Flypast
I’m sat on the cliffs of Westray in pleasant light. It’s the middle of summer and it’s finally made it to 16 degrees Celsius. Less, of course, the windchill. I checked the wind speed and also the direction before I left home.
First past is a Puffin. It’s easy to forget that Puffins are tiny, the size of a small pigeon.
![Puffin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Puffin-The-Hall-of-Einar-9-725x483.jpg)
There’s another Auk, a Razorbill, with its distinctive black and white plumage and facial stripe:
![Razorbill - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Razorbill-The-Hall-of-Einar--725x483.jpg)
A Guillemot is flapping fast past me, with its dark brown plumage catching the sunlight:
![Guillemot - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Guillemot-The-Hall-of-Einar-3-725x483.jpg)
There’s a Herring Gull objecting to me being here. I suspect that it has a chick nearby:
![Herring Gull - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Herring-Gull-The-Hall-of-Einar-4-725x484.jpg)
A Great Skua flies fast and low looking for any opportunity for a meal. They’re the ultimate attacking opportunists.
![Great Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Great-Skua-The-Hall-of-Einar--725x483.jpg)
Then there’s a Shag with its emerald green eyes, yellow gape and iridescent plumage
![Shag - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Shag-The-Hall-of-Einar--725x483.jpg)
Now, let me ask you a question. What do all of these images have in common? Yes, I know they’re all birds. Yes, I know they’re all flying.
The answer is that they’re all flying past me in the same direction. That’s because they are all flying into the wind. I need the sun and the wind from vaguely the same direction to take anything successful. It’s all in the planning.