Having spent the night in the car park at Tarbet I was ready and queuing up for the first ferry to Handa.
Handa was evacuated in 1847 due to the potato famine. It is now owned by a botanist doctor and is “run” by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. On the west of the island there are sandstone stacks with the usual ornithological occupants, including puffins. I still haven’t seen them with sand eels in their beaks – they only bring them in when they have young. I saw a razorbill, near to the puffins bring in some sand eels but the puffins weren’t doing much. So in the Eye-Spy book of things to do I still haven’t been able to tick the puffin/sand eel box, nor the otter box. Nor, since the dolphins at the Black Isle, have I seen any porpoises, dolphins, wales, etc, barring seals.
I did see a couple of red grouse and an eider duck with ducklings. The couple in front of me saw a lizard which I was very surprised about,but, yes, they are about.
When I got back to Tarbet from Handa I went to the Shorehouse where I had hot smoked salmon for lunch and then drove to the camp site in Scourie.
Here I was able to get my electronics fully recharged and get washed, did a wash and, very lazily, had supper at the cafe (and bar) attached to the camp site – it was doing a very good trade- the rest of the village was closed – until Monday. I also heard a cuckoo.
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