The Shiant Islands are a group of islands about five miles off the coast of Lewis in The Outer Hebrides. We read about them in a yachting magazine last winter and we were lucky enough to get a short weather window so we could visit them. They are considered one of the most important breeding colonies for seabirds in Europe. 10% of all the puffins in the United Kingdom breed here! Other birds include Razorbills, Murres, Cormorants, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Fulmars, Skuas, Manx Shearwaters and Petrels. Plus a lot of gulls. We saw two eagles high in the sky. The islands are made up of columnar basalt that the birds love to nest on. Nigel Nicholson bought the islands in 1937 for £1,400 when he was an undergraduate at Oxford. He then gave the islands to his son, Adam, for his 21st birthday. Lucky guy! Adam wrote a book called Sea Room which I look forward to reading when I get back. There is a little cottage, or bothy, that he stays in occasionally but he also lets others use it when he isn’t there. A group of scientists were camping out and banding birds while we were there. The noise was unbelievable! Birds were everywhere and we were mesmerized by the activity. I took so many pictures. These are just a fraction.
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