I’ve heard plenty on the isle, seen one in flight, but this is the first Corncrake I’ve seen on the deck here in Westray. And mega surprised to find one running around an overgrown village garden in mid-October. Only one later county record than today’s, 23 Oct 1996. #WestrayBirding
October 14, 2025 at 6:16 PM
I’ve heard plenty on the isle, seen one in flight, but this is the first Corncrake I’ve seen on the deck here in Westray. And mega surprised to find one running around an overgrown village garden in mid-October. Only one later county record than today’s, 23 Oct 1996. #WestrayBirding
And we have migrant leps too! Red Admirals and Silver Ys started arriving overnight and I trapped a Silver Y and a Diamond-backed Moth last night too. And today when birding Pierowall village, I found this Rush Veneer flying along a stone wall! #TeamMoth #MothMatter
May 3, 2024 at 10:14 PM
And we have migrant leps too! Red Admirals and Silver Ys started arriving overnight and I trapped a Silver Y and a Diamond-backed Moth last night too. And today when birding Pierowall village, I found this Rush Veneer flying along a stone wall! #TeamMoth #MothMatter
Having just walked the dog and got nothing more than a face full of rain, I think that’s #WestrayBirding done for a couple of days as the weather won’t turn here now til Thurs at the earliest.
December 24, 2024 at 12:33 PM
Having just walked the dog and got nothing more than a face full of rain, I think that’s #WestrayBirding done for a couple of days as the weather won’t turn here now til Thurs at the earliest.
Despite the westerlies, a clear increase in hirundine numbers today included the first House Martins but nothing else in way of new summer migrants. Two flocks of a Golden Plover stopping off on their way north. And this Raven sat on a village chimney. #WestrayBirding
April 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Despite the westerlies, a clear increase in hirundine numbers today included the first House Martins but nothing else in way of new summer migrants. Two flocks of a Golden Plover stopping off on their way north. And this Raven sat on a village chimney. #WestrayBirding
Still hard work with the whole isle's hot spots covered again today. Yday's Pied Flys and phylloscs all departed and new in a flighty and elusive Red-breasted Fly (an isle find for me) and a Garden Warbler in the same area of dense cover in Pierowall.
#WestrayBirding #UKbirding #LowCarbonBirding
#WestrayBirding #UKbirding #LowCarbonBirding
September 3, 2024 at 6:04 PM
Still hard work with the whole isle's hot spots covered again today. Yday's Pied Flys and phylloscs all departed and new in a flighty and elusive Red-breasted Fly (an isle find for me) and a Garden Warbler in the same area of dense cover in Pierowall.
#WestrayBirding #UKbirding #LowCarbonBirding
#WestrayBirding #UKbirding #LowCarbonBirding
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh drive in a Morris van past crowds of people after a visit to Pierowall Junior High School on Westray, one of the Orkney Islands during a #royal tour of the Shetland and Orkney Islands in Scotland #OTD August 12, 1960.
August 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
So, during the week 30 Oct - 4 Nov I’ve added another three species to the Westray list during what was a pretty quiet spell!
Northern Bullfinch, 30 Oct (photo 5 Nov)
Stock Dove, 31 Oct
Pallid Swift, 4 Nov
🙂
#WestrayBirding 🪶 #ukbirding #birdjng
Northern Bullfinch, 30 Oct (photo 5 Nov)
Stock Dove, 31 Oct
Pallid Swift, 4 Nov
🙂
#WestrayBirding 🪶 #ukbirding #birdjng
November 6, 2023 at 7:01 PM
So, during the week 30 Oct - 4 Nov I’ve added another three species to the Westray list during what was a pretty quiet spell!
Northern Bullfinch, 30 Oct (photo 5 Nov)
Stock Dove, 31 Oct
Pallid Swift, 4 Nov
🙂
#WestrayBirding 🪶 #ukbirding #birdjng
Northern Bullfinch, 30 Oct (photo 5 Nov)
Stock Dove, 31 Oct
Pallid Swift, 4 Nov
🙂
#WestrayBirding 🪶 #ukbirding #birdjng
A routine #WestrayBirding day with four Yellow-broweds and few commoner migrants then, at 1745, boom! Message from Joe Wilde “Hoopoe!” A dash to the village and in the gloom watched the Hoopoe trying to roost in willows full of 🐦⬛. The BBs thought different and kept chasing it out! #UKbirding
October 5, 2024 at 7:21 PM
A routine #WestrayBirding day with four Yellow-broweds and few commoner migrants then, at 1745, boom! Message from Joe Wilde “Hoopoe!” A dash to the village and in the gloom watched the Hoopoe trying to roost in willows full of 🐦⬛. The BBs thought different and kept chasing it out! #UKbirding
What a day for a boat ride! On the Charles Ann and off to neighbouring Papay on a dirty twitch to see @papaybirder.bsky.social’s Brown Shrike 😬🤞🏼 #WestrayBirding plus!
September 19, 2025 at 2:08 PM
What a day for a boat ride! On the Charles Ann and off to neighbouring Papay on a dirty twitch to see @papaybirder.bsky.social’s Brown Shrike 😬🤞🏼 #WestrayBirding plus!
Weather over Pierowall #landscape #photography 📷
February 2, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Weather over Pierowall #landscape #photography 📷
Westray today! The fabulous Pierowall Stone, which would have graced an exceptional Late Neolithic tomb
January 4, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Westray today! The fabulous Pierowall Stone, which would have graced an exceptional Late Neolithic tomb
Not the usual backdrop for a Gannet. About a dozen birds came into the shelter of the Bay of Pierowall this morning so from the harbour (to get the best of the light) the village provided the backdrop looking back across the bay. #WestrayBirding
December 7, 2024 at 11:52 PM
Not the usual backdrop for a Gannet. About a dozen birds came into the shelter of the Bay of Pierowall this morning so from the harbour (to get the best of the light) the village provided the backdrop looking back across the bay. #WestrayBirding
#anchorsaway #maritimehistory #fishermen #fishingvilage #pierowall #westray #orkney #loveorkney #visitorkney @ Pierowall, Orkney, United Kingdom https://www.instagram.com/p/Byav6hxA-rv/?igshid=1urrm20ms553t
November 17, 2024 at 3:50 AM
#anchorsaway #maritimehistory #fishermen #fishingvilage #pierowall #westray #orkney #loveorkney #visitorkney @ Pierowall, Orkney, United Kingdom https://www.instagram.com/p/Byav6hxA-rv/?igshid=1urrm20ms553t
Furthest I’ve ever been:
N: Orkney Islands (Pierowall, on Westray)
E: Paris (bus station transfer)
S: Del Rio, Texas (Amtrak: Sunset Limited)
W: Japan (Ota, Gunma)
N: Orkney Islands (Pierowall, on Westray)
E: Paris (bus station transfer)
S: Del Rio, Texas (Amtrak: Sunset Limited)
W: Japan (Ota, Gunma)
Furthest I've ever been:
N: NYC, I think
E: DC
S: Key West
W: Hawaii (don't remember where all we went, but most of the time was on the west side of Maui)
N: NYC, I think
E: DC
S: Key West
W: Hawaii (don't remember where all we went, but most of the time was on the west side of Maui)
Furthest I’ve ever been:
N: Tallinn, Estonia
E: Apia, Samoa*
S: Sydney, Australia
W: Aitutaki, Cook Islands*
*going by the International Date Line
N: Tallinn, Estonia
E: Apia, Samoa*
S: Sydney, Australia
W: Aitutaki, Cook Islands*
*going by the International Date Line
June 22, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Furthest I’ve ever been:
N: Orkney Islands (Pierowall, on Westray)
E: Paris (bus station transfer)
S: Del Rio, Texas (Amtrak: Sunset Limited)
W: Japan (Ota, Gunma)
N: Orkney Islands (Pierowall, on Westray)
E: Paris (bus station transfer)
S: Del Rio, Texas (Amtrak: Sunset Limited)
W: Japan (Ota, Gunma)
Old Tour #Scotland #Ancestry Travel Visit #Genealogy #Scottish Family #History Blog #photography of boats in the harbour on Westray, one of the Orkney Islands, the main village is Pierowall tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com/2012/11/old-...
Old Photographs Westray Orkney Scotland
tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com
October 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Old Tour #Scotland #Ancestry Travel Visit #Genealogy #Scottish Family #History Blog #photography of boats in the harbour on Westray, one of the Orkney Islands, the main village is Pierowall tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com/2012/11/old-...
Heads up #ukbirding and #birding folk! @alantilmouth.bsky.social has set up a #LowCarbonBirding feed! It’s a forum for those of us pursuing low carbon options for birding and life. A place to discuss with like minded folk and to post about your LCB activities. Cross tag to promote LCB to others!
March 8, 2024 at 10:25 AM
Heads up #ukbirding and #birding folk! @alantilmouth.bsky.social has set up a #LowCarbonBirding feed! It’s a forum for those of us pursuing low carbon options for birding and life. A place to discuss with like minded folk and to post about your LCB activities. Cross tag to promote LCB to others!
The calm between the storms. A lovely, warm, sunny day after a week of westerly gales and ahead of several days of severe gales full of eastern promise. The Waxwings remain in the village and a smattering of late staying summer birds and incoming winter species. #WestrayBirding #ukbirding #birding
October 17, 2023 at 9:41 PM
The calm between the storms. A lovely, warm, sunny day after a week of westerly gales and ahead of several days of severe gales full of eastern promise. The Waxwings remain in the village and a smattering of late staying summer birds and incoming winter species. #WestrayBirding #ukbirding #birding
It’s gonna be a tad windy here today, so there’ll be no #WestrayBirding 😕 And little else happening with ferries and xmas events cancelled. Down south today would be a named storm. Up here it’s just strong winds 😉
December 21, 2024 at 8:50 AM
It’s gonna be a tad windy here today, so there’ll be no #WestrayBirding 😕 And little else happening with ferries and xmas events cancelled. Down south today would be a named storm. Up here it’s just strong winds 😉
#jackschippy #pierowall #westray #northernisles #orkney #loveorkney #visitorkney #whereitsallhappening #chippy #sausagesupper Jack's Chippy is obviously the place to be on a Wednesday evening - they're doing a… https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVlHMQAhA0/?igshid=gjebe0dmie5p
November 17, 2024 at 3:59 AM
#jackschippy #pierowall #westray #northernisles #orkney #loveorkney #visitorkney #whereitsallhappening #chippy #sausagesupper Jack's Chippy is obviously the place to be on a Wednesday evening - they're doing a… https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVlHMQAhA0/?igshid=gjebe0dmie5p
Westray (Pierowall?) is getting it's new harbour.
July 23, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Westray (Pierowall?) is getting it's new harbour.
@papaybirder.bsky.social we need to get ourselves together and try something out here. I’m sure I could get a boat out from Pierowall.
August 30, 2025 at 9:10 PM
@papaybirder.bsky.social we need to get ourselves together and try something out here. I’m sure I could get a boat out from Pierowall.
Day three of gale to storm force winds and rain 💨 🌧️ so another day indoors. Plenty to do with ongoing house renovation. There are birds out there as seen by yday’s Barred Warbler that nearly got blown in to the car on my way to the village. But it really is hard work #WestrayBirding in this. And wet
October 14, 2023 at 9:17 AM
Day three of gale to storm force winds and rain 💨 🌧️ so another day indoors. Plenty to do with ongoing house renovation. There are birds out there as seen by yday’s Barred Warbler that nearly got blown in to the car on my way to the village. But it really is hard work #WestrayBirding in this. And wet
This morning we said farewell and thanks to #InTheSameBoat crew after four fabulous days of #beachclean -ing and school visits. An estimated 7t of waste removed, beaches deep-cleaned, surveyed, etc. Inspirational stuff. Liz and I thanked them in true Westray style - food and Puffins! #marinelitter
April 23, 2024 at 11:21 AM
This morning we said farewell and thanks to #InTheSameBoat crew after four fabulous days of #beachclean -ing and school visits. An estimated 7t of waste removed, beaches deep-cleaned, surveyed, etc. Inspirational stuff. Liz and I thanked them in true Westray style - food and Puffins! #marinelitter
A mild if dreich day here, but I'm enjoying this period of calmer weather as we're returning to norm from Friday with winds again getting up. The village bay continues to provide good birding with the seemingly now resident Great Northern Diver and an increase in gulls.
#WestrayBirding
#WestrayBirding
January 21, 2025 at 6:00 PM
A mild if dreich day here, but I'm enjoying this period of calmer weather as we're returning to norm from Friday with winds again getting up. The village bay continues to provide good birding with the seemingly now resident Great Northern Diver and an increase in gulls.
#WestrayBirding
#WestrayBirding