Handa Island
Handa Island is a Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserve located in the far north west of Scotland, and is home in the height of summer to close to 100,000 seabirds gathering to breed including guillemots, razorbills great skua and puffins (Information as published on the Scottish Wildlife Trust site).
The reserve is accessed by a pedestrian ferry service that runs from Tarbet on demand during the visitor season. Tarbet and the ferry is well sign posted off the A894, 3 miles north of Scourie. If you find yourself at Laxford Bridge then you have missed the turning. It is recommend, like we did, to phone before traveling to make sure the ferry is running, as the service can be affected by bad weather. This is the page for directions, running times of the ferry and contact numbers.
There is a decent amount of car parking spaces and the ferry price was very reasonable (only £12pp for an adult). Also no extra charge once on the reserve.
Our crossing by ferry there and back was very pleasant, and quick (about 15-20 mins crossing time max). Once on the reserve you are met by a resident volunteer, ours was very helpful providing clear directions on the paths and time to get around the island, along with answering all questions.
We decided, like many others, to head directly to the north-west coast side of the island, to the Great Stack, where the cliffs rise from the Atlantic and hopefully sighting puffins. Much of the route is on boardwalk or else clear grass paths. Here is a view looking back, before reaching the Great Stack.
Bird sightings on the way to the Great Stack included this Great Skua nesting (Stercorarius skua)
a juvenile Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)
and this Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis).
You are able to get very close to the edge of the cliffs, which are very steep, if you are that way inclined. I am not!
On first look there were lots of Guillemots (Uria aalge) & Gulls on cliff edge.
and then ….. spotted Puffins!!!!
and once I had stop panicking (shacking) at being so close to the cliff edge I managed to get a few decent shots ….. and here a few!
First puffin (Fratercula arctica) is in flight and hopefully gives you a sense of their size.
3 in a row
This one for the expression of the group below, who appear embarrassed at their fellow Puffins flight abilities.
A group taking off
A single puffin looking towards the camera.
A profile shot.
Once past the puffins at work
the path heads south west to Poll Ghlup, this part of the path runs alongside the cliff, as shown here looking back
The path winds downwards as you go further and further south to An Toll and Boulder Bay, and this is some of the wildlife we saw whilst walking.
A profile shot of a Great Skua
A Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
A Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
and yet to be identified bird. I think it might be a bunting of some kind.
On arrival at Boulder Bay spotted at least 4 seals. I think they were Common Seals (Phoca vitulina) and this is a shot of 1 of them.
On the last leg back to the start came across this pair of Arctic Skua.
and finally at the ferry pick up bay there were lots of Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). This one in flight.
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