A pair of Puffins at Marwick Head
- by Brian Alexander
- •
- 14 Jul, 2020
- •
My wife Jane photographed these pair of Puffins at Marwick Head, Birsay Orkney yesterday evening. Puffins form long-term relationships and lay a single egg. Both parents incubate the egg and feed the chick. Puffins are able to hold several small fish at a time, crosswise in their bill, rather than regurgitating swallowed fish. This allows them to take longer trips since they can come back with more food energy for their chick than a bird that can only carry one fish at a time. This behavior is made possible by the unique hinging mechanism of their beak, which allows the upper and lower biting edges to meet at any of a number of angles.
Today 24th April I had another peedie (little) milestone post COVID. I had my first German language Kirkwall Walking tour from the MSC Magnifica. I practiced my German for a day or two before, but it is fair to say there is room for improvement?!
Today I had two tours to the Ring of Brodgar with American visitors from the Viking Venus. This was my first tour of the 2022 season and the weather was less then kind. My voice was shredded with talking so long. This is a bummer as I pick up a three day Harmony tour tomorrow.
An early start this morning at 8.30am to make full use of the limited daylight. In the morning we visited the Broch of Gurness, the Earl's Palace and Skara Brae. Then after lunch, it was the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and then back to Kirkwall via John Hamilton's stone pick-up.
Normally in Kirkwall Orkney the Mens' Ba is thrown up at 1 o'clock on Christmas Day. Due to COVID this years games were again cancelled. However this lady took her father's Ba down to Broad Street, to display. A few die hard Ba players were down on the street to admire it.
After Storm Arwen we now have an icy blast, which means I have to start feeding my cattle. This is later than normal, due to a mild Orkney Autumn. However I am short of silage, due to the very dry summer and therefore would have liked to put off feeding for a week or so yet.
It’s Monday, so it must be another Harmony Coach Holiday tour and the weather looks like it’s going to be good?!
I just finished another lovely Harmony Coach Holiday tour, with another great bunch of folks. There were quite a few folk from the North East of Scotland this time. I only have three more of them to go in 2021 sob, sob! But on the bright side the next one begins on Wednesday!
Today I had two tours to Skara Brae, Skaill House and the Ring of Brodgar, from the Marella Explorer 2
Today I had two tours across the barriers to the Italian Chapel and back along St Magnus Cathedral from MV Celebrity Silhouette.
Today I said goodbye to my Harmony Coach Holiday Tour after visiting the Earls Palace Birsay and the Broch of Gurness in the West Mainland of Orkney