Fulmar already thinking about breeding

The Fulmar in the Orkneys and around the rest of the UK are already thinking about nesting, way to early but the males are returning to nest sites to proclaim them. The best nest site the more guaranteed the goods. They are such gentle birds and when you watch them with each other you can sense the tenderness.

windy weekend

So it turned into a windy weekend and carries on into Monday which is fine, getting out with my camera all that often was getting boring . Obviously i am joking i hate being stuck in the house but i had a great time  with my wife and three boys, i also got some more decorating done. This is good as i am excited to have my parents coming to stay with me in two weeks. I will be going out today in pursuit of big waves which will be fun as the winds gust at 90 mph and sleet will probably be driving into my ears but it will be exciting!

 So just before the weekend i was having a lovely time with the local otter , she surprised me at the end of the day , as she got tired from all the eating she jumped up on to a rock wall had a sniff and crashed out . It was a tiny ledge and every time a wave came in i thought she was going to be swept away . No idea how she managed to get any sleep. 

Windy day

The highest wind speed today the 29/01 has been 94mph with the average hovering about 55mph , so it is an indoor day. The children are off school so I am catching up on my blog. So i have been focusing all my attention on one area which is slowly paying off , i an getting to know the animals and more importantly the animals are getting accustomed to me. This is important as they will let me get closer if they trust me.

This female otter is becoming really confiding and i have found out from locals she has been in the area for a couple years , my hope is she stays around.

Along the same beach i found a Red Throated Diver which are common in summer but not winter. It must be good fishing in the bay as there were around 6 grey seals feeding as well . While I was with the otter a male also visited but only hung around for half an hour , possibly an old cub or the love interest of the female otter i have been following , i will keep you updated as i find out. 

more aurora

Was such a different sight this time round , still as amazing and the moon was really bright so i could get some more foreground into the shot. i decided to go to one of our favourite beaches , Whitemill bay . The contrast of the white sand is quite nice i think.

Whale of a day

A couple of weeks a go i had the pleasure to be asked to go and take samples of a whale that had washed up on a nearby island . It sounds weird to say pleasure however this whale was huge, 42ft 8 inch of Fin Whale and i was in awe , the whale was believed to be 2/3 yrs old which is still a baby it cold be twice this size when adult. The samples taken will hopefully help to understand why these whales are washed up.
A couple photos of the whale......