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Westray, Page 6

Notes on a very small island

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 …

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

Eider or

I’m waiting for my car to be MOTd. After a dull hour I have to go back to check how it’s going. …

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

A diving Arctic Tern

Evolution by natural selection has resulted in the most incredible diversity of life on Earth. One of the standout examples in my …

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

Emerald eyes

I’m walking along the barren rocky coast of the north of Westray. There seems to be very little directly north of here …

Risso's Dolphin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Risso’s Dolphin

There’s a report on our local WhatsApp group that there’s a stranded Risso’s Dolphin on one of the beaches on Westray. Our …

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

“Fish!”

We’ve been out to the north end of Westray again, taking photographs of Black Guillemots with their fish. I had in mind …

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

Hello cheeky

Please don’t tickle this Sand Martin. If you do it’s likely to splutter flies everywhere from cheeks bursting with them. Seriously, birds …

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

Tension

Water; it’s incredible. Humans have evolved senses to see, smell, and taste a wide variety of sensations and yet we see water …

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

Black Guillemots and Butterfish

Butterfish are the Black Guillemot’s most common catch. Here’s a Butterfish which is deep red and still wriggling. Black Guillemots usually grip …

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

Moving air to light

Arctic Terns move between air and water, between north and south, between being territorial and migratory, between Arctic and Antarctic. Their life …

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

Golden light

The light is incredible on the west coast of Westray. It’s golden, and reflects beautifully off the Atlantic onto the rocky coast. …

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

Stares

The word Starling means little Stare, a young Stare, a juvenile Stare. Stare is what adult Starlings were always called until everyone …

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

Trainee wings

There are young Arctic Terns here which have yet to get their full adult plumage. Smart, aren’t they? We’ve walked a mile …

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

The dance

We’re on Mainland Orkney for a few days because my car needs an MOT. That’s a happy circumstance, because it gives us …

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

Exhaustion

Skylark, exhausted after all that shouting from on high.

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

Arrow

As the weather in Orkney has been so idyllic, I’ve been out with my camera for many, many hours, including sitting on …

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

Silverweed on coral beach

Calling a plant as wonderful as this Potentilla a weed seems deeply unfair, but that’s botany for you. The underside of the …

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

Westside Wheatears

I’ve taken to walking the Westside of Westray. Yes, I’ve been taking a Walk on the Westside. The glorious weather has meant …

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

At night I dream of the Ocean

This Atlantic Puffin has come to rest on the low, grassy cliffs, where its burrow faces the North Sea. It flaps its …

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

Rock Pipit

This Rock Pipit on the coast of Westray reminds me… I must plump up my duvet when I make my bed.

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

Return to Oystercatcher beach

I can’t resist their orange good looks. Birds with red plumage have enhanced vision in the red of the spectrum. I wonder …

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

The fish dance

Black Guillemots like to display their fish on the cliffs. It would be a shame not to spend some time appreciating their …

Great Black Backed Gull - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

I can’t resist a flypast

Whenever there’s a Great Black Backed Gull flying past I just can’t resist taking a portrait. I love their faces. Am I …

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

Flashy wings

The go-faster stripes on this Great Skua are very distinctive. They’re very Starsky & Hutch and their 1976 Ford Gran Torino.

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

Arctic Terns at sunset

We’ve been out with the Arctic Terns this evening and I’ve loved seeing their behaviour. They interact with all the other bird …