Natural highs and lows

It's that time of year again, when our photo calendar begins to take shape. With the nights drawing in, we can spend some time recapping the images we took whilst wildlife-watching in 2023, and whittle down the shortlists we've both created to leave, hopefully, enough pictures to fill all the pages. As for last year, most of the flora and fauna were photographed in Orkney, with just one exception, although it is of a species that is resident in Orkney. For the 2024 calendar, there are two options of front cover, as one was... er... tailored... to the recipients. Of the 14 images, the split isn't quite 50/50, with 6 of Megan's and 8 of mine. The year covered the time when we moved from Houton to Stromness, and obviously the calendar reflects this. And to think I was worried that we wouldn't be able to see as much wildlife "in the town". We have tried to be varied with our subjects, rather than concentrate on one topic, so for 2024 we have landscapes, a skys...

When in need of some fresh air, I can breezily recommend a blustery trip to Yesnaby on the west coast of Orkney. At the weekend, there were plenty of wildflowers on display, but even at ground level the wind was making photography difficult. My Scottish Primrose pics were all blurry, same for the snaps of Sea Plantain Leaf Beetles, and I didn't even attempt a shot of the stunning pale phase Arctic Skua which gave us a close flyby. The afore-mentioned Primula scotica is having its interregnum between the Spring and Summer flowerings, so it was even more of a challenge than normal to find any of its diminutive blooms. Predictably, after ten minutes of fruitless searching which had only yielded either old seed heads or fresh leaf rosettes not yet in bud, I looked up to see Megan waving me over to a couple of flowers. Spring Squill, Tormentil and Bird's-foot Trefoil added their vibrant colours to the floral carpet, whilst the small patch of Oysterplant was just beginning to open it...

Last Sunday evening I went for a leisurely amble to the north of Yesnaby on the Atlantic coast of West Mainland, reasoning that there might be some shelter from a biting easterly breeze. Oh how wrong I was but, as recompense, the light from the setting sun was gorgeous. The noust of Borwick, situated between the headland of Cauldrus and the waterfall at Hell Mouth Marsh Marigolds still putting on a dazzling display at the ruined watermill at Borwick Kidney Vetch A sea stack known as The Castle of Borwick Swathes of Thrift growing behind the the ruined Brough of Borwick Ramna Geo Backlit waves rolling into Bor Wick Filling the bath tub, part 1 Filling the bath tub, part 2 Filling the bath tub, part 3 A view south across the Brough of Bigging towards a haar-shrouded Hoy

On Sunday I helped out with a recce of a walk near the Bay of Skaill. This area is famous as the location of Skara Brae, the 5000 year old Neolithic village, but we were more interested in the current flora and fauna along and around the clifftops. The coastline is cleft with many geos (pronounced with a hard 'G'), which offer nesting sites for all manner of birdlife, principally auks and Fulmars, but with the occasional corvid like this Hooded Crow. For instance, this is Yettna Geo, facing out towards the Atlantic Ocean, and brutal testimony to the erosive force of wave power. There are myriad circular structures in the Orcadian landscape, dating from many time periods, be their origins Neolithic, Bronze Age, Viking, Georgian or wartime 20th Century.  Whilst sat on a clifftop, I noticed a faint outline on a nearby headland, which didn't take too much imagination to be viewed as circular. Closer investigation revealed that it wasn't some previously-undiscovered Neolithi...

If it's October, it must be the beginning of Grey Seal pupping season, so a trip to Burwick at the bottom end of South Ronaldsay was called for. The morning's bright sunshine soon gave way to cloud and then rain but, no matter, the short walk offered up some lovely moments. A solitary Thrift flower... A pair of Grey Herons... Plenty of Yarrow... Some quite fresh Otter spraint... A Redwing... And then to the rocky coves for some pups!