A Far North Naturalist

A Far North Naturalist Nature guide for hire, visiting sites of special interest in north Sutherland. With 40 years experience in nature conservation. Fully insured. Contact me!

This is my photographic diary. I’m an ecology graduate with 35 years working in nature conservation for The Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB and local authorities.

Wow. I was hoping to find one or two Small White Orchids (Pseudorchis albida) today, but ended up seeing 31, all in full...
13/06/2026

Wow. I was hoping to find one or two Small White Orchids (Pseudorchis albida) today, but ended up seeing 31, all in full bloom! An upland species that is in decline in many places due to under-grazing, so that heather shades the plants out. At this site, the grazing level seems to be spot on. I spoke to the grazier, who said he couldn’t take any credit for it, he just does what he does. Loads of Heath Fragrant Orchids and Heath Spotted Orchids on the hillside too. The Small White are diminutive but the slender shape of the inflorescence does make them stand out from the others. But if took my eye off them for a second, they were sometimes difficult to relocate because of their stature.

The warm, dry spring of 2025 was great for early butterflies but killed many plants off at flowering time. This year it seems to be the opposite. Lots of rain and the orchids - and other flowers - are great! I guess we can’t have it all, not in one year at least. Small White Orchids are known to not appear in some years anyway.

It’s such a busy time! I’m playing catch-up with my sightings. Here are some photos of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary b...
12/06/2026

It’s such a busy time! I’m playing catch-up with my sightings. Here are some photos of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies from a few days ago. We don’t have many butterfly species this far north, but I’m delighted to see two fritillaries locally. The other is the Dark Green, that flies a bit later in the summer.

I spent a wonderful few very wet hours on all fours in the mud yesterday, admiring the splendid display of Early Marsh O...
10/06/2026

I spent a wonderful few very wet hours on all fours in the mud yesterday, admiring the splendid display of Early Marsh Orchids (Dactylorhiza incarnata) on a very watery area of the local blanket bog. Moving water in runnels across such areas brings in dissolved bases that reduce the acidity to a degree and provide suitable conditions for a variety of splendid plants that aren’t found anywhere else across the vast expanse of peatlands that lay all around. The subspecies here is D. i. pulchella, which is only found on blanket bog. Interestingly, some of the plants have paler flowers that very much look like the nominate race incarnata. This does grow elsewhere in the region, in dune slacks, which are base-rich. I plan to visit a site tomorrow. After that, the next orchid I’ll be seeking is Small White…

Tawny Owl latest: the three chicks are now in the same corner of the garden, after the first two to fledge initially mad...
09/06/2026

Tawny Owl latest: the three chicks are now in the same corner of the garden, after the first two to fledge initially made their way to the opposite corner, well away from the nestbox. When the third chick left the nest, it was on its own for a few nights. Here are some super photos taken on Saturday by Neil Maclaren of the smallest chick, thank you Neil! We on,y had fleeting glimpses of an adult that day. We’ll try it again soon, Neil. Today I did manage to spot one…

A few hours spent in Inverness-shire, scouring through the bechwoods in search of one of my favourite plants, the Bird’s...
09/06/2026

A few hours spent in Inverness-shire, scouring through the bechwoods in search of one of my favourite plants, the Bird’s-nest Orchid. This has no chlorophyll so cannot photosynthesise. It is a parasite and gets all of its requirements by taking them from the roots of trees, via fungi that grow in a mycorrhizal association with the tree. Hence it is able to grow in dense shade, here beneath majestic Beech and Yew.
Although there are well-known sites where this orchid can easily be found, I prefer to go off the beaten track and find my own!
I almost came unstuck through my usual habit of sniffing the blooms - you might see that there’s a tick right at the very top of one of the plants. A careful look will reveal a number of other creepy-crawlies…
I was pleasantly surprised to find a huge specimen growing - in full sunshine at the moment that I passed by - at the edge of the road. It doesn’t need sunlight, but will happily grow in the open as long as there’s no competition from other plants.

And then there were none… (left in the nestbox). Just after sunrise this morning, the third chick made its first flight,...
01/06/2026

And then there were none… (left in the nestbox). Just after sunrise this morning, the third chick made its first flight, captured by a trailcam fixed to the tree opposite. This evening, all three are begging for food, in separate trees in a corner of the garden, as far from the nestbox as possible!

I had a super time today, under leaden skies, leading Jan and Geoff (thank you for requesting the walk!) to the local se...
29/05/2026

I had a super time today, under leaden skies, leading Jan and Geoff (thank you for requesting the walk!) to the local seabird colony. Loads to see en route too, including a pair of Great Skuas and masses of nesting Arctic Terns. Splendid. Join me, from now until the end of July. Start and finish at the Halladale Inn for splendid meals and refreshments.

Tawny Owls update: I located one of the two fledged chicks, high up in a Spruce tree. One of the adults was sat nearby, ...
29/05/2026

Tawny Owls update: I located one of the two fledged chicks, high up in a Spruce tree. One of the adults was sat nearby, completely unperturbed by my presence. I suspect it’s too tired to bother about me!
The last chick in the nestbox is doing well and is now sitting at the box entrance hole. Will it fledge tonight?

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Strath Halladale
Forsinard
KW136YT

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