Notty the Zebra - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Notty the Zebra

We’re at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi for a brief visit. We’ve stopped off on our way to our volunteering assignment in schools around Wamunyu to experience the Elephants that Sheldrick have rescued. Firstly, though, it’s Tytan the Rhino and Notty the Zebra. Both were rescued at almost the …

Black Rhino - Tytan - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Tytan the baby Black Rhino

I’m in Kenya volunteering on a literacy programme with a charity called Kenya Connect. We’re on our way from Nairobi, heading east …

Hotel Radix - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

My first day in Kenya

I’m off to Kenya volunteering on a literacy programme based in Wamunyu, two-hours east of Nairobi. I’m going to be with colleagues …

Tree Sparrow - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Tree Sparrow

I’ve seen Tree Sparrows before. I visited Tree Sparrow farm to see them. That’s how sadly depleted their population is.

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

Swallow on a mission

It’s mud-hut-building time for the Swallows of Westray. Whether it’s a new nest or urgent repairs to an old one, the Swallows …

Polenta - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Polenta

Polenta is a quartet of three fiddles and a guitar and I was delighted to be asked to photograph them at the …

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

Rainbow Stormbird

Starling is a good name, but I prefer the title Rainbow Stormbird. I think it suits them better. They’re busy collecting food …

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

The pace of life

I recently filmed a bird at 120 frames per second. I decided to slow it down to 24 frames a second to …

Common Terns - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Common Tern feeding time

There’s been a Common Tern in Pierowall Bay for a while now. It loves to sit out in full view of the …

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

What to do on arrival

What do you do first when you arrive in a place you know well. It could be home, or your good friend’s …

Ruddy Turnstone - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Ruddy Turnstones

No, I’m not being rude about Turnstones. That’s their full name. I love to see them skipping over the waves, their wings …

Greater Whitethroat - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Fast and scratchy

This Common or Greater Whitethroat has a grey head and a very white throat. That means it’s a male. It’s fast and …

Glossy Ibis - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Glossy

There’s a Glossy Ibis overhead again. That brown striped head probably means it’s a non-breeding adult. It’s heading across the water at …

Grey Heron - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Early nesters

Grey Herons are early nesters. There’s a lot of growing to do for a Heron, to get from egg-sized to a full-size …

Cormorant - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Cormorant

A Cormorant emerges from the water just in front of the hide here at RSPB Otmoor. It’s still an amazing experience to …

Greylag Goose - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Greylag

There’s a large pale grey goose flying past. It’s a Greylag Goose, the ancestor of the domesticated goose. This was taken at …

Bittern - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

This day was not that day

Look carefully and there are a few pixels of Bittern in this photograph. One day I’ll get a stunning photograph of a …

Stromness Blackening - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Blackening

Fancy getting drunk while being covered in molasses, eggs and flour and then tied to a lamp post with clingfilm by your …

Glossy Ibis - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Glossy Ibis

There’s a Glossy Ibis flypast at RSPB Otmoor and I’m here for it, in more ways than one. The Wildlife Trusts say, …

Cuckoo - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

*uckoo

Just before my trip to Orkney, I managed to fit in a trip to Dartmoor and one of my favourite places for …

Peregrine Falcon - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

An early morning Peregrine

I’m used to the general impression, size, and shape of a Peregrine Falcon now. That means when I saw this one perched …

Hobby - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

Hobby

Taking photographs in the middle of the day is often a bit disappointing. Just look at those shadows. The only thing lit …