Natural highs and lows

Stronsay, one of the islands on the eastern side of the Orkney archipelago, recently hosted a Citizen Science Festival. The Orkney Field Club were invited along to an informal discussion on wildlife recording, which was held at The Fishmart, a local cafe. As I have been to Stronsay several times with work this year, I was 'selected' as the designated diner. The meeting lasted a little over an hour, time for a general wildlifey chat, thoughts about what the islanders might want to record, plus sandwiches, cake, tea and coffee. What's not to love? Due to the ferry timetable, either side of the meeting was free time to nature watch and Stronsay did not disappoint. Several days of easterly winds meant that there was plenty to see in the form of birds migrating south which had been 'diverted' across the North Sea. But first, the beach... A pair of Dunlin A Carder Bee, possibly Moss Carder, on Sea Rocket A hoverfly of the Genus Eristalis , on Sea Mayweed A hoverfly, Scaev...

Travelling away from Orkney during the pandemic has obviously been severely limited. Aside from attending my dad's funeral in England and a 'same tier' trip to Inverness, my only lockdown journeys have been to do with work. I realise how fortunate I am in being able to have a change of scene (even in the midst of sea-sickness somewhere in the North Sea), as these trips reduce the mental stress of cabin fever. Last week was a case in point, with a visit to attend in Shetland. Twenty four hours outwith Orkney, thirteen of them at sea. With the Covid restrictions, this means that a bleary-eyed blogger was unleashed upon the empty streets of Lerwick at 7.30am, way too soon to be knocking on a customer's door or, perhaps even more importantly, before the shops open. Salvation was at hand in the form of the New Harbour Cafe, which opens its doors at 7am and is a haven until a more sociable hour (not to mention the possibilities for breakfast). On this trip, there was only one...