With nature and a camera

Chapter II. The birds and fowlers of St Kilda

Gannets *

Although we saw plenty of Solan Geese building their nests, we were not treated to anything in the way of examples of petty larceny and bloody justice which seem to have supplied our rather sanguinary-minded old friend Martin with what he frankly calls a "very agreeable diversion."

Martin says that he made particular inquiry as to how many Solan Geese were killed and eaten in St Kilda in a year, and found that in a bad season no less than twenty-two thousand five hundred had been caught and consumed. Both the people and the birds appear to have been more numerous then than now.

One authority has estimated the number of Gannets breeding on the St Kilda group of islands at two hundred thousand, and computed their summer consumption of fish at two hundred and fourteen millions, adding that the sight of the birds resting on Stack Lee is "one of the wonders of the world."

The Solan Geese return to their breeding quarters on Borrera and the adjoining rock stacks in March, about the middle of which month the St Kildans go forth in their boats to raid the sleeping birds under the cover of darkness.

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Gannet and young

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According to Sands, the foray is managed in the following way: "Two men fastened at either end of a rope ascend the rocks, and on all-fours crawl along the ledge where the geese are resting. The latter have always a sentinel posted, who, if he thinks all is well, cries, 'Gorrok! Gorrok!' on hearing which the fowlers advance; but if the sentinel cries 'Beero!' the men remain motionless with their bonnets drawn over their brows, and their faces on the rock. If the sentinel fancies it was a false alarm, and again cries ' Gorrok!' the first fowler progresses until he is near enough to grasp the sentinel and twist his powerful neck. The sentinel gone, the whole flock falls into a state of panic and bewilderment, and crowd upon the man on all sides. He has nothing to do but despatch them. But it sometimes happens that the whole troop take flight with a 'Beero! harro! boo!' when the men have to crawl back without any game for that night."

On returning from their winter quarters the birds are allowed to get thoroughly settled down on their usual roosting rocks, when a dark calm night is chosen for raiding them.

If the sentinel gives the alarm, and the birds fly off, they sometimes assail their would-be captors in departing, and the men have to look out for the safety of their eyes. Caps and mufflers are occasionally carried off by the angry Gannets.