Scotland, Part 1: Puffin Spotting On The Isle of May

Originally, we had planned to try and spot a few puffins in Drumhollistan (Puffin Cove), which would have led our trip much farther north and cut out a day in Skye; however, research had shown that there was no certainty that we would actually catch sight of the puffins in late April.

A week before the trip I learned of the Isle of May, a small island approximately 5 miles off the mainland of Scotland, where puffins could almost be guaranteed to be spotted during the time that we were visiting. I had never seen a puffin in real life before, so with improved chances of actually spotting a puffin, I knew there was no way I was going to pass on this opportunity. With it being such a last minute change to the itinerary, I was incredibly grateful to find an opening with Isle of May Boat Trips.

We had shown up to the docks of Anstruther and marveled at the number of large sailing and fishing boats. Little did we know that I had unintentionally booked an Osprey boat over to the island. If you do not know what an Osprey is, it is a small - but very quick and powerful - boat.

'No biggie!' I thought to myself as our skipper pointed to the long, uncovered vessel. As soon as he handed each of us a thick pair of weathers, I suddenly realized we were in for a very splashy, chilly ride. The wind was absolutely howling that day, my ears filled with the rush of cold air as it whipped around me on the dock. A moment of regret began to fill my chest...oh no, what have I done?

  Riding the Osprey over to the island is probably one of the most fun forms of transportation I've experienced

It wasn't long until we were on the water, bouncing among the rough waves with ice cold sea splashing over us like a waterfall, that I realized I had made exactly the right 'mistake' in booking the Osprey. In that moment, I was having the absolute time of my life.

A couple who had joined us on the journey over to the island had managed to talk the captain of a covered ferry to allow them passage on his boat for the trek back to the docks. Me on the other hand, I couldn't wait to hop back onto the Osprey.

Our skipper Simon was incredibly informative, and quite funny. He taught us all about the island as we circled the towering cliffs, where birds would make the steep dive straight toward the water.

A little History Of the Island

The over 140-acre island hosts a nature reserve, dedicated to studying the wildlife and vegetation of the island. A small group of visitors are able to stay on the island in the bird observatory for a week at a time, giving ample time to enjoy the fascinating wildlife and views of the rocky island. If you aren't up to staying for a week, visiting the Isle of May is a very easy day-trip from Edinburgh.

Isle of May hosts Scotland's oldest beacon. In 1636, the first manned coal-fired beacon was built on the island, using 400 plus tons of coal per year to operate the guiding light for voyaging ships. That is a lot of coal! Not only did the Beacon use a significant amount of coal, but it took 3 keepers to tend to it.

In 1814 the island would be purchased by the Northern Lighthouse Board, and a more efficient lighthouse built by famous Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson would replace the Beacon in 1816, after the inadequacies of the original beacon caused two Royal Navy boats to become shipwrecked a few years prior. The final lighting of the Beacon would occur on January 31, 1816.

The Robert Stevenson Lighthouse and thick iron piping for the two fog horns on the island

Although a significant improvement to the original beacon, there was still room for enhancements as the 'new' lighthouse still used approximately 150 tons of coal to stay in operation. The Robert Stevenson Lighthouse would be further expanded and improved upon from 1836 to 1924. Various changes would take place over the years, from adding additional accommodations for keepers and their families to replacing oil lamps with an incandescent mantle. Now powered by electricity, the automated lighthouse still operates, flashing its bright white streams of light into the dark sea skies every 15 seconds.

But the Robert Stevenson lighthouse wouldn't be the only one built on the small island. In 1843 a smaller lighthouse named the Low Light would be constructed. Although it is no longer in use as a light to guide ships in the area, the Low Light has been turned into the bird observatory, established in 1934, where I previously mentioned visitors could stay for a week-long trip.

Top right: The Low Lighthouse | Bottom left: The Beacon | Bottom right: The South fog horn

Another important feature of the island is its two fog horns (North and South). These horns were powered by compressed air that is generated from the power plant in the center of the island, pumped through large iron pipes that are laid above ground around the island. Their primary job was to alert any incoming ships of the island's position during hazardous foggy weather. Before the first horn was constructed in 1886, there were at least 6 documented shipwrecks.

Shipwrecks weren't the only problem for the island. During the 17th and 18th centuries when the island hosted a village for up to 15 fishermen and their families, it was used as a spot for smuggling - from wine to tobacco. And if shipwrecks and smuggling weren't enough, there were also the stories of a kelpie attack (a mythical water horse) and sightings of strange lights coming from the island. 

Wildlife On The Island

As for the puffins, the adults slowly begin returning to the island in late April for breeding season. This island hosts over 80,000 puffins during the breeding season. That is A LOT of puffins.

And because we learned that puffins live in burrows below the ground, there were hundreds upon hundreds of holes throughout the island...better watch where you step or you may twist an ankle in one of those many burrows.

Watch your step! Visitors are restricted to a pathway to protect the puffins in their burrows; however, a few puffins didn't seem to get the memo and went ahead and dug them right beside the path

Baby puffins are called pufflings...cute, right? These babies will leap off the cliffs and into the water in August and will not touch land again for at least 3 years. Once they have matured into adults, they will eventually make their way back to the island to begin breeding.

Sadly, as we had come to the island just as breeding season had begun, there were no pufflings in sight this trip. If your hope is to gush at the cuteness of a little puffin baby, your best bet would be visiting the island in June.

It is not only puffins that call the island their home. You can find a variety of cliff-nesting birds such as shags, guillemots, razorbills kittiwakes and fulmars. Lounging on the rocky shore you will find seal pups, minke whales are seen surfacing surrounding sea, and if you are lucky you will catch a glimpse of rabbits darting through the green grasses of the island. 

I was grateful that Brent had brought his professional camera for our excursion. I am going to take a moment to brag on him here - all incredible wildlife photography in this post was taken by him. This trip to Isle of May to see the puffins was certainly a highlight for the both of us, but I could see Brent was really in his element as he captured the life of the island. He even braved the cliffs to grab some truly outstanding shots.

So if seeing a puffin is also on your bucket list, Isle of May welcomes visitors from April to late September. You have the best chance of seeing puffins from late April to mid-June, with the chance of spotting a puffling in June. By August you can expect a majority of the puffins to have left the island; however, September allows for views of adorable seal pups. But no matter the month you decide to visit, there is truly no better way to tour the island than on the Osprey with Isle of May Boat Trips.