Scotland has some of the best birdwatching in the whole of Europe. In the Hebrides the majestic white tailed sea eagle draws many visitors to the Isle of Mull. Further south, off the Ayrshire coastline, the rocky cone of Ailsa Craig is home to several thousand seabirds. Here there is one of the largest gannet colonies in Britain. The gannet cliffs are not really accessible by land and one of the finest ways to see the island's birds is from deck of a boat or ship.
Ailsa Craig Stands Guard at the Southern Entrance to the Firth Of Clyde
Aisla Craig is known as Paddy's Milestone because it is roughly half way between Glasgow and Belfast. It is a well know feature from the Ayrshie coastline. Once the domain of smugglers, then granite quarriers and lighthousemen the place is now uninhabited. The lighthouse is now run remotely from a flat in Edinburgh and is powered by a raft of solar panels. Granite for curling stones is now quarried in bulk by machine as and when stocks run low. The Craig as it is fondly called by locals is now left to the birds.
The Granite Cone of Ailsa is a Magnet for Thousand of Nesting Seabirds
Once the gannets on the island were harvested for their valuable meat and feathers. It is a known fact that the poet Robert Burns used Ailsa gannet feathers to fill his wedding mattress at Ellisland Farm. Now the gannets breed unmolested. Puffins on the island were entirely wiped out by rats that came there on coal ships for the lighthouse. Those rats have since been eradicated from the isle and the puffins are slowly coming back to their traditional burrows on Ailsa's shores.
Watch Gannets From the Last Ocean Going Paddle Steamer
One of the best ways to view Ailsa's seabirds is from the decks of the iconic Waverely. This paddle steamer is the last of its kind. In the summer months it cruises the waters of the Hebrides, the western seaboard and the Clyde. It does regular sailing from Glasgow calling at Largs and Ayr and Girvan. Continuing on from Girvan it heads out west for ten miles to the Ailsa Craig. Seabirds become more abundand the ship gets near to the island.
From the Waverley You Can Experience Birdwatching at its Best
Guilliemots bob like corks in the sea. Resting between bouts of feeding. Manx shearwaters skim the waves. These lovely seabirds are constantly turning in their flight. One moment they show black and then after they turn their undersides show white. There are now a few puffins back on Ailsa and their numbers are increasing slowly. They are difficult to spot among the plethora of other seabirds. They look so very awkward on take off.
The Ailsa Craig is a High Rise Seabird City for Gannets
The whole of the island is now a nature reserve run by the RSPB. Getting on to the island is not easy at the best of times and nigh on impossible in bad weather. The Waverley does away with the need to get onshore. The captain slows the steamer right down and coasts in slowly under The Craig. Everywhere the cliffs are covered with nesting gannets. The strident kacking of these birds fills the air and all around gannets plunge into the sea. Like a living spear a diving gannet is one of the most memorable wildlife sights.
Dave McFadzean - Based in southwest Scotland I have been a freelance travel writer and photographer for nearly two decades. Building up a strong market for ...
