Just like Manatees was a bucket list item to see, so are puffins. When Vernon indicated he wanted to pop across for the TT race again it was a natural to add on a side trip to Scotland to see puffins on the Isle of May where about 40-50,000 come to nest. Last trip we missed out on seeing them as they were booked out, so this time I was online getting tickets as soon as the season opened in March.
For breakfast I couldn’t go past the kippers again and neither could Vern the full Scottish – which included a potato scone. I also got given one as a special extra as I clean up kippers so well. They are flat, but nice and soft-chewy like a real naan bread. We ducked out to get our laundry and came back and weighed it on the kitchen scales before checking out and posting it on route. It was raining again and I was crossing fingers and toes hoping it would be clear this afternoon down west at Anstruther. The drive is only 1.5hrs and went smoothly with us arriving in time to check into our hotel at the little fishing village waterfront, and line up for the boat.
Fortunately the weather had cleared to the point of not raining but it was dark and overcast with a decent chilling breeze that necessitated us putting on our thermals under our clothes, puffer jackets and final layer of Macs to break the wind. The May Princess is an approximately 50ft ferry with large cabin design and a little top floor. We got a centre back outside lower deck seat which was a good idea as we were soon to find out. Anstruther has a break water harbour and as soon as we got out from behind the thick rock wall shelter there was a very sloppy, choppy 1.5m washing machine sea that had water coming over the bow and sometimes through gaps on the side or over the rear. Therein our good seating and other than lifting our feet occasionally we were pretty much dry – unlike the top deck passengers bahaha.
Vern being used to these things assured a slightly nervous me that the conditions were nothing more than sloppy, and the boat was well fit to handle it. It was a bit like riding a big draft horse at a canter, and after about 1/2 way through the 1hr voyage the sea did flatten out a bit more – but was still sloppy and choppy (not so many hills, troughs, and splashes).
As we neared the island I got more and more excited as we saw a lot of sea bird activity – including puffins! We even saw quite close some beautiful gannets with their bright yellow faces – they do not nest on the Isle of May – but on another little island in the distance that was not part of our trip. As we rounded the into a sheltered inlet to disembark we got treated to a curious grey seal coming near the boat and then away. They are rather pretty and larger than the NZ kind. We were given a quick talk by some rangers, a map and sent on our way to discover our own adventure for the next 2.5hrs.
We walked to the highest point and then asked some other visitors if they had found a good spot – the German pointed us in a easterly direction on one of the lower paths and we were treated to such a magic time for the rest of our stay. How can I describe seeing these clown of birds finally so close – happy feeding their young and going about their business in their natural environment? It was just bursting good – like the manatees but better as these were in the wild. We were recommended to only stay on marked tracks (or we could crush a burrow) and perhaps sit and let the action happen around as if you are quiet and still they will settle down and go about business, vs. walking through and standing which may startle them.
I got as close as 5m from then – just close enough for my zoom to do a reasonable photo. However, they were flying around our heads only 1m away and that was a buzz. Many other passengers were from the UK and had professional gear – big lenses that weighed about 2kg or more alone – I felt quite dinky with my little travel camera and its small light zoom of 200 grams. I was also a tinge envious at the quality of photo they would be getting from their kit. However, I knew that that was not an option for me with our 2 month trip and so long as my photos remind me of the awesome experience I can be happy with that. Big advantage of my travel sized kit is that I can be a lot more inconspicuous and portable!
When the kind German gave us a tip on where to go – he said thousands of birds – he was not exaggerating. The puffins were busy and thick in the air – looking like a swarm of midge on a summers day. They are pretty fast and even with my zoom and speed burst it was hard to get a decent in flight photo. An added bonus to the whole day was that the sun made an appearance – what could have been more perfect for my bucket list experience?
Even though we had 2.5hrs it went by so quickly we could have staying longer. Puffins are cute, funny and pretty with their fascinating colors and patterning. I found their mouths stuffed with up to 8 little fish hilarious – some hanging and waving like whiskers as they watched for danger looking left and right before ducking into their burrows to feed the young. Apparently they only have one chick per year. There were lots of terns on the island and they would dive bomb the visitors unless you walked with your hand above your head wiggling your fingers (ranger tip) LOL. The trip home was a bit more gentle, but still not calm but we were so contented with the experience we couldn’t have cared less.
Back on shore we joined a very long queues for multi award winning fish and chippie which even Camilla has eaten at and sent a personal letter stating they were the best chips she had tasted. I would not go that far, but the haddock, chips and mushy peas with salt and vinegar were very very nice – and warming. We shared one serve as an entree and then went to our hotel restaurant which was well rated for a entree bowl of tasty lentil soup and more haggis bon bons (you can never have too many). Our hotel is really comfortable and I needed it as I felt beaten up from both the bumpy sea and cold, and a really annoying sinus-allergy- rhinitis that I have developed.
Travels with Valrock 