Great Skua

Heading out to the point of Noness in the summer is not something I usually do due to the number of Bonxies (Great Skua's) that nest there. You take you life in your hands heading out there in the breeding season as you are liable to get a thump on the head from these big birds. The numbers have fallen in recent years due to the ravages of bird flu so I was keen to see if there was any improvement in numbers as there seem to have been with other species such as Puffins and Gannets. 
It's only about a mile from the road end to the Point of Noness so I decided to go as far as I could until the swoosh of the Bonxie swoop could be heard or felt. My first indication that all was not well was that the colony of Terns was nowhere to be seen for yet another year. Secondly there were many more  Meadow Pipits and Skylarks than I'd seen in the past so not so much predation. I only saw one Bonxie up to the Point and it left me alone. On the way back along the east coast I was swooped on twice but in total I saw only eight of these big birds. In the past I would have seen closer to 80 on the moors of Noness so population numbers are not good.
A lot of people don't like the Bonxie as they can be brutal in their savaging but the decline in numbers is worrying. 
Another worry is the lack of Arctic Skuas. They've been in decline for longer but very few again this year. 
The extra just about shows the path taken from the road end in the far distance to the Point.