www.nature.scot www.nnr.scot Puffin at such a velocity. velocity. a such at skulls that can absorb the shock of smashing into the water the into smashing of shock the absorb can that skulls more than 60mph, evolution having equipped them with them equipped having evolution 60mph, than more sights. Their amazing vertical descents reach speeds of speeds reach descents vertical amazing Their sights. spectacles on a Reserve that is brimming with impressive impressive with brimming is that Reserve a on spectacles Watch as the birds dive: one of the most remarkable remarkable most the of one dive: birds the as Watch so the accolade has been lost. been has accolade the so inhabited island, but the lighthouse is now automated, now is lighthouse the but island, inhabited white-stained cliffs. white-stained lighthouse on it. This used to be Britain’s most northerly northerly most Britain’s be to used This it. on lighthouse thousands of gannets squabbling over territory on the on territory over squabbling gannets of thousands Just off the coast is Muckle Flugga, a tiny island with a a with island tiny a Flugga, Muckle is coast the off Just Then, as you round a small headland, you see them: them: see you headland, small a round you as Then, stench of the guano, and a gurgling, gargling cacophony. cacophony. gargling gurgling, a and guano, the of stench natural arches and steep-sided clefts known as geos. as known clefts steep-sided and arches natural smell and hear the birds long before you see them: the fishy fishy the them: see you before long birds the hear and smell shapes by the power of the Atlantic, creating stacks, caves, caves, stacks, creating Atlantic, the of power the by shapes coast, one of the best being The Neap. You will probably probably will You Neap. The being best the of one coast, running through them, have been sculpted into incredible incredible into sculpted been have them, through running There are several gannetries along the Reserve’s western western Reserve’s the along gannetries several are There hard to spot. These ancient rocks, with pink veins of granite granite of veins pink with rocks, ancient These spot. to hard minerals kyanite and staurolite in Britain, although they are are they although Britain, in staurolite and kyanite minerals Smashing but smelly but Smashing This process also produced some of the best crystals of the the of crystals best the of some produced also process This immense heat and pressure more than 450 million years ago. ago. years million 450 than more pressure and heat immense The main rock type at Hermaness is gneiss, created under under created gneiss, is Hermaness at type rock main The northerly lump of rock. rock. of lump northerly landed in the sea and became Out Stack, Britain’s most most Britain’s Stack, Out became and sea the in landed boulders at each other over the Burra Firth, one of which which of one Firth, Burra the over other each at boulders Saxa, over a beautiful mermaid. They hurled enormous enormous hurled They mermaid. beautiful a over Saxa, a mythical giant who fought with a neighbouring giant, neighbouring a with fought who giant mythical a Hermaness, or ‘Herma’s headland’, is named after named is headland’, ‘Herma’s or Hermaness, Gannets Land of the giants the of Land in the UK for this massive, elegant bird. elegant massive, this for UK the in 30,000 pairs, making this one of the top six breeding sites breeding six top the of one this making pairs, 30,000 the 15 different species. The gannets alone number about about number alone gannets The species. different 15 the Muckle Flugga Muckle beaks, although they often use old rabbit burrows. rabbit old use often they although beaks, fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and shags are among among are shags and kittiwakes razorbills, guillemots, fulmars, They can dig these out using their powerful legs and and legs powerful their using out these dig can They above the foaming sea, are teeming with life: gannets, puffins, puffins, gannets, life: with teeming are sea, foaming the above The exposed, jagged cliffs, which tower up to 170 metres metres 170 to up tower which cliffs, jagged exposed, The return to the same burrow each spring. each burrow same the to return as far west as Newfoundland, puffin couples usually usually couples puffin Newfoundland, as west far as be literally stopped in your tracks as you reach the precipice. the reach you as tracks your in stopped literally be comical. Having spent the winter at sea, travelling travelling sea, at winter the spent Having comical. sound of crashing waves, no view of the sea – and you will will you and – sea the of view no waves, crashing of sound of their burrows in the soft turf, they seem almost almost seem they turf, soft the in burrows their of moorland, you get no indication of what is to come – no no – come to is what of indication no get you moorland, like beaks full of sand eels, and popping in and out out and in popping and eels, sand of full beaks like birds. Approaching these magnificent cliffs across the dark dark the across cliffs magnificent these Approaching birds. Landing clumsily with their colourful, almost parrot- almost colourful, their with clumsily Landing metropolis that is home to more than 100,000 breeding 100,000 than more to home is that metropolis the seabird world: a noisy, bustling and often smelly often and bustling noisy, a world: seabird the one of the biggest colonies in Britain. in colonies biggest the of one In summer, the cliffs of Hermaness are the New York of York New the are Hermaness of cliffs the summer, In August. Several thousand pairs nest here, making it it making here, nest pairs thousand Several August. by Scottish Natural Heritage. Natural Scottish by Shetland, grace the cliff-tops from mid-April to early early to mid-April from cliff-tops the grace Shetland, Welcome to Hermaness National Nature Reserve, managed managed Reserve, Nature National Hermaness to Welcome Puffins, or ‘Tammie Norries’ as they are known in in known are they as Norries’ ‘Tammie or Puffins, Clifftop clowns Clifftop city Seabird Getting there Hermaness NNR is 3 miles/4.8km north-west of Pirates of the airways Haroldswick on Unst. It takes two ferry journeys to reach Crossing to the cliffs from the car park in summer, you might Unst from Shetland Mainland. The first is from Toft to Ulsta encounter great skuas, known locally as ‘bonxies’. Protective on Yell. This is followed by a 17 mile/27.4km drive north of their nests, they dive-bomb passing walkers. Hold your arm to Gutcher for the ferry to Belmont on Unst. Hermaness or a stick above your head to ward them off, although they There is a bus service from Lerwick to Haroldswick, but it National Nature Reserve rarely make contact. is not possible to enjoy the Reserve and get back in a day. They are more of a threat to their avian neighbours, and will kill and eat seabirds even as big as gannets. More often they Need to know grab a bird’s wingtip to stall them and make them disgorge Visitors are advised not to wear waterproof over-trousers their catch – a free meal for the predator. near the cliff edge and on steep sea-facing slopes With almost a thousand breeding pairs, Hermaness hosts the because a slip could result in you sliding over the edge. world’s third largest colony of great skuas, but the population Please avoid sensitive nesting areas (shown on hasn’t always been this healthy. In 1831, there were just three Reserve map) from May to September. pairs, but landowner and naturalist Dr Lawrence Edmondston set up a protective programme, starting a long history of Support this NNR at www.nature.scot/donate-nnr conservation that continues today. For more information please contact: Scottish Natural Heritage, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0LL Tel: 01463 667600 www.nnr.scot Scotland’s National VISIT Nature Reserves 0 10miles Hermaness 0 10 20km NNR Burrafirth Baltasound Haroldswick UNST YELL A968 Gutcher Belmont Y e l l North Roe S o FETLAR u Mid Yell MAINLAND n d A968 Colgrave Great skua Ulsta Sound Hillswick Burravoe Toft Photographs by Lorne Gill/SNH, Glyn Satterley/SNH, Jonathan Swale. Main map by Ashworth Maps and Interpretation Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-85397-866-1 © Scottish Natural Heritage 2019. www.nature.scot www.nnr.scot Puffin at such a velocity. velocity. a such at skulls that can absorb the shock of smashing into the water the into smashing of shock the absorb can that skulls more than 60mph, evolution having equipped them with them equipped having evolution 60mph, than more sights. Their amazing vertical descents reach speeds of speeds reach descents vertical amazing Their sights. spectacles on a Reserve that is brimming with impressive impressive with brimming is that Reserve a on spectacles Watch as the birds dive: one of the most remarkable remarkable most the of one dive: birds the as Watch so the accolade has been lost. been has accolade the so inhabited island, but the lighthouse is now automated, now is lighthouse the but island, inhabited white-stained cliffs. white-stained lighthouse on it. This used to be Britain’s most northerly northerly most Britain’s be to used This it. on lighthouse thousands of gannets squabbling over territory on the on territory over squabbling gannets of thousands Just off the coast is Muckle Flugga, a tiny island with a a with island tiny a Flugga, Muckle is coast the off Just Then, as you round a small headland, you see them: them: see you headland, small a round you as Then, stench of the guano, and a gurgling, gargling cacophony.