RSPB Copinsay trip

After the stormy sort of day it was yesterday had caused the RSPB members group trip to Copinsay to be cancelled. It was to my good fortune to find an email offering four places on the rescheduled trip for Sunday. A quick phone call and I was booked in for Sunday morning’s bash. The forecast for improving weather proved to be the first one that had been right for days. The ride to Deerness was warm and pleasant, the north sea soon stretched before me looking smooth blue and inviting. It was a bit bright for my old camera as I intended to spend my time didgiscoping. I didn’t really mind as it was a stunning day I could live with a little over exposure. Parking up the group are all heading down for the boat but I have to loose a few layers before I can run and catch up. Soon enough we are off for the thirty minute trip to the island. We introduce our selves all round and are soon pointing out birds dotted all around us as we go. The first puffin draws the aww’s from the Puffin fans as it passes us with its some what inelegant flight. To The right or should that really be starboard, the cave pocked cliffs off Deerness are slowly left behind and we cross the open water to Copinsay. As there are two boat loads going across today we are to land at a rocky ledge on Corn Holm there being no depth of water at the light house pier. We have fine views of the superb cave on Black Holm as Sidney Deftly manoeuvres the boat in along side to where we can step ashore on to the grippy barnacle covered rock ledge.
Copinsay is really an archipelago of four small islands. Copinsay its self and Corn Holm, Black Holm and Ward Holm all linked by storm beach or at low water. They are all owned by the RSPB, any agriculture that’s taking place is part of the management plan for birds. The other folks here are the lighthouse board. They coincidently enough are here in force today as well with there premier ship Pharos off shore and their helicopter moving loads back and fore to the lighthouse. Corn Holm is heaving with life. The whole island is a Greater Blacked Gull colony. With in this is are surprisingly several Greylag geese nesting away. It seems a strange choice but there must be some security for them in this dubious company. We circuit along the shallow cliff top, this provides great views of Puffins, Tysties, Razorbills Shags and Guillemots all close in. As you can imagine we were dive bombed from time to time as we moved through. It was all understandable as the hottest day of the year was encouraging the Blackbacks first eggs to start hatching and it was all kicking off. The periphery was home to far more Fulmars than you see on the mainland and all the birds on this deserted island were a lot more tolerant of folks than their counterparts only five miles away. We take to the shell sand beach on the last leg to have a look at an impressive spread of Oysterplant. This is one of the rarest of maritime plants and Orkney can be proud to be one of the most important places for it in the UK. A nice find as we left was a small colony of Arctic Terns that were just starting up and took to the air to warn us off. Allan had a look whilst we had a count, We got about120- 150 and he found they were laying. It was something encouraging to think about as we picked our way across 400m of seaweed covered boulders that forms the causeway that’s only exposed at low tide.
Every one finally makes it across and we time it fine to meet the second boat load arriving. This time they can just make it in to the pier so we are all together in one group. Those of us who want to do our own thing set off and the others set off in a group to circum navigate the island. I head up to the north side past the Common gull colony and on to the rising cliff looking over north ebb. Tysties and Scarfies abound with rafts of Scarfies taking to the water as I crest the horizon and startle them in to life. The track rises and the view increases, Puffins and Guillemots dot the water whilst the occasional gull takes a dive at head height as you pass through their territory. I am taking photos as I go along but the whites are proving to be a problem in the bright sunlight. The views are crisp and bright through the scope though and in flat calm conditions you really couldn’t ask for better viewing. All the way up I was hoping for Puffins to be ashore. You can find them along here and the younger non breeding birds tend to hang out with little to do but pose for photographs. It wasn’t going to happen today though. It must still be quite quiet under ground. I saw little coming and going from the cliffs mostly the Puffins were sitting on the water loafing about doing little. There was a Herring Gull colony at North view and it seems to be a regular feature. Other birds on the north side were 6 Twite in 4 and 2. 2 Snipe chipping away.
Heading up the east cliff rise the path rises spectacularly as it follows the up thrust of an ancient fault line. The high cliffs we are ascending have been pushed up here from the sea bed. The sea below covers a deep chasm making their real size of the cliff yet bigger. On the highest point looking towards the lighthouse I settle down to have my lunch…in a t shirt..unreal. From my vantage point I can see that although occupied the cliffs don’t look over populated with auks and Kittiwakes. Bonxies make low passes from time to time. These are nesting in the fields below. A superb light phase Arctic Skua passes feet from me a few times as I sit and eat. I hear another Snipe chipping away and I catch a bird going to a nest maybe seventy yards from a nesting Bonxie. My first Painted Lady butterfly passed over my feet as I was sitting there as well. It was to be the first of several and probably a fall of migrating butterflies as they head north…migration’s an amazing thing.
With the helicopter done and away. I move off down the slope and find the main group setting out after lunch, we have a quick catch up before I move off. I am quite glad I am heading down hill after having eaten my piece!! I still have some time before the boat and I take my time from South Nevi to the wee fresh water lochan. On the lochan is a brand new family of Shell Duck with 14 chicks. Now this is the real aww factor of the trip. I take shot after shot but can’t get a steady sharp photo. All the while the drake bird is watching over me. As I start to move along the shore he takes to the water giving his distinctive warning whistling alarm call. Finally I arrive back to the pier where I enjoy the antics of the Arctic Terns as they harass the local Blackback population. Relaxed in the afternoon sun its all too soon to be onboard the boat and off. With in minutes Copinsay is disappearing in the distance and we are strangely bird less on an expanse of oily smooth water, even throwing sandwiches over the side fails to bring a scavenging gull. Never mind its been a hot old day stacked out with hot bird action and its been all the better for coming out of the blue. I hope my bright red nose and forearms fade before the memories.!!
Top day.