Wanderings

Monthly Report, June 2022

An entirely Shetland month - those don't come along very often. A lot of time spent at the south end of the Shetland mainland (and nearly daily visits to Sumburgh Head to check up on the puffins and razorbills, or to Scat Ness to check up on the tysties) plus a trip to the far north (Yell & Unst).

Reporting Days: 30

Location: Shetland (Yay!)

Miles Walked: 138

Miles Driven: 518

Gardens Tended: 1

Days Including a Visit to Sumburgh Head: 17

Photographs Taken: Many thousands (mostly auks, or orchids)

Sumburgh Head

Waiting for the summer showers to pass

Kittiwake & Next Generation

Preening in the Sunshine

White Water

Scat Ness

Spotted Heath Orchid

Northern Marsh Orchid

Black Guillemot / Red Feet

North Isles

Sands of Breckon, Yell

Frog Orchid, Keen of Hamar, Unst

Northern Gannet, Hermaness, Unst

30 Days Wild 2022

This is the eighth time I've done (the summer version of) 30 Days Wild - and the first time I've been able to spend all 30 days on Shetland.

I've taken and shared pictures from four islands - Yell, Unst, Mousa plus the Shetland Mainland.

I've shared images of numerous auks (including puffins, razorbills, black guillemots) plus gannets, terns, eider, wheatear and kittiwakes. There have been quite a few orchids, and numerous beaches.

These are five of my favourite pictures from the last 30 Wild Days.

Kittiwake and chicks (Sumburgh Head)

Been Fishing (Sumburgh Head)

Puffin in the Pinks (Sumburgh Head)

Roadside Orchids (Virkie)

Rolling Waves (West Voe of Sumburgh)

Monthly Report, May 2022

This was a month of two halves - first half searching for bluebells and orchids around Oxfordshire, and the second half back on Shetland hanging out with the puffins (and other birds too) .

Reporting Days: 31

Location: Oxford & Shetland

Miles Walked: 130

Miles Driven: 972

Gardens Tended: 3

Photographs Taken: Thousands (mostly puffins)

Oxfordshire

Bluebells, Sydlings Copse

Early Purple Orchids, Sydlings Copse

Green-winged Orchids, Bernwood Meadows

Bluebells, Shotover Country Park

Early Marsh Orchids, Lye Valley

Shetland

Wave-watching at Scat Ness

Nest building at Sumburgh Head

Who's Watching Who at Sumburgh Head

Razorbill at Sumburgh Head

Black Guillemot at Scat Ness

Chattering Fulmar at Sumburgh Head

Lapwing chick at Grutness

And next month - you can expect more puffins - and more orchids...

Monthly Report, April 2022

Another month, another report. This time mostly spent hanging around at the south end of Shetland.

Reporting Days: 30

Location: Shetland (mostly)

Miles Walked: 150

Miles Driven: 1234

Gardens Tended: 3 (a new personal best)

Photographs taken: Thousands (mostly auks - and bluebells)

The big question this month (in my world) was when are the puffins going to return.

I had timed my return to Shetland to coincide with the start of the season at the Sumburgh Head lighthouse. The kittiwakes got the memo. The guillemots got the memo. The razorbills got the memo. Katja got the memo. The shags got the memo. But not the puffins.

Sumburgh Head lighthouse - ready for the summer season - as seen from the foghorn tower

Looking over West Voe from the lighthouse deck

Kittiwakes ready for the season

Shags pairing up

Guillemots back on the stacks

Razorbills getting reacquainted

Coffee & cake from Katja's Unken Cafe at Sumburgh Head (highly recommended)

But eventually the puffins did put in an appearance - always good to see them back.

And there are always beaches and headlands that need walking

Quendale Beach

Waves rolling in to Scat Ness

Meanwhile back in Oxford - more bluebells than you can comfortably count - and some early orchids too.

Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve

Sydlings Copse

C S Lewis Reserve

And next month - more Oxford woodlands, and hopefully more Shetland auks too.

Monthly Report, March 2022

Apologies for the delayed monthly report - I got distracted.

March was (almost) all about Oxfordshire again - but one of the bonuses on Oxford in March is that no two days are the same. There was plenty of weather around - from winter-gear days through to garden-furniture days - and there's the constant round of new emerging plants every day - from daffodils and snowdrops through to bluebells, snake's head fritillaries and (almost) orchids.

Reporting Days: 31

Location: Oxford (mostly)

Miles walked: 120

Miles driven: 600 (and half of that was on the last day of the month)

Gardens Tended: 2

Photographs taken: Hundreds (mostly emerging flowers)