Kenyan faces
There are many things to love about Kenya. The sincerity of the people. The lack of cynicism. The beautiful faces. Kithoto Women Group, Kyeengai.
Basket weaving with Kithoto Women Group, Kyeengai
We are on the Institution Bus again, in rural Kenya, headed out from Wamunyu along dirt roads to Kithoto Women Group in …
Mr Bonface’s Curio Shop
We’re having a visit to Mr Bonface’s curio shop. It’s a gloriously arranged tin shack with a beautiful Zebra painting on the …
A visit to the Wamunyu Handicraft Cooperative Society
Our volunteering in Kenyan schools doesn’t start until tomorrow, yet we have a full programme of activities planned. One of our first …
Welcome to my tent for the week
We’ve arrived in Machakos county in Kenya after our journey from Nairobi. We’ve passed one of the largest shanty towns and seen …
Mango and matcha with a Black Kite display
It’s lunchtime on our trip to Wamunyu in Kenya and the out-of-town shopping centre is modern and wholesome. There are security checks …
Bushbuck
There’s what looks like an East African Bushbuck on the forest edge. They’re elusive and solitary and brilliantly camouflaged. It’s unusual to …
The fascination of Anubis Baboons
Being a Baboon seems like quite a fun lifestyle. At least if you’re a male. There’s a nursing female carrying an infant …
Elephant bath time
It’s Elephant bath time at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. There’s excitement in the small, quiet crowd as a herd of …
Notty the Zebra
We’re at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi for a brief visit. We’ve stopped off on our way to our volunteering assignment …
Tytan the baby Black Rhino
I’m in Kenya volunteering on a literacy programme with a charity called Kenya Connect. We’re on our way from Nairobi, heading east …
My first day in Kenya
I’m off to Kenya volunteering on a literacy programme based in Wamunyu, two-hours east of Nairobi. I’m going to be with colleagues …
Tree Sparrow
I’ve seen Tree Sparrows before. I visited Tree Sparrow farm to see them. That’s how sadly depleted their population is.
Swallow on a mission
It’s mud-hut-building time for the Swallows of Westray. Whether it’s a new nest or urgent repairs to an old one, the Swallows …
Polenta
Polenta is a quartet of three fiddles and a guitar and I was delighted to be asked to photograph them at the …
Rainbow Stormbird
Starling is a good name, but I prefer the title Rainbow Stormbird. I think it suits them better. They’re busy collecting food …
Sunset over Einar (again)
I’m out to see the Puffins at the Castle o’ Burrian on Westray.
The pace of life
I recently filmed a bird at 120 frames per second. I decided to slow it down to 24 frames a second to …
Dramatic chase as Sandwich Tern pursued by Arctic Skuas
It’s a stunning day at Mae Sands, or, as one Westray inhabitant insists it is called, the Sands o’ Maesan. It’s a …
Aimée Leonard and the Orkney Folk Festival Choir
It was a pleasure to photograph Aimée Leonard as part of Orkney Folk Festival in Stromness Parish Church. What a great venue …
Common Tern feeding time
There’s been a Common Tern in Pierowall Bay for a while now. It loves to sit out in full view of the …
Sunset over Einar
If you’re new here, Einar is the name of my house on Westray.
What to do on arrival
What do you do first when you arrive in a place you know well. It could be home, or your good friend’s …
Ruddy Turnstones
No, I’m not being rude about Turnstones. That’s their full name. I love to see them skipping over the waves, their wings …
Fast and scratchy
This Common or Greater Whitethroat has a grey head and a very white throat. That means it’s a male. It’s fast and …
Claire’s Music Club at the Orkney Folk Festival 2026
It’s a pleasure to listen to Claire Hastings work with babies and young children and their families in the Pier Arts Centre. …
Glossy
There’s a Glossy Ibis overhead again. That brown striped head probably means it’s a non-breeding adult. It’s heading across the water at …
Haverin at the Orkney Folk Festival 2026
It’s always a pleasure to hear Haverin sing. Especially since they have so many great voices in the band. Aileen and Megan …
Early nesters
Grey Herons are early nesters. There’s a lot of growing to do for a Heron, to get from egg-sized to a full-size …
Cormorant
A Cormorant emerges from the water just in front of the hide here at RSPB Otmoor. It’s still an amazing experience to …