Natural highs and lows

The considered opinion around here is that January went on and on forever, but the same cannot be said of February, which seems to be whizzing by at a rate of knots. So let's bring this blog up to date with a whirlwind round up of happenings since last we spoke (ok, typed and read). Mid month, and there was a change of jigsaw! After the 99 Bees in a thousand pieces, we thought we'd go easy on ourselves and try a five hundred piece one instead. Well, that was the theory, practise is proving somewhat different. A walk at Evie Sands a couple of weekends ago was a great opportunity for a bit of skincare and exfoliation. A very chilly wind is the abiding memory, although we did see our first Snow Buntings of the year as they foraged for food amongst kelp on the tideline, and we did happen upon a flock of Purple Sandpipers on the rocky shore. Purple Sandpiper Brown Hare activity has shown no sign of letting up, though getting close to the action is proving difficult. Here's a se

We have lived in our current home since last Summer, so there's a whole Spring that will be new to us, and we can't wait. This morning we were woken from our slumbers at 06.45 by a Blackbird singing, the first time we have heard one here. Hopefully this is payback for keeping him in apples all Winter. The Blackbird had obviously decided that today was the day to begin defending a territory from rivals and to start wooing the ladies. I chuckled to think that... well... it is St Valentine's Day. In a household where Nature is the defining feature and a shared passion, here's our riff on the theme and a nod to the local endemic wildlife. All credit to Ruth for her decoupage The second bird we heard calling whilst we were still in bed was an Oystercatcher. Although a few of these waders do remain here during the Winter, numbers are now swelling, so it won't be long before the flocks on the shore begin to disperse around the county as birds scout nesting sites. It was a

A strange thing happened. On two consecutive days, it snowed overnight during a period of calm weather. I can attest that waking up to a soundless and fluffy white Orkney is a surreal and magical experience. Mocha, despite her adventurous nature, was not wholly convinced by this new state of affairs. Her attempts at negotiating her way through six inches of snow were rather comical as, for a fraction of a second, the delicate surface crust would hold each gently-placed paw and then give way.  The following morning, the view to the rear was of "bruised and sullen storm clouds", which was rather photogenic, as well as being a cheeky crib from the lyrics of Rush's Jacob's Ladder . Whilst to the front, dawn continues to edge her way northwards along the eastern horizon. Either that or our neighbour's barn is on fire. Fortuitously, whilst rummaging around in our garage/shed, I had discovered an old battered snow shovel propped up in a corner. With this implement, I was

A wildlife park in the Scottish Highlands was in the news recently when one of its macaques escaped into the surrounding countryside and was at large for six days before being recaptured in someone's garden with the deft use of some left-over Yorkshire Pudding . This story left me rather despondent and speechless, of which more shortly. Fortunately, or perhaps not, the same couldn't be said of the internet, which instantly offered up a host of memes, including this prime example shared by the BBC from Facebook. When it comes to zoos, wildlife parks and natural history museums, I must admit to being rather conflicted. Whilst I understand that educating people about Nature has an important part to play in combating both species and habitat decline, and I know full well that captive breeding programmes and their resulting re-introductions can benefit critically-endangered species, I still have huge reservations about the concept and traditions. In the case of zoos and parks, it i