FAIR ISLE - Perfect Day - Ward Hill & North West Cliffs

Got up early, did some hand washing and went out for short while before breakfast and photographed a Rock Pipit and fulmar on nest amongst the pink thrift.

Usual Mega breakfast!

A still, glorious sunny day, looked good for doing Ward Hill - the highest point on the island - although I have been putting off doing this!

On route the egyptian goats were out on the road, I was sure they shouldn’t be, especially when they started munching on some iris’s in the garden opposite! I walked up the drive of the property where they lived and went to unbolt a gate in the front garden to inform the owners, but a loud, barking dog suddenly appeared at the gate that I had just opened! As some of you may know I don’t really love dogs and this was a scary situation - couldn’t walk away as they dog would then escape, so my foot was on the bottom of the gate with the dog pounding up against it - managed to bolt it quickly without getting fingers bitten off and retreated quickly - no sign of the owners. The goats had come back up the drive to see what all the fuss was about and all three stood there half way up the drive looking at me and then returned into their pen!Chatting to the nurse a bit later, apparently the dog is harmless - but not the impression I got at the time! All the sheepdogs here to be fair are very friendly and I feel completely at ease with them.

Walked via the shop and it was so hot I had to take a layer off and then nipped in the shop and sat outside eating a Malteser ice-cream! Photographed house sparrows on fence wires and a starling with caterpillar in beak.

Carried on and walked through the Plantation and through Vaadal (no birds here at all) and up and through the airstrip. Photographed a plane coming in! Up by the mast at least 32 Bonxies!!! They looked menacing, but did not attack me like the arctic skua did yesterday! It was an ideal time to photograph them soaring in the blue skies. Very steep, hard core walking up here - it seemed much more difficut than it used to be! Sat at the top of the cliff edge and had a sandwich break watching tons of seabirds below me. Saw a Red Admiral fly in!!!

Walked down to to Burrista and photographed tons of gannets on nests, distantly. The scene of masses of seabirds swirling around was awesome. Also a young seal was basking alone on a small rock below in the deep blue waters and another seal could be seen circling around. Took me a long time to get back up the headland again! Very high cliffs here - not for the faint hearted! Turning over a stone I found two small black beetles.

I walked up to Ward Hill and saw another 2 Red Admirals. I was also joined by a pair of bonxies who made their presence known! Sat on a slab of concrete next to the OS Trigg and enjoyed vast views of the sea below me. Had a lunch stop here. Phoned the South Light to inform them that I would not be able to get back in time for dinner at 7pm and sent my apologies.

Continued walking all around the cliffs as far as Easter Lother Water and then diverted along the burn to join the main road. Passing Roskille I diverted over a hill to then join up with the Gully and Finniquoy and collapsed on a stile to finish the last of my water when Josie very kindly rung and offered to come and pick me up!

Back at the South Light, my dinner was re-heated for me - vege curry and rice with fruit salad and ice-cream which was very kind of them considering I was so late!

Absolutely shattered - good night!