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Westray Natural History, Page 19

the natural history of Westray

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

Raven over rooftops

There’s a Raven over my roof. Here it is with the top of my capped-off chimney below it. Its wingtips are lit …

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

Gannet

Walking along the Bay of Tafts I’m sad to see the body of a Gannet. Its fragile ribs and delicate feathers are …

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

Urtica

There are lots of Nettles at Einar. Their scientific name is Urtica dioica, with urtica meaning to burn. They certainly do.

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

Leftovers

There’s very little left of this carcass at Noup Head.

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

Rock pool gardens

The rock pools of Westray are magnificent underwater gardens. Here, red Coral Weed makes a frondy jungle.

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

Razorbill

I didn’t even see this Razorbill on the cliffs last summer at Noup Head until The Puffin Whisperer pointed it out to …

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

Fulmars

Fulmars look like gulls but aren’t. Look closer and they have strange adapted bills with tubes on their noses. Their countershading colouration …

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

Evening Puffin

A Puffin at the Castle o’ Burrian as the low evening sunlight streams through the grey clouds.

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

Puffin watchers

Looking back at my photographs from the summer I found this one. I’m a keen photographer of the Puffins on Westray: I …

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

Fish scales at Snaky Noust

‘Scattered fish scales of Osteolepis are common at Snaky Noust.’ From the wonderful Westray Heritage Centre.

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

Colourful seaweed

I always had a sneaking suspicion that seaweed was all that strange brown colour. Not so. Just look:

Seaweed on the Shore - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Seaweed on the shore

All it needs is a little rough weather and the beach at Grobust is filled with beautiful seaweed.

Seal and Turnstones - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Turnstone procession

This seal is having a snooze in Pierowall as Turnstones parade across the wet rocky shore. It doesn’t look as interested as …

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

Camouflage

I found a shore crab on a Westray beach and then I lost it again.

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

Thistle

I love the thistles on Westray; just not on my ankles.

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

Struggling up the property ladder

Finding a new home is always a struggle. There’s the emotional wrench of leaving your old home behind, the uncertainty of whether you’ll fit into your new place and the difficulty of finding somewhere suitable when there’s so much competition. It’s difficult for people in the same way it’s difficult for Hermit Crabs.

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

Gannet

The name Gannet comes from the Old English ganot which means strong or masculine. It’s from the same Old Germanic root as …

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

My eyes popped out on stalks

My eyes metaphorically popped out on stalks when I saw this Hermit Crab in a Westray rock pool. There are well over …

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

Curlew

Curlews are in serious decline across the UK. It’s probably because so much of the land is used for food production and …

Mushrooms in the field - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mushrooms in the field

There’s something otherworldly about mushrooms. They’re more closely related to animals than they are to plants. A very different kind of life …