Orkney Mainland – Page 4 – David at the HALL of EINAR

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

A Common Guillemot’s ramphotheca

The coast of Westray is a great place to see the skeletons of birds. In particular, there are skulls littered across the …

Kelp-burning pit - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Kelp! I need somebody

I’ve often wondered what kelp-burning pits looked like on Westray. There was a huge industry here, exporting the ash from burning seaplants …

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

First flight

I watched an Arctic Tern colony struggle to raise chicks over the last summer. There was plenty of food, although maybe not …

Fish from a stranger

What happens when your colony collapses, your numbers are too low and you can’t protect your chicks from predators? What if there’s …

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

The Sand Ploughman

The name Sanderling is from the Old English sand-yrðling, or ‘sand-ploughman’. This one has been ploughing the tideline for tasty morsels and is heading …

Feeding time

One of the most interesting aspects of bird behaviour is watching parents feeding their young. In this case, I can’t be sure …

Framed print

I’ve just sold a print of my photograph of a Puffin with a face full of fish: The print is 60cm x …

Arctic Tern chick

Arctic Tern chicks are so wonderfully endearing. Isn’t this one sweet?

Arctic Tern on the handrail

We had only just arrived on Papa Westray when we saw an Arctic Tern on the handrail. They’re such handsome birds, with …

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

Yet another fish shot

A Black Guillemot in breeding plumage is a thrill. Even more so when it has a freshly caught fish to display.

Fish delivery service

It’s normally Puffins I photograph with the sparkling Atlantic Ocean behind them. This time it’s a Black Guillemot in flight with a …

Singing sweetly

Black Guillemots make such a sweet noise. They sit on the cliff edge and sing their high-pitched song. It makes me smile …

A fine catch

I love to see a Black Guillemot with its catch, especially when it’s as spectacular as this fish: Magnificent, isn’t it?

Gone for a walk

This Black Guillemot has gone for a walk on the coast of Papa Westray with its Butterfish. Which makes me think: if …

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

Fulmar chick

Fulmars only lay one egg. That’s not a surprise when you see the size of the egg compared with the size of …

Display fish

A Black Guillemot with its fish. The fish is not impressed.

Northern Marsh Orchid

I love having orchids in my garden. This Northern Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza purpurella, flowers there in June and July. Dactylorhiza contains ‘dactyl’, meaning …