Preface
Before I start writing about the Arcus- Kra family, let me introduce myself: My name is William Work and I am an accountant from Shetland island. I am of Orcadian descent from my mother’s side. I am a birder, a bird watching enthusiast who compensate his passion for the feathered world with his monotonous workdays spent as a accountant in a company dealing in sand paper. I have inherited my passion for bird life after my uncle from my father’s side. Uncle Hugo, a quiet man of large disposition and a spark in his left eye had a keen interest in bird life. He was the first person who revealed to me about the Arcus - Kra family. He told me a story about a strange and sudden encounters with a large black bird, mostly revealing itself only by its silhouette other times in a see through, transparent-like form. These encounters, lasting always only a short instance and then this creature would disappear, sometimes with a flick sometimes without. Then, when my uncle passed away I started seeing the birds myself. It was strange, it felt as though I inherited the seeing, I was the chosen one, perhaps by my uncle, perhaps by the forces of nature. The encounters, for the best part, were still very brief, rare and always silent. I remember my last sighting of the Arcus - Kra in early 2015 then these sightings stopped. The next time I heard about the bird was when a child saw it walking on the Meal beach near Hamnavoe. That time I knew there was something wrong, something wasn’t in balance, for the bird appeared to no one else but to my uncle and me. It was in the late summer of 2019 when the bird family knocked on my door.
Very quiet, gentle 2 tap knock. At first I couldn’t see anything but then, suddenly, 3 large birds appeared on our doorstep, like a mirage right in front of me and asked politely to come in.
The large black bird, the father of the family introduced each member. His son Arthur Arcus - Kra, wife Lezzie Arcus- Kra and himself father of the family Scottie Arcus - Kra are, in his own words the oldest bird family in Shetland. He said they are the the last of its kind. They sat around the table and over a glass of water and pumpkin seeds they slowly revealed to me an intriguing yet very sad story of the Arcus- Kra family.
I compiled this story of the Arcus - Kra into a 4 main categories:
History
Survival techniques
Future Preservation
Conclusion and Outcomes
William Work/ Hamnavoe, Shetland
