Eider Down
I’m walking in the far north of Westray. I’ve been scrambling up cliffs, walking across rocky beaches and yomping across grassy fields. I’m tired and decide to have a sit down by the side of a shallow pool. Suddenly I notice that I’ve sat down next to an Eider Duck.
Beautiful, aren’t they?
It waddles slowly off and I realise it’s left its nest. That’s a disaster for me as I hate disturbing wildlife.
I take a quick phone photo as I pass by and then scuttle off, leaving the female to return, warily, to her eggs.
The nest is extraordinary. Five eggs lie in a hollow of Eider down, plucked from her body. They look so snug there. I look forward to the flopping of little webbed feet down onto the rocky beach.
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