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25 Sept 2019

Stories from Staffa: Birds and beasties

Written by Peter Upton, Visitor Services Assistant on Staffa
Two black guillemots sit on a rock. One faces away from the camera and lies down. The other faces the camera, and its red feet are clearly visible. Both have white markings on their wings.
Black guillemots on Staffa
Staffa is famed for its marvellous puffins and its extraordinary volcanic geology, of course. But there are many other fascinating creatures that live here, of which these are just a few.
A painted lady butterfly rests, with its wings spread out, on a rock in a field. It is predominantly orange with black and white markings at the tips of its wings. Two black guillemots sit on a cliff rock, with the sea in the background. They face each other; the one on the left has its beak open. The white wing markings on the one on the right are clear. A large shag sits on a rock by the sea, with a smaller one lying down in the background. It holds its wings slightly out from its body. Four eider ducks stand on rocks by the edge of water. The two males have black and white feathers; the two females have brown feathers. They have their heads tucked under their wings. A great black-backed gull stands on its own on a rock by the sea, looking to the left. A herring gull stands on the cliff edge, with the sea below. It faces to the right. A large twiggy nest with three large greenish eggs inside is tucked into some leafy branches. A young meadow pipit perches on a rock in some grass. It faces to the right and its beak is open, as if calling. It has brown upper feathers and a speckled tummy. A small, deep, woven nest contains four small black eggs. The nest is surrounded by twigs and grasses. A blue butterfly rests on a sprig of bird's foot trefoil. A chunky and very hairy caterpillar lies on some grass. It has an orange belly with a black back, and pale hairs sticking up. A garden tiger moth rests on a rocky surface with its wings spread out. It has brown and white markings at the top of its wings. The lower sections of the wings are orange, with blueish spots close to its body. A horse leech lies curled in the shape of a comma on a smooth rock surface. Its head end is chunkier than its tail. A small brown antler moth, with its wings tucked in, rests on the open palm of a person.

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A view of a deep cave in a cliff, seen from the sea on a sunny day. The cliffs have remarkable basalt columns.
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Staffa

Volcanic rock columns are home to black guillemots, fulmars, puffins and the magical Fingal’s Cave

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