At the end of January... hold on a minute, let's just take a moment to savour that phrase... for in 2025, January seemed to slip by in no time at all (or at least, no longer than the statutory 31 days), rather than the two months it felt like the year before.
Where was I? Oh yes, at the end of January! The first day of the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch coincided with Storm Éowyn howling through Orkney, which meant that by the time our feathered friends showed up, the food I had put out was probably in the next parish. The following day was a little more conducive to conducting a wildlife survey and we duly recorded two Collared Doves, two Jackdaws, six Rooks and 27 Rock Dove/feral pigeons. Not a single Blackbird all day, although at dark o'clock the next morning, I could hear one sheepishly alarm calling in the garden. Gah!
On Friday evening just gone, we were invited to an RSPB Volunteer Thank You event in Kirkwall. The night began with a talk by local photographer/film maker/author/tour guide Raymond Besant, who treated us all to some wonderful images and footage from his work in and around Scotland, particularly Orkney and Shetland. After some refreshments, the various project staff from RSPB, Orkney Native Wildlife Project and Species on the Edge gave updates on their work, showing how volunteers' efforts have helped to deliver better outcomes for wildlife in the county.
Yesterday, with the arrival of February, Megan and I had a short coastal walk at Yesnaby, more in hope than expectation of finding any Sea Plantain Leaf Beetles (we didn't), but it was good to blow some cobwebs away.
 |
| Geldi Geo |
 |
| Natural arch |
 |
| Garthna Geo |
 |
| Yesnaby Castle sea stack |
 |
| A view across to Hoy |
The time between sunrise and sunset has crept above eight hours, fully two hours more daylight than in mid-Winter. It might not be Spring yet, but we're on our way.
Comments
Post a Comment