The stack on Handa.

From a distance you dont realise that there are so many birds on the stack . apparently there are 90,000 guillemots on Handa.. They along with the other birds are the current tenants of Handa..in my first visits to Handa the cliffs were crammed with birds and on later visits the birds had gone and the place seemed quite eery without them.

I have been reading a book called 'findings' by Kathleen Jamie.. many of her descriptions are relevent to Handa and the birds.

'the westerly wind brought squalls in like great wings. only a few fulmars were at home, the puffins burrows empty waiting for spring'

'the air was worked by oystercatchers, fulmars and terns'

'the oystercatchers went piping overhead'

'knowing birds is like being fluent in a foreign language or adept at a fluent language'

'most of the wardens work is negotiating and compromising with people rather than the birds. given the conditions, the birds will look after themselves. Its the tenant farmers and neighbours that need the managment '