Hares and Short Eared Owls - nature on the doorstep

Sunshine on the vegetable garden wall

The weather has been inconsistent over the last few days.  We have had sunshine but with a bitterly cold wind and then misty, rainy days with higher temperatures.  Spring is most definitely here though.  The wildlife is focussed on producing the next generation and the days are getting longer.  Over the last few days we have watched great V shape formations of geese travelling northwards over the house, presumably leaving Orkney for the summer.  There are certainly less of them in the fields.

More new arrivals in the flower border

Today we saw a Small Eared Owl hunting low over the paddock, most likely for the Orkney Voles.  At one stage he, or perhaps it was a she, was mobbed by the Common Gulls from the next field.  They are nesting there, along with Oystercaters, Curlews and Lapwings, and don't want any hunting birds near their nests.

Hares are very much in evidence now.  Quite a few come through the garden and often sit not far from the house.  It being mating season, they often chase through the long grass, oblivious to anyone or anything else.  Today we had two hares engaged in a full on boxing fight, and fur was literally flying.  Being able to see these lovely creatures from such a close vantage point is a privilege.  

Lambing has also started and the young are starting to appear in the fields with their mothers.  I haven't been able to take a photo of them yet.  However another sign of spring on Orkney is the cows being let out into the field with their young.  And yes, I have managed to get a photo of one family.

 Contentment

In the summer, the fields on Orkney are full of cattle.  It's quite a sight.

 

Now you see it, now you don't

Waulkmill Bay

Most Sundays the Biker Man and I spend the afternoon visiting favourite haunts and trying to find new ones.  We started today's tour at Waulkmill Bay on the south west of the island.  When we visited Orkney last year we spent a happy morning on this wide sandy beach, taking photographs and watching the wildlife.  Today the tide was in, the air chilly and we watched the wildlife from the comfort of the car.  Cheating I know, but we did have a great view of a grey seal swimming in the bay whilst we enjoyed a hot cup of coffee.  And yes, we did remember to pick up the binoculars from the kitchen before we set off. 

We also found a new 'favourite spot' today.  The Hill of Midland.  This even required us to do some walking - so we also got some exercise.   As you'll see from the photographs, the view was spectacular from the top.  On the way up I photographed Graemsay, looking splendid in the sunshine.  This is the island in the blog Life on a Small Island and as you can see it is idyllic, sitting in blue waters between Hoy and the mainland.

Graemsay in the sunshine at about 2.45 p.m

At the top of the Hill of Midland is a trig (triangulation) point and the view from here is spectacular.  It's possible to look across to South Ronaldsay, and then turn to view Flotta, Hoy, Graemsay, Stromness on the mainland and then look up to the higher heather coated hills of the mainland behind you.

 The top of the triangulation marker

 Identification number

Looking out over Scapa Flow

Graemsay looked wonderful in the sunshine, but the clouds were already gathering

Minutes later a snowstorm raced across from Stromness and headed towards Graemsay

Graemsay disappeared beneath this snowy cloud but within a short while it had reappeared and was bathed in sunshine again.  As I said in an earlier blog - you can have several seasons in one hour on Orkney!

Finally we headed out to the Brough of Birsay to get our fix of waves being dashed across the rocks and seabirds playing in the wind.  Pure bliss.

  The waves at Birsay

 

St Magnus, flying the flag and new customs

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St Magus Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall

Today (16th April) is St Magnus Day and red, yellow and blue Orkney flags will be flying on buildings across the islands.

More can be found about St Magnus on the excellent Orkneyjar website.  This site gives a far better history of Earl Magnus Erlendsson of Orkney than I ever could.

The Cathedral dedicated to St Magnus is the most northerly cathedral in the British Isles.  Work started on the building in 1137 and it was added to over the years.  It's a beautiful building and very much a focal point the town.  It also acts as a venue for concerts - in particular the St Magnus Festival held in the summer.

When we holidayed on Orkney last year we saw flags all over the islands and didn't know what it was.  It was designed by Duncan Tullock of Birsay in 2007 and chosen after a public vote.  More about the flag can be found on Wikipedia.  So today, when I travel to work, I'm hoping to see flags flying again.  It's nice to be in a place that continues to create its own traditions. 

Waiting for breakfast

Waiting for breakfast

 5.30 am and we had thick mist all around the house.

7.30 am and the mist was lifting.  Curlews, Oystercatchers and Common Gulls were calling in the field behind the house.  In the front garden the sparrows were queuing up for breakfast.  The breakfast bar consists of mixed wild bird seed and fat balls.  Yum. 

The bird life on Orkney is a delight.  We can't be the only people here to keep binoculars in the kitchen.   And a couple of bird books.  We have birds nesting in the fields behind the house and we are looking forward to watching the young being raised.  It will be a testing time for the parents.  There are also Hooded Crows, Hen Harriers and Merlins patrolling these fields.

This is contentment

After a day pottering in the garden we took ourselves off to the Bay of Skaill and simply walked along the beach enjoying the last of the sunshine ....

This is why we moved to Orkney.  Need I say more.

Spring, sunshine and wildlife

I really look forward to spring and yesterday it felt as though it had truly arrived on Orkney.  The daffodils on the roadsides have been gradually starting to flower but yesterday, as we drove to the local shops, we noticed whole swathes of bright yellow flowers dancing in the light breeze.

It's my first spring on Orkney as we've always visited during the summer.  What I didn't realise is that all along the roadsides there are thousands of daffodil bulbs.  They not only brighten up the verges outside cottages and houses but also the roadside next to fields and alongside stone walls.  We've had snowdrops, we've had crocuses, but the daffodils are a real sign that spring is back.

 Two hares, just outside the kitchen window

Hares are a noticeable feature in the local countryside.  Although a little shy in the winter months, we are now surrounded by them as they box and dash around the fields.  We often spot them in the paddock and garden, and the other evening whilst I was sitting by the window reading a book, one strolled past the window on its way to check out the front garden.  Most mornings, when I wander through to the kitchen for my start-of-the-day cup of tea, I'm treated to the sight of of a hare or two outside the kitchen window.  The two in the photograph above were grazing the grass by the oil tank.  This is a lucky photographic shot.  All my previous attempts to get a good image have been more like this ...

 Camera shy

Less shy are the sparrows.  They wait for us by the bird feeder, sitting on the pampas grass or in the bushes in the flower border.  Excitement goes through the group, with a raucous chattering.  At our last home, the sparrows visiting the feeder were always wary and flew away at the sight of humans.  We've noticed a distinct difference with Orkney sparrows.  They are content to allow us to stand a few feet away, being more interested in the seeds in the feeder than in us.

I'm getting excited about rhubarb

Rhubarb against the garden wall

Ok, so I admit I'm a learner. Gardening is something I'm planning to get better at. My training is going to be hands on, learn as I go and learning by my mistakes. Of course, I'll be doing my research - much of it on the internet and some of it from the few gardening books I've picked up on the journey to this new life on Orkney.

I have a little knowledge. My parents were keen gardeners and my grandfather grew vegetables between the rose bushes - WWII 'dig for victory' style. Not an inch of garden was wasted. As a child I helped in the garden. Hopefully some of what I learnt is tucked away in the back of my memory.

The sunshine is encouraging the rhubarb to rapidly grow.

We have an old walled vegetable garden. It's neglected and covered in ground elder but I did recognise the rhubarb crowns in the corner by the wall. The Biker Man and I love rhubarb. We've watched the dormant crowns start to sprout rosy buds, and over the last couple of weeks we've spotted the first leaves starting to unfurl. The sunshine last weekend and over the last couple of days has really encouraged new growth and we now have little stalks of rhubarb popping out from the crowns.

It feels like free food. We haven't done anything to help it grow. It has probably been in this garden for generations. Many Orkney gardens have a patch of rhubarb and it is a popular ingredient used by local jam makers.

To help make the best use of this delicious crop I've invested in a copy of Mary Prior's Rhubarbaria. This little cookery book is dedicated entirely to recipes which use rhubarb, describes the history of rhubarb and provides little anecdotes and snippets of information alongside the recipes. I think the old Icelandic recipe for Roast Puffin with Rhubarb Jam is a bit extreme (and I prefer my Puffins live and happily raising their young) but Rhubarb and Ginger Ice Cream is a definite possibility. These are recipes collected from all around the world. There are no pictures but I don't think this book needs any. It's so interesting that I just keep dipping into it.

So this year it's going to be rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb.

Dipping into the Past

Wool production and spinning wheel

The walled garden at the Kirbuster Farm Museum

Quite a few of the museums on Orkney are closed during the winter months. We were eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Kirbuster Farm Museum and were amongst the first visitors during March. We weren't disapponted.

Kirbuster Farm Museum is an example of a 'fire house'. A house where there is no chimney. Instead there is a fire in the middle of the room and a hole in the roof. I have to say, the kitchen was lovely and cosy on the cold blustery day on which we visited, but it was rather smokey. Apparently the house was lived in until the 1960's.

It's a wonderful place to visit - having lots to see both in the house and in the barns and gardens around it. We'll definately be going again during the summer months, though I suspect we won't have the place to ourselves then. I suppose it is a sign of our age that the Biker Man and I kept on pointing out things we remember from our childhood, mainly because our parents, grandparents and aunts had some of the things we saw at Kirbuster Farm in their houses and outhouses. There wasn't the 'clear out' mentality that we have nowadays and things, once they came into the house, stayed around for years. Tins of Coleman's mustard do have a habit of being on pantry shelves for decades. Being interested in a simpler life, it was lovely to be able to see the tools people used when there was no electricity available to make life easier.

All the Seasons

We've often been told that you can get all the seasons in one day on Orkney. Having been here a few months I can tell you that we often get all the seasons in one hour. The picture above was taken yesterday, Easter Sunday, at the Brough of Birsay - one of our favourite spots to simply sit and watch. We'd had heavy April showers and stunning rainbows in the morning but by mid afternoon sunshine bathed the land and the sea was a beautiful blue. The tide was out and families were scrambling over the sand and rocks, looking into rock pools and collecting shells. It was still chilly and we needed our fleeces and coats but the sunshine put a smile on our faces.

Last week, The Biker Man and myself had the place to ourselves. It was wild and the waves crashed over the rocks. The seabirds skimed over the top of the sea, playing on the updrafts. Dangerous but beautiful.

The Easter holiday brought out the families and the tourists and we barely managed to get a place to park.

Today I suspect we would have the place to ourselves. It is wild, windy and wet here today. Several degrees cooler and an overcast sky. I can still hear the curlews and oystercatchers calling to their mates as they nest in the pastures behind the house.

A perfect day to start a blog.