The Isle of May
by John Bulpitt FRPS

Since I became an enthusiastic nature photographer in the mid 1990’s, I have paid an annual visit to the Farne Islands and/or Bass Rock to photograph sea birds. The boats from Seahouses/North Berwick respectively are always full of photographers willing to swap ideas about how and where to photograph wildlife. But on these trips I have never heard a reference to the Isle of May nor as an avid reader of nature photography books have I ever seen a reference to ‘The May’. And yet it is by far the best location I have experienced for sea bird photography.

It was only towards the end of 2004 that I first heard about The May. I was told by a friend that after a week’s stay on the island he had thrown away all his earlier sea bird pictures. He gave me the contacts I needed to plan a trip. 

The May is situated in the mouth of the Firth of Forth a few miles off the coast of Fife. Ironically Bass Rock can be seen clearly from the Island. The May is 1.5 km long and is a haven for tens of thousands of nesting seabirds, which flourish on the steep cliffs and rocky shores.  A light beacon, the first in Scotland, was built in 1656. It required between one and three tons of coal a day. This would be logistically difficult today so one can only imagine the problems in the seventeenth century. The current lighthouse was built in 1816, by Robert Stevenson, the Uncle of Treasure Island author, Robert Louis Stevenson. It has been a National Nature Reserve since 1956 when the lighthouse was automated.

I visited The May for week in July 2004. Day trips are possible but if you plan well in advance it is possible to stay for a week. There are only 6 bunks in an old light-house and preference is given to bird ringers. If you are keen to visit, contact:
Mike Martin, Booking Secretary, 2 Manse Park, Uphall, West Lothian, EH52 6NX. 
To be reasonably sure of a place contact Mike early in January.

We arrived by boat from Anstruther after a rough crossing on a wet Saturday morning. The boatman was obviously used to photographers as he had a hoist to lift our equipment plus clothing and food and drink for a week ( or slightly longer as there is no guarantee that you will leave on the appointed day). Heather Angel had been resident the previous week and was waiting on the quayside to be taken back to civilisation.  Our accommodation was warm and comfortable with a gas cooker, two gas fridges and emergency food cupboard which would have fed us for a week if we had been unconcerned about shelf life. A chemical loo with the deceptively romantic name of ‘Elsie’ was situated in an outhouse. There was a lounge with a small library. Residents were encouraged to write a daily log -these dated back to 1934 and made fascinating reading. I did not have a shower and somehow the sea never seemed that tempting!

There are two resident wardens as well as a number of ringers and researchers who live on another part of the Island. The wardens were extremely helpful allowing me to recharge camera batteries as well as allowing use of a one man hide overlooking a Sandwich Tern colony.

One researcher was in residence – Dr Mike Harris from the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology – one of the world’s leading authorities on the Puffin. His book ‘The Puffin’ (ISBN 0 85661 038 0) makes fascinating reading. Today there are 68,000 pairs on The May compared with only 10,000 in 1982 and less than ten in 1959. Puffins can fly at 50mph, and into a 60 mph gale. Their wings beat at up to 400 beats per minute; they weigh 400/500grams; and have a life expectancy of 25 years. They can carry up to 60 sand eels in their beaks! Unfortunately this topic never comes up when I play Trivial Pursuit with my family.

Razorbill in flight. Canon 1D, 70-200 + 1.4. between 1/1600 and 1/3200 at f4.

The weather during our first couple of days was overcast, which allowed us to explore the Island thoroughly as well as giving the right light for portrait shots. Apart from Puffins and sandwich terns, I photographed Arctic and Common Terns, Oystercatchers, Lesser Black-backed, Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls, Guillemots and Bridled Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Razorbills and Fulmars.

Puffin in flight. Canon 1D, 70-200 + 1.4. between 1/1600 and 1/3200 at f4.

On day three the wind got up and I was able to concentrate on the real task of photographing sea birds in flight. Many hours were spent on North Plateau above Bishop’s Cove in the South of the Island, which was ideal as it was close to many of the main nesting sites and on a direct flight path to and from the birds’ fishing grounds.

I used a Canon 1D and with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens hand held and the light was usually good enough to shoot at a minimum of 1/1600th at ISO 200. At the time I was shooting JPEGs but I have been persuaded that RAW is better for nature photography particularly to correct errors such as underexposure.

In summary - a wonderful week. If you have enjoyed Bass rock and the Farnes, you will be bowled over by The May.