Sanderling #4

The Sanderlings of summer on Westray were a joy to get close to. Lying on the beach, keeping still, and watching them was such a great experience. Especially with crashing waves behind them.

Sanderling - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey

The name Sanderling comes from the Old English sand-yrðling, which means ‘sand-ploughman’. They are up and down the tideline as often as any Westray farmer is up and down the surrounding fields.

Sanderling - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey

It’s quite emotional to realise they spend their summer breeding in the Arctic, in a distribution that rings the pole, and then set off for a winter in South America, southern Europe, Africa and Australia. It’s a privilege to see them.

Sanderling - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey

The sandy beaches of Westray are the perfect stopping-off point on their endlessly repeated journey, programmed from generation after generation of survival.

Sanderling - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey

Sanderling are sand-ploughmen in the sands of evolutionary time, with deep furrows across thousands of miles of the Earth over millions of years.

Sanderling - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey

And we are here to experience this brief moment together.

Sanderling - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey

Feel free to leave a Reply :)