28 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORERNOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016
N
othing is more magical than seeing your first
puffin flapping about and landing in the sea
next to you. e Ospreyof Anstruther, an inflatable
but very solid boat, takes visitors to the Isle of May on
most days during the summer season. Leaving
Anstruther in Fife, it takes just over 20 minutes to
make the crossing.
ankfully the skipper takes it easy for even on the
way out to this magnificent place there is plenty to see.
Seabirds are all around and the occasional gannet dives
into the water looking for fish. Gannets do not live on
May itself, but puffins are abundant with about 46,000
pairs. is is interesting as there were only a handful
of these comical-looking birds recorded there in 1959.
May is relatively small, measuring only about one
mile long and 600 yards wide. It is uninhabited, apart
from a handful of SNH staff and volunteers who look
aer the wildlife. From a distance it looks fairly flat,
with a building in the middle; the remains of
Scotland’s very first lighthouse.Truly Spectacular
Before landing, the Ospreytakes a trip around to
encounter thousands of seabirds nesting on the rugged
cliffs. A constant noise of birds calling to one another
other, and maybe shouting a warning about the
approaching boat, is present. Of course we cannot get
too close, but seeing them nest here is truly spectacular.
At the height of the breeding season from May to
July, this is home to around 200,000 seabirds
including guillemots, razorbills, puffins, kittiwakes,
shags and fulmars. ousands of these birds create
nests on the cliffs; a breath-taking sight especially
when observed from below.
During the breeding season, walking around can be
quite a challenge. Hundreds of terns have their nests
adjacent to the paths. is is not a problem in itself,
but these feisty birds do not like people getting close
and they make this very clear by literally hitting
passers-by on the head. is dive-bombing cannot be
avoided, but a raised stick, hat and hood are useful.Isle of May - Beloved of Vikings, Smugglers and Seabirds
Marieke McBeanon the island in the Firth of Forth
Isle of May -
Beloved ofVikings,
Smugglers and Seabirds