Handa Island - Great Skua

A walk on Handa Island - 7

The bird 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 to ward off an attack...