Natural highs and lows

More Autumnal walks, scant opportunities grasped between increasingly wintry showers, just not always successfully! There are some mature hedges (can you believe it?) along the Gyre Road in Orphir. A rare and precious jewel is the Orkney hedge. An afternoon saunter delivered a few surprising splashes of colour: a hip of a Rosa rugosa; the bud, flower and fruit of a bramble; and some Yellow Brain Fungus on a Gorse branch. As we returned to the car, the setting sun backlit a few showers picking their way between the hills of Hoy. The following day was rinse, dry, shine, repeat, which at least meant lots of rainbows. We ambled over the hill to the coast at Warebeth and munched our picnic in the rain whilst we watched umpteen waders scurrying about the beach. Again, the showers over Hoy provided drama and atmosphere. Monday was simply dreich, and we didn't even stick our noses out of the door. On Tuesday lunchtime, returning home from a morning's work, I parked the van and, as I lo...

The Peregrine sighting wasn't the only pleasing moment during last weekend's Gyre walk. The original intention had been to amble to Orphir Bay and bide a while on the shore listening to the waves, waders and ducks. However, en route, it became obvious (by dint of the clanging, scraping and revving sounds) that a local farmer was mechanically shovelling up seaweed from the high tide line of the bay, presumably to be used as fertiliser on his fields. This didn't seem such a mindful activity, so the Gyre wood detour was taken instead. Fortuitously so, bearing in mind the Peregrine encounter. Despite the ice and snow, i n the shelter afforded by the hedges and ditches, a few splashed of colour were emerging, an early promise of the hope of Spring. Pink Purslane Elderberry bud Elderberry bud Yellow Brain Fungus In the wood, some feathers were found beneath a branch, evidence of another raptor kill. A few of the feathers were collected for later identification, but our initial th...