Grass Snakes, King Curlews and their Lapwing attendants
Any patch of good weather means there’s a chance of cutting hay for silage. The people of Westray have perfected the art of co-ordinated tractor driving. One drives in front with machinery to collect and shoots a grass snake of emerald green across the air into a trailer driven behind and to the side.
![Silage - Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Westray-The-Hall-of-Einar-9-725x408.jpg)
It’s mesmerising to watch. There seem to be two trailers to make best use of the time, with a swap-over at the end of a row. Watching them coordinate their industrial dance is entertaining.
There are scolders above with harsh cries:
![Oystercatchers - Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Westray-The-Hall-of-Einar-10-725x483.jpg)
They’ve also perfected the art of co-ordination:
![Oystercatchers - Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Westray-The-Hall-of-Einar-19-725x483.jpg)
King Curlews and their Lapwing attendants fly past imperiously.
![Curlew and Lapwings - Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Westray-The-Hall-of-Einar-13-725x408.jpg)
I particularly liked this image, with the form of the grass snake clearly visible, its head clear, and its eye inspecting its destination.
![Silage - Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Westray-The-Hall-of-Einar-8-1-725x408.jpg)
My destination is the north of the Island. I expect a Bonxie attack, always assuming that the Arctic Terns don’t get me first.