Currently browsing author

David @ the HALL of EINAR, Page 4

Arctic Terns - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A family affair

An Arctic Tern family from this summer. I wonder where they are now? I suspect they’ll be somewhere on the way to …

Eider Duck - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Crab for dinner

Crabs are powerful crustaceans and can give anyone a nasty nip. Eider Ducks, or Dunters as they are known here in Orkney, …

Swallow - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Swallow shuteye

When the sun shines in Orkney, it’s best to make good use of it. This Swallow agreed.

Working Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Working Westray #8

Mike restoring the stone well in the village, watched over by Nessa. There’s an old capped well, overgrown with plants in a …

Arctic Terns - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Aerial ballet

I’ve been enjoying reviewing some of my images from Orkney Mainland taken this summer and this one, from a sequence I took …

Dunlin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Dunlin

I love to see Dunlin on the tideline: And seeing them fly past so close is a joy: This time I’m watching …

Merlin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Merlin

Every time I see a Merlin it’s a fleeting glance. It’s either only resting for a second before heading off to hunt …

Hedgehog - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

No hedges to hog

There’s a Hedgehog trundling down the lane. I can see it from a distance, so we shelter at the roadside and wait …

Black Guillemot - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Butterfish

It’s great fun to watch Black Guillemots bobbing on the waves off the coast of Westray. And I love it when they …

Kim Gibson - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Working Westray #7

I’ve loved being invited to see people working on Westray. I’ve even invited myself. There are many jobs I’ve no experience of, …

Meadow Pipit - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Singing in the bath

I’m driving along the car-bottom-scraping track to Noup Head. It’s first gear all the way unless I want to have my exhaust …

Golden Plover - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Golden Plover

I’ve never had the chance to see Golden Plover close up before. Whenever I’ve driven past a field of them on Westray …

Ewedini - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Ewedini

While waiting for a Hen Harrier, which never arrives, I see a distant sheep, which I assume is in a bit of …

Raven - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Raven and the Rabbit’s head

Ravens are so difficult to get close to. Their eyesight is exceptional and they recognise any threat from a great distance. They’re …

Meadow Pipit - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Claws

The hind claws of Meadow Pipits really are something special. Just look at them: The long hind claw is probably an adaptation …

Ros - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Working Westray #6

Ros is carving a stone house name at South Hamar. I love the simplicity of her tools and the clean lines of …

Hen Harrier - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The thrill of Hen Harriers

Hen Harriers are such wonderful birds that it’s worth sitting out in a field for a whole afternoon just in the hope …

Francesco di Gentile - Madonna della Farfalla

It’s all in the details

I love walking around the Vatican Museum. It’s great to see the treasures that were accumulated while the majority of the population …

Common Kestrel - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A Kestrel at Noup

I’m sitting at Noup Head in full camouflage waiting for a Hen Harrier to come and saunter over me. There’s been nothing …

Arctic Tern - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Beaks like tweezers

Arctic Terns have beaks like tweezers. Or is it that tweezers are like Arctic Terns’ beaks? It’s all part of our inversion …

Louise - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Working Westray #5

Louise is making a tapestry on her loom in the studio at South Hamar. It’s a beautiful commission and very different from …

Sedge Warbler - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Sedge Warbler at Roadmire

I love stopping at Roadmire, the house overlooking the Ayre of Fribo and the Bay of Tuquoy. It’s my favourite place on …

Sparrowhawk - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Sparrowhawk

I adore Sparrowhawks. I stumbled upon this one in a tree and it was always going to spot me and fly off. …

Gannet - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Fine adjustments

When you’re heading vertically downwards at an eye-bulging speed, aiming for a moving target, it’s useful to be able to make fine …

Purple Sandpiper - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Purple Sandpiper

I’m used to seeing Purple Sandpipers in Devon in the winter. There are usually a few birds around Brixham Breakwater, and they’re …