A burst of aurora shortly after sunset tonight was a real surprise. Our big Orkney sky never fails to bring delight and wonder.
29.10.2025 21:09
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A burst of aurora shortly after sunset tonight was a real surprise. Our big Orkney sky never fails to bring delight and wonder.
Greater Sea Spurrey on the coast today at Marwick Bay, Orkney. A late flourish before autumn's withering grip descends.
The amazing bill morphology of a freshly dead Sooty Shearwater in Orkney today, complete with 'tubenose' structures which are used in the detection of food. It was on an epic migration, from home in the Falkland Islands, around the entire seaboard of both Atlantics.
Hi, I'm sorry but I was only visiting Hirta that day and the four T.pankhurstianum I found were all still in flower. With luck I'll be visiting again next year, and can keep your request in mind
I guess contamination would be the most likely explanation but it's slightly odd that the wingtip webs are still pearly white.
Yea it was awesome! Ashore there twice in a week! Lots of photos
Taraxacum pankhurstianum, the St Kilda Dandelion, on Hirta last week. Endemic to the islands, these were of the 4 plants I found in Village Bay. Thrilled to have finally connected with these!👍
First Great Yellow Bumblebees of 2025 were these two queens in my garden today, on Comfrey & somewhat unusually, Red Campion. Emergence timing pretty much spot on, though the garden is weeks ahead due to recent prolonged sunny weather.
17 years ago today this immature male Trumpeter Finch was among a small fall of migrants on North Rona (59°07'N 5°49'W). I'd not seen one anywhere, so viewing from a few feet away as me & a camera were dangled head first off a cliff, was quite the experience!
It's a life or death struggle here to enjoy our Hieracium; like these perilously exposed orcadense.
This Glossy Ibis has been on Sanday for a week or two, and recently flit across to North Ronaldsay, but here it was yesterday, on a cracking little roadside pool at Newark that positively screamed "Check me" as I drove by.
Happy Bus Pass to me.
Perhaps not indeed, a suggestion supported by the lack of marine growth attached
The colour, straightness and uniformity of it all point to a conifer species, I'd suspect one of the Pines.
Evidence of a seafood buffet held in Papay over 5000 years ago. Diners chose from fresh Oysters, Cockles and Limpets, disposing of the shells in their midden; which is now quietly eroding away.
A superb little federation of Common Goose Barnacles just landed in Orkney, after an epic transatlantic drift on to a 8" trawl float. These were whoppers! Several around 50mm total length, & collected for @BarnacleHunt and her groundbreaking research into their growth rates
Night laundry at the shed. Drying under the wolf moon and a puckle of planets.
It slightly pains me to say it but Shetland is the place for otter photography. It's down to a fine art up there, and maximum respect for the animals and their environment
Sorry, not sure about which species
Well done you! A just reward for your courage. Don't think I'd have been as bold (because Spiders 😨). Night walks here, on a bonny 'big sky' night, are fabulous; coos and otters for company!
These are salps; relatives of sea squirts that live in the open oceans filter feeding.
your dark Common Eider is a juvenile male
These are 'kick ups' from a vintage bottle, usually champagne or wine. Here's a link that explains it a bit more www.seaglassjournal.com/seaglassofth...
Ah yes, Freshwater West is very well known as a great catchment for stuff out of the Celtic Sea and beyond. East is maybe just a bit too much round the corner, but you might still get some oceanic stuff if the wind direction is just right. Ask anytime if you find anything unknown
Yea, they're the most incredible structures, and a very special bit of biology. Always something of interest as you say. Where is your beach?
Egg cases of Nursehound Catshark (Scyliorhinus stellaris) aka Bull Huss. And yes that's Woodcock remains
Everywhere in central Kirkwall is barricaded. The town is battened down and it looks like some hellish force of nature is about to hit.
It is.
The Ba' is coming.
A scarce find on the Orphir shore today, a far-travelled colony of larval polyp tubes of Thimble Jellyfish (Linuche unguiculata) on a moulded plastic frame. These tiny jellys are native to the Carribbean, particularly the West Indies & Bahamas. Delivered on the Gulf Stream & associated currents.
A bit more distant, but I had a similar view of the city from the top of Leith Hill when we lived down there, and through the Shoreham Gap to the Channel in the other direction!
