27 May 2024: Isle of Staffa - Fingal’s Cave and Puffins

I 🩷 Puffins

The sun came out in the afternoon and the sea settled down, so we were set for our expedition to the Isle of Staffa.

The main things to see on Staffa are the amazing basalt rock formations, Fingal’s Cave and puffins.

I love puffins.

Highlights Slideshow

Sailing to Staffa

Our trusty vessel: Iolaire of Iona.

It takes about 45 minutes to get to Staffa.

Staffa Tours

On the way we passed these seals near the Isle of Mull.

Seals really do look awkward on land.

Staffa

MacKinnon’s Cave (left) and Boat Cave (right).

Fingal’s Cave (right).

Lots of amazing basalt formations.

The columns are formed from molten lava. As the liquid rock cooled, it hardened, shrank and fractured into a regular series of stone pillars.

If the cooling had been exactly the same across the lava, the rocks would have formed an exact geometric pattern of parallel six-sided columns. But because the cooling was at slightly different rates, the columns vary in size and bend in graceful curves.

This is the path to the puffins. More a ladder than stairs.

Docking and Getting Off the Boat

Fingal’s Cave

The Legend of Fingal (Fionn) and the Giant’s Causeway

My AI buddy tells it like this:

According to the legend, Fionn mac Cumhaill was a giant and a warrior who lived in Ireland. Across the sea in Scotland lived another giant, Benandonner. The two giants often shouted insults at each other across the water, boasting about their strength and prowess. Eventually, Fionn challenged Benandonner to a fight to prove who was the stronger giant.

Fionn began building a causeway across the sea to reach Benandonner, using massive stones so that he could walk over to Scotland. However, as Fionn approached Scotland, he saw Benandonner in the distance and realised that his Scottish rival was much larger and more formidable than he had anticipated. Fionn quickly turned around and ran back to Ireland, fearing for his life.

Upon returning, Fionn’s wife, Oonagh, devised a clever plan to save her husband. She disguised Fionn as a baby and put him in a giant cradle. When Benandonner arrived in Ireland, he was greeted by Oonagh, who welcomed him into their home. When Benandonner saw the ‘baby’, he was astounded by its enormous size, thinking that if the baby was that large, the father must be a truly enormous and fearsome giant. Terrified at the prospect of facing such a giant, Benandonner fled back to Scotland, tearing up the causeway behind him to prevent Fionn from following.

The remnants of this legendary causeway are said to be the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland and the basalt columns on the Isle of Staffa in Scotland, symbolising the connection between the two lands and the feats of their mythical giants.

It is interesting to note that it is Fionn’s wife who comes up with the clever plan and that the Scottish giant is a bit thick and Fionn is not much better.

Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave

Felix Mendelssohn visited Staffa in 1829. It left a profound impression on him and inspired him to compose Fingal’s Cave (aka the Hebrides Overture, Op. 26).

So why not listen to this YouTube video while looking at the pictures. Here’s a link to a YouTube video of the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Mendelsson - Fingal’s Cave

I remember studying this piece at school as an example of Romantic programme music. This type of instrumental music intends to evoke images or convey the impression of events, and is often inspired by nature (among other things).

The Path to Fingal’s Cave

Health and safety are important on Staffa.

Inside Fingal’s Cave

The sea was pretty calm so we didn’t hear much of the acoustics.

Looking out.

Looking back towards Mull (south).

Looking back towards Mull (east).

Puffins

Puffins are members of the auk family.

Auk: a short-winged diving seabird found in northern oceans, typically with a black head and black and white underparts.

Family Alcidae (the auk family), which comprises the guillemots, razorbills, puffins, and their relatives.

— Oxford English Dictionary

These guys are Atlantic Puffins.

Latin name: Fratercula arctica. Fratercula means ‘little brother’ (as in monk) because their black and white plumage looks like monastic robes.

Atlantic Puffin

In the Pacific Ocean are the stunningly quaffed Tufted Puffin and the Horned Puffin.

Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata)

Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata)

Filming the puffins.

I was surprised at how close they let us get to them. They are quite small birds.

Atlantic puffins spend the winter at sea. In the summer they nest in colonies on shore.

Their colourful beaks are seasonal.

While wintering at sea, they moult their feathers (to the point of making them unable to fly for a few months) and the colourful portions of their beaks. Their beaks, as a result, are far less bright and less broad, and they also lose the black colouring around their eyes.

Puffins flap their wing very fast (around 400 beats per minute).

They also use their wings to propel themselves under water. They dive up to 60 metres to catch sand eels.

Puffins are not so graceful at landing.

They sort of flop down after hovering for a moment in an upright position.

Here is an attempt at showing a landing in a slow motion slideshow:

I extracted a few frames from the video.

They really flap those wings.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorised the Atlantic Puffin as a vulnerable species in 2018.

Climate change threatens their population by lessening their food supply, as does hunting, which is still permitted in Iceland.

It staggers me that Iceland uses the puffin as an icon in advertising to tourists, yet they also hunt and eat them. There are restaurants where you can order puffin (also whale).

Here is an altercation. Some sort of dominance behaviour? Or just a bit of fun?

It looks like two of them get into a beak fight. Then another puffin walks around and seems to break it up and claim top spot. He looks very pleased with himself. (I assume they are all male.)

And then they all just fly off.