The Leach (storm) Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is a member of the
tubenose family. They are nocturnal birds on their breeding sites to avoid predation from Gulls and Skua's, although unfortunately on St. Kilda the Great Skua adapted his behaviour by chasing them at night. The breeding population of Leach Petrels on St. Kilda declined, where the population of Great Skua increased.
Outside the breeding season, Leach petrels are strictly pelagic, which means they are always at sea.
Because of their remote breeding sites, the chances of seeing Leach petrels is small. That is why I am so excited about this opportunity.
It is after 11.00 PM when Gina turns up for the excursion. We leave in almost dark; the petrels won't show themselves before dark, and Gina doesn't promise we will see them at all.
On our way up we suddenly hear a single petrel. The sound is mechanical, like an old taperecorder getting stuck. I couldn't make a picture because of the dark, but I did make a recording of the sound.
After twenty minutes or so, more petrels awake, and from several cleits we hear the clicking sounds of the petrels. Now they start to fly over us too, fast and swift like bats.
We enjoy this spectacle for about three quarters of an hour, and we begin to feel cold. At the end of the show a manx shearwater shouts, which I never heard before; it sounds like a heavy smoker.
On our way back we also hear the storm petrel, another family member, but smaller and with another rump pattern and flight.
After arriving home we have a short drink with Gina and the others. Its about two o'clock when I go to bed. I found this evening very exciting!
woensdag 18 maart 2015
zaterdag 21 februari 2015
Puffins
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| Puffin at Oiseval St.Kilda |
On St. Kilda the colony of Puffins is the largest breeding concentration of Puffins in Britain. The majority breeds on Boreray and Soay, but on Dún are also large numbers, and Dún is more accessible for investigation. Puffins breed on the slopes in burrows they dig out themselves. They usually lay only one egg. After about 40 days from hatching, the pufflins fledge. The parents don't abandon the chicks, but they are feeding them less food. Especially in darker and mistier nights, these young pufflins are attracted to the sounds and the lights in the street on Hirtha.
Since 1973 until 1996 these stranded young Puffins were collected, counted, ringed and weighted in order to studie the breeding success and fledging conditions of Puffins (Harris, Murray & Wanless, Bird Study, 1998).
The results show a decline in breeding success and condition of the young Puffins in the period between 1973 - 1998. Successfull breeding and good condition of chicks depend on the time the breeding season for the Puffins start and the amount of Sprat in the diet of young Puffins.
Puffins on St. Kilda start breeding later when the temperature of the sea is warmer. The later the Puffins start to breed, the smaller the breeding success. More Sprat in the diet of Puffin makes the young Puffins heavier.
Whether there is also an influence of predation by the increasing amount of Bonxies in the period, is not considered in the study.
In the "Seabird and Marine Ranger Annual Report St. Kilda 2013" Gina Prior describes a research on breeding success of Puffins she conducted in 2013 on Dùn.
The conclusion of this research is the same; a decline in breeding success and lighter fledglings. This trend is not just seen on St. Kilda, but also on Skomer, Isle of May and Fair Isle, although the breeding success there is better than on St. Kilda.
She doesn't consider the start of the breeding season in her research.
In the pub someone told me he found a pufflin once, but didn't recognise it. Young Puffins are entirely black, and they don't have the distinct white/black head and colourfull bill yet.
dinsdag 27 januari 2015
Day 12; June the 15th
As planned, we get up early to do yoga in a flat enclosure behind the street. We borrow some sheets, Flo brings her yoga-app, and Martin lends us his speaker. Cath, Flo, Mike, Liz and me make our way to the enclosure. It must have been an awkward sight on St.Kilda!
Back on our bare feet trhrough the soft wet peaty ground.
It is Sunday, and we don't work today. Together with Mike I make a walk to Oiseval to see the puffins, and hopefully take a good picture of one. The puffins are very amusing to look at. They fly around with those bright orange feet attempting to land, but they don't seem to dare to. I think we are sitting on their burrow. Finally one does, and we stand up to have a better look. A pocket with lens starts tumbling down and falls into the water. When we go down, we see it still floats in the kelp. Mike gets into the water to get it out. We rinse it with fresh water and hope the best of it.
We decide to go find the remnants of the beaked whale. According to Paul the skull is hidden somewhere in one of the cleits. He doesn't know which one. We already found some backbones in another cleit, so we inspect the cleits nearby.
When we find the skull, there is still soft material on, and it smells awful!
We make another short walk along the beach and chat a little.
Tonight, after dinner we will make an excursion with Gina to Carn Mór and hopefully see the Leach Petrels.
Back on our bare feet trhrough the soft wet peaty ground.
It is Sunday, and we don't work today. Together with Mike I make a walk to Oiseval to see the puffins, and hopefully take a good picture of one. The puffins are very amusing to look at. They fly around with those bright orange feet attempting to land, but they don't seem to dare to. I think we are sitting on their burrow. Finally one does, and we stand up to have a better look. A pocket with lens starts tumbling down and falls into the water. When we go down, we see it still floats in the kelp. Mike gets into the water to get it out. We rinse it with fresh water and hope the best of it.
We decide to go find the remnants of the beaked whale. According to Paul the skull is hidden somewhere in one of the cleits. He doesn't know which one. We already found some backbones in another cleit, so we inspect the cleits nearby.
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| Vertebrae of the beaked whale |
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| The skull of the stranded beaked whale |
Tonight, after dinner we will make an excursion with Gina to Carn Mór and hopefully see the Leach Petrels.
zaterdag 17 januari 2015
Day 11; the rest of the Saturday
Officially it is a working day, but we don't really do anything anymore. Mike is having cleaning duties. He pretends to be mad with me for beating him in the race, and Flo isn't very subtle remembering him in and out of season that he is beaten by a "tiny Dutch lady". For the rest of the days on St. Kilda this remains a teasing joke between us.
I take the opportunity to wash a few items and in the afternoon Liz, Helen, Rachel and me make a walk to Conachair. On or way back we meet Flo and Stephen and together we return to the street. We make plans for a yoga session tomorrow. Flo has got a yoga app on her IPad.
After dinner I can't resist a visit to the pub, and neither do the others.
It might seem I've become a pretty heavy drinker, but that is not the case. The consumption of alcohol is restricted on the island. You are allowed only one consumption at the time, so you can't really stand drinks. I drink a glass of wine with Mike and we chat over the race this morning. I tease him a bit, but he is a very sportive, and I know I just won because I am so much lighter in weight than he is.
Tomorrow we get up early for the yoga session, so at closing time we go home and to bed.
I take the opportunity to wash a few items and in the afternoon Liz, Helen, Rachel and me make a walk to Conachair. On or way back we meet Flo and Stephen and together we return to the street. We make plans for a yoga session tomorrow. Flo has got a yoga app on her IPad.
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| Me, Steven and Flo |
After dinner I can't resist a visit to the pub, and neither do the others.
It might seem I've become a pretty heavy drinker, but that is not the case. The consumption of alcohol is restricted on the island. You are allowed only one consumption at the time, so you can't really stand drinks. I drink a glass of wine with Mike and we chat over the race this morning. I tease him a bit, but he is a very sportive, and I know I just won because I am so much lighter in weight than he is.
Tomorrow we get up early for the yoga session, so at closing time we go home and to bed.
zondag 21 december 2014
Day 11; June the 14th. The chimney challenge!
Today is Saturday and the day of the chimney challenge!
The chimney is a very steep climb uphill. When there were still military on the island, the run was a populair workout. Now the leaders of the workparties like to organise the challenge. The times are officialy recorded by the people from Qinetiq.
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| The chimney |
David arranged some men from Qinetiq to give the start and record the timing.
It's not just Mike and me who are running; Liz, Martin, Helen and Rachel will also participate.
The start is a bit sudden as you can see in this picture; Mike is still setting his watch, and I haven't put on my jacket yet. I like the sheer fun Martin shows, Helen, who made the effort to make herself a personal running"shirt"and Rachel who was persuaded to run just a couple of minutes before the start.
The start is a bit sudden as you can see in this picture; Mike is still setting his watch, and I haven't put on my jacket yet. I like the sheer fun Martin shows, Helen, who made the effort to make herself a personal running"shirt"and Rachel who was persuaded to run just a couple of minutes before the start.
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| a disorderly start |
The first 200 metres or so are flat, but than we have to climb uphill.
Mike is ahead of me. Halfway there is a large stone. Once you passed that stone, the steepest part of the climb starts.
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| A though climb |
I manage to pass Mike, because I'm much lighter in weight. Cath shows me the way to the cleit, where Steve encourages me to make a final sprint. As soon as I touch the cleit Steve announces this in his walkie talkie, and my time is recorded. I managed to do the run within a quarter of an hour, which is not a top time, but at least it is the goal I reached for.
zondag 30 november 2014
Day 10; June the 13th
It is Friday the 13th; an very ordinary day on St. Kilda for a workparty.
Cath and I finish the church and schoolhouse. In the afternoon Cath, Steven and I help Kevin to clear down a blackhouse from rubble, stones and sods down to a layer of 1957. A lot of stuff was burned in that period, so the ground is black. We have to put back sods on that layer for later parties to do the actual archeological work.
We do find some bottles from soda from the sixties or seventies, a lot of roof covering and Steve finds an exciting looking artifact that looks like a sword of some kind, but turns out to be a hinge from a door.
Had a swim! Or rather, have been overthrown by an ice cold wave. I take a warm shower and it"s time for dinner again. After dinner Kevin, Paul, Rachel and Janice are playing music in the museum. Paul and Janice play the violin, Rachel plays a small instrument called concertina and Kevin plays flute and guitar.
The Netherlands played football today against Spain. I take a peek in the pub, but the game is over. They won 5 to 0. The guys from Qinetiq give me an update about the game. They are very enthusiastic about the Dutch team.
On my way back I meet Flo, who is about to the pub. I accompany her and have a drink. No alcohol and not too late in bed, because tomorrow is the day of the chimney challenge!
Cath and I finish the church and schoolhouse. In the afternoon Cath, Steven and I help Kevin to clear down a blackhouse from rubble, stones and sods down to a layer of 1957. A lot of stuff was burned in that period, so the ground is black. We have to put back sods on that layer for later parties to do the actual archeological work.
We do find some bottles from soda from the sixties or seventies, a lot of roof covering and Steve finds an exciting looking artifact that looks like a sword of some kind, but turns out to be a hinge from a door.
Had a swim! Or rather, have been overthrown by an ice cold wave. I take a warm shower and it"s time for dinner again. After dinner Kevin, Paul, Rachel and Janice are playing music in the museum. Paul and Janice play the violin, Rachel plays a small instrument called concertina and Kevin plays flute and guitar.
The Netherlands played football today against Spain. I take a peek in the pub, but the game is over. They won 5 to 0. The guys from Qinetiq give me an update about the game. They are very enthusiastic about the Dutch team.
On my way back I meet Flo, who is about to the pub. I accompany her and have a drink. No alcohol and not too late in bed, because tomorrow is the day of the chimney challenge!
woensdag 12 november 2014
St. Kildan wren
One of the habits I enjoyed very much was to sit on the bench outside number 1 and listen to the wren. On St. Kilda there are two endemic bird species. Just recently the snipe on St. Kilda is recognized as a subspecies from the snipe on the mainland. The other species is the wren (Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis).
The St. Kildan wren is bigger than the Eurasian wren from the mainland. They also differ in color, and their song is said to be different too, although he sounds like a wren in my ears.
I filmed "our" wren while singing on the chimney;
There are about 115 pairs on Hirta, but they are also present on the other isles of the archipelago.
Because the wren is exclusive for the archipelago, it was almost extinct by the end of the
nineteenth century, after a rush for specimens by collectors. In 1904 the wren needed to be protected by law. Fortunately, the numbers increased quickly.
Because the wren is exclusive for the archipelago, it was almost extinct by the end of the
nineteenth century, after a rush for specimens by collectors. In 1904 the wren needed to be protected by law. Fortunately, the numbers increased quickly.
zaterdag 8 november 2014
Day 9; June the 12th
It has been a while since I wrote my last post about daily life on St. Kilda. I got to day 9; it is Thursday the 12th of June. The weather is not very good; it's cloudy and rainy. But we have a workday today, so it doesn't really matter.
First, Martin and me go out to finish the door in the ammunition store. I paint the door post and the sign on the door. On the backsite of the sign we leave our signature for future workparties to discover!
In the afternoon I clean the church and the schoolhouse together with Cath. The church and the school is in fact one building. The school is a room in the church.
In the lectern in the school is a copy of a book with the names of the children and some information
about them. Some children deceased at a very young age, others left the island for Harris or Skye. The classes were very small, but the ages differ between five and ten or eleven. There are no children older than twelve.
We clean the windows, the floors and we polish all the copper we can find. The work is not very hard because the school and the church aren't really dirty.
Cath is a very friendly woman. She comes from Liverpool and I love her accent. Along with Steve she almost forms a comical duo, and a real challenge for me to understand their conversation!
After dinner we visit the pub again. I'm starting to feel very much at home on the island. I love the company of my fellow workparty members, and some habits become very trusted like eating together and the regular visits to the pub.
First, Martin and me go out to finish the door in the ammunition store. I paint the door post and the sign on the door. On the backsite of the sign we leave our signature for future workparties to discover!
In the afternoon I clean the church and the schoolhouse together with Cath. The church and the school is in fact one building. The school is a room in the church.
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| The school |
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| The church |
about them. Some children deceased at a very young age, others left the island for Harris or Skye. The classes were very small, but the ages differ between five and ten or eleven. There are no children older than twelve.
We clean the windows, the floors and we polish all the copper we can find. The work is not very hard because the school and the church aren't really dirty.
Cath is a very friendly woman. She comes from Liverpool and I love her accent. Along with Steve she almost forms a comical duo, and a real challenge for me to understand their conversation!
After dinner we visit the pub again. I'm starting to feel very much at home on the island. I love the company of my fellow workparty members, and some habits become very trusted like eating together and the regular visits to the pub.
woensdag 5 november 2014
The Fulmar
The largest number of birds on St. Kilda is the Fulmar (Fulmaris Glacialis), there are about 64,000 (1999) on St. Kilda. It is also the bird you will see the most on Hirtha. Although their numbers are decreasing.
Fulmars are not related to gulls, but they very much look alike. Fulmars belong to the family of procellariiformes or tubenosed. To defend themselves, they can squirt a foul smelling oil from their stomach through the tube on their beak. This oil can damage the wings of other birds so they can't fly anymore. According to Kevin and Jean you can throw your clothes away if the oil hits you.
On Hirtha the birds are breeding in the cleits, and sometimes we were forced to renounce from repairing a cleit because of the breeding fulmars.
On our walk to the tunnel I made a small detour because of a breeding fulmar, who looked like he was ready to spit.
The fulmar lays only one egg per season. They won't relay a harvested egg. The St. Kildans didn't harvest fulmar eggs for that reason.
Outside the breeding season, fulmars are pelagic, which means that they live on open sea. Fulmars can, like all tubenosed seabirds, smell a sulfur compound in the ocean which differs according to the depths, currents and temperature of the water. This way they form a map in their heads about the ocean which tells them were the good feeding grounds are and the way to their nests.
In Norway I heard the story that in earlier days sailors thought that Fulmars were the spirits of deceased sailors, because they like to fly along with ships, and they don't make a lot of noise.
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| Breeding fulmar on Oiseval (Hirtha) |
Fulmars are not related to gulls, but they very much look alike. Fulmars belong to the family of procellariiformes or tubenosed. To defend themselves, they can squirt a foul smelling oil from their stomach through the tube on their beak. This oil can damage the wings of other birds so they can't fly anymore. According to Kevin and Jean you can throw your clothes away if the oil hits you.
On Hirtha the birds are breeding in the cleits, and sometimes we were forced to renounce from repairing a cleit because of the breeding fulmars.
On our walk to the tunnel I made a small detour because of a breeding fulmar, who looked like he was ready to spit.
The fulmar lays only one egg per season. They won't relay a harvested egg. The St. Kildans didn't harvest fulmar eggs for that reason.
Outside the breeding season, fulmars are pelagic, which means that they live on open sea. Fulmars can, like all tubenosed seabirds, smell a sulfur compound in the ocean which differs according to the depths, currents and temperature of the water. This way they form a map in their heads about the ocean which tells them were the good feeding grounds are and the way to their nests.
In Norway I heard the story that in earlier days sailors thought that Fulmars were the spirits of deceased sailors, because they like to fly along with ships, and they don't make a lot of noise.
donderdag 25 september 2014
Day 8: June the 11th
Today it promisses to be a nice day. Breakfast is in silence after the late whiskey night of yesterday. Before tea I walk beyond the featherstore to see puffins. I see some, but not good enough to take a picture, but I do take a good picture of a Fulmar.
Tea is at eleven and after tea Stephen, Cath, Helen, Anthonie, Mike and me make a hike up to the tunnel. It is a lovely walk, with impressive views.
The tunnel is at the other end of Hirta at Glen Bay. The sea is constantly breaking off parts of the island, until it eventually will break open. A few years ago a large stone fell off in the tunnel, and since that time, it is no longer allowed to pass the tunnel to the other side.
The seals are very inquisitive and playfull, they don't seem to have any fear for us.
Down at the tunnel is very pretty, but slippery. I'm not going in.
Sometimes the isle is covered in a cloud, a few minutes later the air will be clear again.
It was a lovely walk today, the longest walk you can make.
zaterdag 13 september 2014
Day 7; June the 10th
Got up early for another workout uphill. At breakfast the work of the day is distributed. Martin and I are assigned to paint the door of the ammunition store, because "this was not appropriately done". The door was discovered yesterday and off course David and Paul thought it funny. Kevin takes a look and he also finds it funny. He will make a remark over it in his report on the website.
Before repainting the door Flo takes a picture of Martin and me masked like activists while painting the door. We call ourselves "St. Kildan bandits". Flo wil sent the picture in for the "most funniest picture contest". Hopefully she will, because I haven't seen the picture since.
We will only work in the morning. Kevin needs more people for repairing the cleits, and instead of repainting the door, I will join his group. With historic pictures of the cleits we try to find the right stones to put them back in the same place. This too is a jigsaw puzzle and great fun. Although in my opinion stones sometimes look very much alike, and when they fit, why not put them there instead of discussing about it? The St. Kildans certainly didn't!
This afternoon we have an extra! There are visitors on the island, and Angus, the man who cares for the crosses to St.Kilda is prepared to make an extra tour around the island with us!
It is wonderfull to see the cliffs from the seaside and instead of looking down from them, we have to look up. Some cliffs are extremely high.
After dinner we go to the pub. Martin, Liz and me chat a bit after closing time, and when we return to the street there is still light in no.1. Kevin, David, Stephen and Mike are drinking Whiskey and Rum and are having one of those high brow banter evenings Kevin talked about. I join for a while, and then go to bed.
Before repainting the door Flo takes a picture of Martin and me masked like activists while painting the door. We call ourselves "St. Kildan bandits". Flo wil sent the picture in for the "most funniest picture contest". Hopefully she will, because I haven't seen the picture since.
We will only work in the morning. Kevin needs more people for repairing the cleits, and instead of repainting the door, I will join his group. With historic pictures of the cleits we try to find the right stones to put them back in the same place. This too is a jigsaw puzzle and great fun. Although in my opinion stones sometimes look very much alike, and when they fit, why not put them there instead of discussing about it? The St. Kildans certainly didn't!
This afternoon we have an extra! There are visitors on the island, and Angus, the man who cares for the crosses to St.Kilda is prepared to make an extra tour around the island with us!
It is wonderfull to see the cliffs from the seaside and instead of looking down from them, we have to look up. Some cliffs are extremely high.
I take a lot of pictures, but none expresses the beauty of the island. It was a lovely afternoon, thanks to Angus Campell!
After dinner we go to the pub. Martin, Liz and me chat a bit after closing time, and when we return to the street there is still light in no.1. Kevin, David, Stephen and Mike are drinking Whiskey and Rum and are having one of those high brow banter evenings Kevin talked about. I join for a while, and then go to bed.
dinsdag 2 september 2014
Day 6; June the 9th
Today I've got kitchen- and cleaning duties.
Martin is mainly helping Flo in the kitchen, and I am to do all the dishes, setting the table, serving and cleaning, including the ablution block.
Off course we are exited about our door being discovered, but nobody seems to do so.
After lunch I am allowed to help rebuild the wall around the manse under supervision of Brian, one of the "wallers". Brian and Greg are appointed to rebuild the walls on St. Kilda according to the way the St. Kildans did. Dry stone walling without mortal is making one big jigsaw puzzle in which you need to find the best fitting stones to build up the walls and filling them with the best fitting stones to make as little holes as possible.
I highly respect these guys and their speciality; I felt pretty clumsy, but it is fun to do.
Martin is mainly helping Flo in the kitchen, and I am to do all the dishes, setting the table, serving and cleaning, including the ablution block.
Off course we are exited about our door being discovered, but nobody seems to do so.
After lunch I am allowed to help rebuild the wall around the manse under supervision of Brian, one of the "wallers". Brian and Greg are appointed to rebuild the walls on St. Kilda according to the way the St. Kildans did. Dry stone walling without mortal is making one big jigsaw puzzle in which you need to find the best fitting stones to build up the walls and filling them with the best fitting stones to make as little holes as possible.
I highly respect these guys and their speciality; I felt pretty clumsy, but it is fun to do.
After lunch I'm back in the kitchen.
There is a group of tourists on the island, and they are getting a small guided tour by the warden, who leads them to the gun and ammunition store. But still we get no comment from any of the tourists or Paul the warden. Didn't they see our beautiful piece of artwork?
zaterdag 23 augustus 2014
Day 5; June the 8th
On a Sunday St. Kildans didn't work, and neither do we.
We will make another excursion, this time to Dùn. Dùn is the island on the other side of Village Bay.
On our walk to Dún we pass the Lovers Stone. This is another rock above the sea. Young St. Kildan men who wanted to get married had to perform some dangerous pose on the edge of the stone. Had they done this, they could marry the woman of their choice.
This excursion is not too long. We have plenty of time to sit and enjoy the view on Dún and -once again- the lovely weather.
Martin wants to paint the door of the amunition store with green polkadots. I think it's a funny joke and I promise to help him. In secret we collect the necessity's; paintbrushes, paint and a pencil from the workshop. In the centrifuge we find a template we use for two sizes of polkadots.
Jut before dinner we slip off to the amunition store and we paint the door. The result is wonderfull, if I say so myself. We bring back the paint, the brushes and the template, wash our hands thoroughly and we are back in time for dinner.
Now the excitement of being discovered starts, although Martin can't really keep it a secret. He tells almost everybody, only not to David, Kevin or Paul.
Again we visit the pub and go to bed.
We will make another excursion, this time to Dùn. Dùn is the island on the other side of Village Bay.
On our walk to Dún we pass the Lovers Stone. This is another rock above the sea. Young St. Kildan men who wanted to get married had to perform some dangerous pose on the edge of the stone. Had they done this, they could marry the woman of their choice.
This excursion is not too long. We have plenty of time to sit and enjoy the view on Dún and -once again- the lovely weather.
Martin wants to paint the door of the amunition store with green polkadots. I think it's a funny joke and I promise to help him. In secret we collect the necessity's; paintbrushes, paint and a pencil from the workshop. In the centrifuge we find a template we use for two sizes of polkadots.
Jut before dinner we slip off to the amunition store and we paint the door. The result is wonderfull, if I say so myself. We bring back the paint, the brushes and the template, wash our hands thoroughly and we are back in time for dinner.
Again we visit the pub and go to bed.
woensdag 13 augustus 2014
Day 4; the walk to the Cambir
On the 7th of June 1944 a Sunderland airplane crashed at Gleann Mòr; at this day exactly seventy years ago. The debris is still scattered all over the site. What a waste of young lives!
This was one of the three crashed airplanes on St. Kilda in WWII. In Februari 1943 a Wellington bomber crashed on Soay. With much effort we can see some remnants of this plane from our view on Soay. In June 1943 a Beaufighter crashed on Conachair. This plane fell partly into the sea, and the bodies of the victims were never found. On another walk over the island we will find debris of that plane too.
None of the crew of any of these planes survive the crash. I
am to polish their memorial plaque in the chapel within a view days. But I
don't know that yet!
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| The memorial plaque of the victims of the planecrashes during WWII |
On our walk we pass the Mistress Stone. This is a big rock which leans on two other stones in the form of a door. If you look down, you look straight into the sea.
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| Mistress Stone |
I have no fear of heights, but it is very windy, and I'm a bit reluctant to stand on the stone. Steve offers to hold me. This results in one of the funniest picture I've got. We call it "Steve's proposal".
Today was a very nice day. The weather has been wonderfull, the walk very pleasant and Flo prepares a lovely dinner again. We visit the pub a while and then go to sleep.
woensdag 6 augustus 2014
The Bonxie
The great Skua (Stercorarius skua) is generally called Bonxie
in West Scotland. It is a large gull and not a bird of prey, although
they chase other birds. A very well known technique they use to catch
fish is to assault Gannets and force them to drop their catch, which
they will take for themselves.
The Bonxies on St. Kilda also eat other birds. We saw Bonxies chase Oystercatchers, Puffins and Pigeons. They try to wear them out over sea and then push them in the water until they drown.
Only on St. Kilda Bonxies chase by night on Leach's storm petrels. This behavior is very remarkable for seabirds.
Bonxies were not on St. Kilda in the 19th century. The first recorded breeding on St. Kilda is in 1963.The breeding population increased steadily until 1990 and now the colony is the second largest and fastest growing colony in the UK.
Bonxies can be furious attackers to humans, especially when defending their nests or their young.
By crossing Mullach Mór and Gléan Mór, there were a lot of nests and small Bonxie chicks. We usually took a large stick with us, so the Bonxies would attack the stick instead of our heads.
Despite their brigand reputation, I can't help to
admire these birds. They seem intelligent to me, because they learned to
adapt to an environment where they were not common before.
The Bonxies on St. Kilda also eat other birds. We saw Bonxies chase Oystercatchers, Puffins and Pigeons. They try to wear them out over sea and then push them in the water until they drown.
Only on St. Kilda Bonxies chase by night on Leach's storm petrels. This behavior is very remarkable for seabirds.
Bonxies were not on St. Kilda in the 19th century. The first recorded breeding on St. Kilda is in 1963.The breeding population increased steadily until 1990 and now the colony is the second largest and fastest growing colony in the UK.
By crossing Mullach Mór and Gléan Mór, there were a lot of nests and small Bonxie chicks. We usually took a large stick with us, so the Bonxies would attack the stick instead of our heads.
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| Not a very good picture of a Bonxie attack |
Day 4; June 7th
Today is Saturday. We have breakfast and will only work for half a
day. In the afternoon we will make an excursion to the Cambir.
This time I will work together with Martin. We have to paint the sign and the bolt of the door of the ammunition store, and we are supposed to paint a sill of the church.
But since the door of the ammunition store is in a bad stage, Martin asks for permission to paint the entire door. It is not a matter of "no" or "ok"; we have to wait for official permission from the National Trust. In the meantime we gather the necessary tools. At teatime the only thing we've done is remove one screw from the sign! After morning tea we sand the door and put it into the primer.
I'm not sure who came up with the idea, but we are in a rebellious mood because of the bureaucracy of the work. We suggest to paint the door with a nice pattern instead of the prescribed green. First the primer has to dry, but the idea gets stuck in our heads.
We have the afternoon off and we are going for an excursion to the Cambir. From the Cambir you'll have a nice view over Soay.
This time I will work together with Martin. We have to paint the sign and the bolt of the door of the ammunition store, and we are supposed to paint a sill of the church.
But since the door of the ammunition store is in a bad stage, Martin asks for permission to paint the entire door. It is not a matter of "no" or "ok"; we have to wait for official permission from the National Trust. In the meantime we gather the necessary tools. At teatime the only thing we've done is remove one screw from the sign! After morning tea we sand the door and put it into the primer.
I'm not sure who came up with the idea, but we are in a rebellious mood because of the bureaucracy of the work. We suggest to paint the door with a nice pattern instead of the prescribed green. First the primer has to dry, but the idea gets stuck in our heads.
We have the afternoon off and we are going for an excursion to the Cambir. From the Cambir you'll have a nice view over Soay.
It
is a pretty brisk walk through the nesting area of the Bonxie. There
are many nests with eggs or chicks, and the parents bomberdive us
furiously.
In my next post I will tell something about the Bonxie on St. Kilda.
maandag 4 augustus 2014
Day 3; June the 6th
I got up before breakfast to go for a run. I want to do the chimney challence; a race of about 200 metres along the road, then up a very steep hill called the chimney. On top of the chimney there is a cleith which you have to touch. Once you touched the cleith, your time is set. The people from Qinetiq will record the time.
But I am not used to running uphill, so I need training. I run about half an hour up the only road there is on St. Kilda then back again; I'm exhausted. I need more exercise if I want to do the chimney within a quarter of an hour!
On my way back I meet Steve who is doing an early walk. We talk a bit while walking back to the street. I got a warm shower and an sturdy breakfast.
Today my job is to help Steve to repair the roof of the school and the church. I wear an overall which is twice my size and according to Steve I look like a Teletubbie.
This turns out one of my best working days on St. Kilda. I enjoy the slate cutting, the marvelous weather, the company of Steve and the view.
Today is Martin's birthday and Flo exceeds herself with apple cinnamon cake and coffee.
After dinner we hit the Puff Inn.
donderdag 31 juli 2014
Work Party Two in the Ranger's Diary
Kevin wrote a small but very nice post about our Work party in the Ranger's' Diary on the official
St. Kilda website: Goodbye Work Party Two!
zondag 27 juli 2014
What Kevin told about the history of St. Kilda
Kevin gave us a tour around the village of St. Kilda, showing us interesting places and told us something about it.
The story of the habitation of St. Kilda starts about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.
According to Kevin St. Kilda was never as isolated as generally is believed. Even from the Bronze age the inhabitants must have had contact with the other isles of the Outer Hebrides. They cultivated crops and traded with them. One of the oldest artefacts Kevin shows us is an old Celtic cross; one of the oldest in the entire UK. It was found on a stone that is used as pavement near a house and hardly visible. So Christianity also reached the isles in an early stage.
In the Middle Ages the inhabitants lived primarily from the cultivation of oats, barley and rye. The exploitation of the enormous amounts of birds became important in the 19th century, when feathers and down became popular for clothes and pillows.
The stories about the harrowing poverty of the inhabitants of St. Kilda were not exaggerated, but compared with the other isles of the Outer Hebrides the St. Kildans were not bad off. The first better houses were built on St. Kilda, while some people on Harris still lived in Blackhouses until the first half of the twentieth century.
 |
| An underground cleith, dating from the Iron Age |
According to Kevin St. Kilda was never as isolated as generally is believed. Even from the Bronze age the inhabitants must have had contact with the other isles of the Outer Hebrides. They cultivated crops and traded with them. One of the oldest artefacts Kevin shows us is an old Celtic cross; one of the oldest in the entire UK. It was found on a stone that is used as pavement near a house and hardly visible. So Christianity also reached the isles in an early stage.
In the Middle Ages the inhabitants lived primarily from the cultivation of oats, barley and rye. The exploitation of the enormous amounts of birds became important in the 19th century, when feathers and down became popular for clothes and pillows.
The stories about the harrowing poverty of the inhabitants of St. Kilda were not exaggerated, but compared with the other isles of the Outer Hebrides the St. Kildans were not bad off. The first better houses were built on St. Kilda, while some people on Harris still lived in Blackhouses until the first half of the twentieth century.
zaterdag 19 juli 2014
Day 2; June 5th
As breakfast, morning tea, lunch, midday tea or diner is served, we ring a large bell. It is Thursday and today is our first day of work. The bell rings at eight o'clock for breakfast.
David, the leader of the workparty is responsible for the division of the work to be done.
Kevin the archeologist needs a group of people to repair the roofs of some cleiths with new sods.
Another group will repair the slates on the roof of the church, schoolhouse and the rangers' house.
I'm in the group with Kevin. First we need to remove old sods, dig out new ones and put them on the cleiths. The holes we leave by digging out the new sods need to be refilled with sand.
The weather is nice, the work not to bad and the morning teabreak soon.
After lunch we don't work, but Kevin takes us out for a tour around the old village. He has got a lot to tell in a heavy Glasgow accent and he hardly keeps his mouth shut. But his stories are interesting and they shed a different light on the usual story of St. Kilda. I will tell a bit more about that in another post.
In the meantime it has started to rain and listening to Kevin wears me out.
Evening diner and after diner chat is very nice and sociable. First sips of whiskey.
David, the leader of the workparty is responsible for the division of the work to be done.
Kevin the archeologist needs a group of people to repair the roofs of some cleiths with new sods.
Another group will repair the slates on the roof of the church, schoolhouse and the rangers' house.
I'm in the group with Kevin. First we need to remove old sods, dig out new ones and put them on the cleiths. The holes we leave by digging out the new sods need to be refilled with sand.
The weather is nice, the work not to bad and the morning teabreak soon.
After lunch we don't work, but Kevin takes us out for a tour around the old village. He has got a lot to tell in a heavy Glasgow accent and he hardly keeps his mouth shut. But his stories are interesting and they shed a different light on the usual story of St. Kilda. I will tell a bit more about that in another post.
In the meantime it has started to rain and listening to Kevin wears me out.
Evening diner and after diner chat is very nice and sociable. First sips of whiskey.
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