Natural highs and lows

Over Christmas and New Year when I was laid low with a bad back, I needed something to occupy my time. After I had checked, double checked, uploaded and verified all the county's dragonfly records for 2025 onto the iRecord website, I was in a bit of a data crunching mood, so I thought why not begin pan-species listing? If your current thought is along the lines of "Well, there's Le Creuset for a start", then, no, not that sort of pan. Rather, it is a way of keeping track of a lifetime's wildlife watching. Every species seen, everything, from the tiniest protozoan to the largest mammal, and all manner of wildlife in between. Obviously, the sooner one begins keeping records (what, when, where), the better. It is definitely not recommended to wait until you're in your mid sixties and have just tweaked a multifidus muscle in your lower back, but we are where we are. So how the heck was I going to produce any sort of meaningful list? Well, as a dragonfly enthusiast...

For the first time in 2026, it didn't snow last night. The temperature is still hovering about freezing so there hasn't been much in the way of a thaw. However, today, there isn't any form of precipitation from the sky and the air is completely still, most un-Orkney-like. Here are a few photos from the last week or so, when we've been able to go out for a walk. Icicles! Not the most stunning of sunsets, but atmospheric in its own way Kitchen window view On Monday 5th of January, Mocha momentarily thought about going back to work, but... no.  A bit more of a sunset, down by the harbour Now, apparently, England have stolen our stormy weather. The national news media seem to confirm this, so I will stop worrying about where it has gone. To my readers further south, stay safe!

A belated Happy New Year to one and all. Yesterday, some sort of hibernating response kicked in, brought on by a northerly gale and horizontal hail showers. I did not leave the house. Megan did leave the house, clocking up a creditable four and a half miles through blizzards, and beginning her bird list for 2026 with a respectable 29 species. I managed five species from the lounge and kitchen windows. After a night of snow, today we awoke to a calmer and whiter scene. View from the kitchen window View from the lounge window Mid-morning, Megan received a text from a friend (Sam) who lives near the harbour. Sam had nipped to the local supermarket for a few groceries and spotted a Kingfisher. As you do.  This news instigated a flurry of activity as we hastily donned outdoor clothing and made our way carefully down the hill to the harbour. Luckily for us, the Kingfisher was still present as it was busy feeding, perched on the edge of the harbour wall and scanning the pool below for pre...