Natural highs and lows

Since our house move, there's not been too much time for dedicated nature watching, as we instead navigate the peaks and valleys of cardboard boxes which seemingly fill every available space in home and garage.  Blogging has taken a bit of a back seat, so best I publish a 'catch-up' post to cover the days and weeks either side of the move. Immediately prior to completing the purchase (or settlement, as it's called up here), I was working in Shetland for a day. With a bit of time to kill before the ferry back to Orkney, I opted for a short wander in the hills near my last customer, rather than head into Lerwick and do battle with the hordes of cruise ship passengers from two huge vessels in the harbour. A once typical and increasingly rare Shetland scene because of the Viking Wind Farm project Bog Asphodel, a Sundew, Selfheal and Tormentil Sheep's-bit A species of Ragwort Possibly the warmest hour I have ever spent in Shetland, it was idyllic What I was unaware of, h...

Friday saw the first of three days spent across in Hoy and South Walls, a short 30 minute ferry journey from home. Low cloud and rain made for challenging wildlife watching, but the mission was to explore some pools which were new to me. Usually when visiting Wee Fea, the hill to the west of Lyness, it is to the southern slopes and some very accessible pools alongside a track. However, I knew from a few islanders that there were other pools at the top of the hill, so we set off into the low cloud, limited in visibility but buoyant of mood. Trudging off piste through the heather and peat cuttings was more aerobic exercise than I have been used to of late, but it wasn't as if I was going to overheat. The first few bog pools we found were bereft of dragons, though populated by plenty of pond skaters. Is that a thing? Could there be a negative correlation between skaters and dragons? A project for next year perhaps. Once we reached the the ridge at the top of the hill, the pools began ...

Normally, at this time of year, I would be leading a wildlife walk, showing folk the wonders of dragonflies and damselflies, as well as any other natural history we happened upon. For 2022, what with the weather, work and a woeful lack of preparation, it just hasn't happened. Yet. Thankfully, I did receive reports that some dragonflies were finally on the wing, so for the first day of NDW, Megan and I made the trip to Hoy to enjoy their company and some bracing fresh air. The Martello Towers at Hackness and Crockness, on the approach to Lyness Incidentally, this ferry trip was the same route undertaken by Ralph Little for the recent series of the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' He drove past wir hoos!! Once ashore at Lyness, we made our way inland, soaking up the sights and sounds of Nature as we climbed up Wee Fea. Tysties Teenage Tystie Large Heath butterfly One of the Forget-Me-Nots Bog Asphodel Upon reaching the most easily-accessible bog pools, we were soon findi...

What was that song? It went "Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue..." The internet reminded me that it was I can sing a rainbow , sung by Peggy Lee in the 1955 film Pete Kelly's Blues . Well, the past few days have been quite colourful. At the beginning of the week I had the pleasure of flying across to North Ronaldsay (a particularly favourite island of mine) for a couple of jobs. The trip had been postponed from the previous week due to haar, which is the weather that plays merry whatnot with visual flight rules. And I must admit that packing all I might need into a couple of tool bags is always a fraught time, and I feel quite naked not wearing my van. The second job was at the Bird Observatory, where the ever-helpful staff informed me that there was a Quail in the neighbouring field and a Rosy-coloured Starling with a flock of the more usual variety frequenting the shore and adjacent fields at Lenswick in the north of the island. So, once all ...