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Westray

Notes on a very small island

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 …

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 …

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

Sedge Warbler

I’ve got a lot of love and appreciation for Sedge Warblers. They’re one of the first birds I took decent photographs of …

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

A curly Curlew

Having a Curlew fly over is always a thrill, especially if I can hear it call. It’s the haunting last sound of …

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

Something to say

I love it when a Sanderling has something to say. It’s beautiful on Mae Sands as I lie getting my elbows soggy …

Thrift at Backarass - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Second bloom

The Thrift at Backarass is having a welcome second bloom. As am I.

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

A head-scratching moment

I’m watching Kittiwakes fly past Noup Head, where cliffs keep a huge breeding seabird colony relatively safe from predators. One amuses me, …

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

Hungry chick

We’re on the cliffs of Westray at Noup Head lighthouse, hanging over the edge again. I don’t like heights. There’s an amusingly …

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

A Wheatear explosion

I’ve never been able to get close to Wheatears before. They are very wary birds. There are a few families along the …

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

My spirit animal

I’ve walked the coast of Westray many times now, always with a large camera with telephoto lens. Partly, that’s out of fear …

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

Tiddly toes

Isn’t this Arctic Tern a stunning bird? One distinctive feature of Arctic Terns is that they have incredibly short legs. It probably …

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

Twisting and Terning

I love how high-speed photography reveals what’s happening, when the human eye and brain can’t process it. Here, an Arctic Tern is …

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

Incoming Tystie

The Black Guillemots are struggling to feed their chick. There’s even an outside possibility they have two chicks that they are struggling …

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

Catchlight

The Arctic Tern colonies on Westray all behave differently when approached. Their behaviour seems to depend upon which stage in the breeding …

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

On reflection

I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time with Arctic Terns this summer. It’s been a pleasure. I’ve been sit-in on the rocks …

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

Tystie takeoff

When I first saw a Black Guillemot hanging about on the cliffs with a fish, I was worried. Was I stopping it …

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

Missing out

Watching young birds being fed is entertaining, especially if they are twins. The look on the face of the bird which isn’t …

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

The diving Kittiwake

I’ve not watched a Kittiwake feeding before. It’s fascinating to see their wings beating, their eyes on the sea, their false-starts and …

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

The best camera…

They say that the best camera is the one you have with you. That was certainly true of my evening walk on …

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

And still the chase goes on…

The Arctic Tern chicks have fledged, yet Great Skuas still patrol and Arctic Tern parents still chase them off. It’s an ever-repeating …