downloaded the photos to my computer, I didn't realise that in the second photo, he was answering a call of nature. The...

It seems as though I may have been slightly premature with my talk of Storm Chloe. That's not to say that there isn't a yellow warning in place for most of Scotland, or it isn't blowing an absolute hoolie outside (60+mph during daylight hours in Orkney, higher elsewhere), but this bit of weather is, as yet, officially unnamed. We are a long way from Exeter, home of the Met Office. However, at breakfast time, the sun was shining and Mocha was quite keen to go outdoors. I chose the most sheltered portal for the conditions, which happened to be the front door, and cautiously opened it. Mocha took in the air, without ever setting a paw over the threshold and, after a brief deliberation with herself, decided "Nah, thanks anyway."  Sensible choice. Today was household waste collection day.  Our local council are currently trialling a new type of refuse truck, it's called a RotoPress and looks like the lovechild of a conventional bin lorry and a cement mixer (if that...

At about peak Boelo yesterday afternoon, I received an email from a customer asking me to pop by at my convenience to fix a broken tv aerial. What's that saying? "It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good". Here at Burnbank, we seem to have survived relatively unscathed, which is quite surprising considering the noises that the house was making last night. And talking of noises, I don't know whether it was because it was a full moon, but Mocha was very vocal and very awake during the hours of darkness. I even got up at 2am to sit in the lounge with her for a while. That cat loves attention at any time of day. My actual planned work this morning was cancelled by the customer (and rebooked for next week) so off I went to sort out the afore-mentioned aerial. Not long after leaving Stromness, I rounded a bend and spotted a group of Whooper Swans in a roadside field. I wondered whether they might have flown south from Iceland on the back of the storm.  Driving throug...

06:20 Up early this morning, mainly due to the change to GMT, but also because I could hear a bird singing. In my semi-somnolent state I couldn't identify the songster, but big respect to whomsoever it was. Mocha was pleased to see me though, at least up until the point that she realised the thrushes were going to be fed before she was. As I sliced up some apples, I tried to explain to her that the Blackbirds were out in the awful weather and probably needed a bit of pampering much more than a cat did. She remained wholly unconvinced. 07:10 Mocha has now been given her meds, heavily disguised in a cat yoghurt treat. From the kitchen window, I count 17 Blackbirds and a single Redwing. The wind and rain are increasing in intensity, and now hitting the rear of the house, meaning that the front garden is a little more sheltered. As if to prove my reasoning, a pair of Dunnocks appear from under the kitchen window. 07:30 Mocha fed (Cat edit: "finally fed"). 08:45 Megan's up...

A late start this morning, the sun was already well above the horizon when I finally stirred. It is Saturday, I guess, but it meant that I missed an opportunity to photograph dawn. As soon as I had fed Mocha, I put an apple out for the thrushes and a couple of Blackbirds immediately materialised out of nowhere. Photo: M Taylor Indeed, there were a few more species around than usual. A pair of Dunnocks hopped along the garden wall and into the undergrowth, the local House Sparrow flock put in an appearance (perhaps someone's feeders hadn't been filled) and a Collared Dove investigated what the Blackbirds were up to. Brief sightings of a Robin, a Wren and a pair of Pied Wagtails were then overshadowed by the first appearance this Autumn of a Blackcap. It was a male, with the eponymous headgear, and Megan immediately sliced up another apple in the hope of tempting it down onto the ground to feed. Alas, it seemed content to search the few remaining Sycamore leaves for insects rathe...