Handa Island - Great Skua - Scourie and Quinag

A walk on Handa Island - 6

A view south to the mainland village of Scourie. In the distance, the Torridonian mountain of Quinag has its head in the clouds.

The bird in the foreground is a Great Skua, also known as a 'bonxie' - a term of Shetland origin. There is a sizeable colony on Handa Island and they are rather notorious for their aggressive and territorial behaviour, swooping low over the heads of walkers where the footpath passes close to their nesting grounds. Waving one's arms in the air is usually a sufficient deterrent...