Arctic Skuas have now become our rarest breeding seabird and get special protection under the law, which is why I'm always glad to see quite a large colony of them breeding in happy isolation on the low hillocks to the east of Hyne. A Sunday Times article about skuas on Fair Isle last year stated that these elegant and beautiful birds harbour 'a pathological hatred of human beings' and dive straight at the face of any intruder near their nests. They were also accused of terrifying a flock of sheep to such an extent that three lambs fell of a cliff while trying to escape them. Farmers of the Fair Isle, waxing irate, intend to 'win a war over the skuas' this summer.

Well, I've walked close to many a skuas' nest and seen many a lamb grazing peacefully nearby, and though the birds obviously don't like the intrusion, they've never yet attacked me nor sent any lambs flying for their lives. So what I'd like to know is: are the arctic skuas of Coll, a more peaceful breed than the Fair Isle variety? Do Coll farmers also have a grudge against skuas? Or is it just that the Hitchcock film The Birds was never shown here - as it obviously was on Fair Isle?