More snow ....

Eastaquoy in snow

The view across to Hoy

Christmas and New Year!

A few more photos - this time from Christmas and New Year. Guess which is which?

A few ferry photos

A few photos from a ferry journey south for my birthday. Not all crossings are always this calm.....

Stromness

The Old Man of Hoy

Two posts for the price of one

Well I've only got two and a bit weeks left on Papa Westray (where did the time go!), so here are a few more photos of birds from the reserve.

I had to dodge this fulmar (and it's chick - it's the fluffy blob that the adult is sitting on!) when going to one of the study plots. And I do mean dodge, fulmar spit a very nasty fishy oily mess at you if you get too close!

I have also had to dodge bonxies (great skuas) when out on the reserve surveying. This one was having a go at me, it was quite justified as I was looking for its chick!

I'll try and put another post up soon just before/or after I leave Papay.

Papa Westray Fun Weekend

Between the 17th and 19th of July, Papay Fun Weekend runs. It is three days of activities ranging from childrens crafts (kite making this year), BBQ, music, dance, bouncy castle, fun sports, carty races and sand sculpture competition. The photo above is of the winning sculpture, a map of Papa Westray, created by myself and Libi. Note the geographically accurate features, including the loch and the Holm of Papay.... well they didn't turn out well on the photo but beleive me it was impressive even if I do say so myself! It is a great, if exhausting, weekend and I plan to return for the fun weekend in future years.

Some seabirds

Razorbill

A few puffins anyone?

Just a couple of photos of the birds I see when studying the breeding birds on the cliff at Fowl Craig. I took these whilst perched out on part of the cliff (safely attached with ropes) and these birds just happened to land while I was there, only a few feet away.

Scottish primroses......lots of them

Scottish primrose

Counting the primroses

Last Thursday a group of volunteers came over to help with counting the Scottish primroses at Fowl Craig. The primula are only found in the Orkney Islands and the very far North of Scotland and every 3 years all the primula are counted on the North Hill. Last count there was around 21,000. Just a few then. Fowl Craig has the largest colony with, as it turns out, 8343 individual plants. Not a easy job on your own.... thank goodness I wasn't. The day was spent crawling along on hands and knees, getting sore knuckles because of the monkey crawl that everyone seemed to naturally fall in to...

Sore knees were rewarded with lemon cake, gingerbread (thanks Mum!), brownies and oatmeal & choclate chip muffins.

One colony down, only another 25 or so to go.