Outer Hebrides Trip Report

17^th - 24^th May 2008

Leader:

Stephen Duffield

Participants:

Gerry Bryant, Franc and Gabrielle Chadwick, Henry and Pamela Martin, Dorothy Lafferty, Jane Greatorex and Judith Whitaker.

Sites:

North Uist: Sound of Harris; Balranald; Committee Road; Loch Euport; Griminish; Lochmaddy; Oban Trumisgarry / Newton; Scolpaig; Loch Paible and Strome / Loch Portain.

Benbecula: Gramsdale; Loch Mor / Loch Fada; Coot Loch

South Uist: Loch Eynort; Grogarry Lodge; Loch Druidibeg; Ardvule; South Ford; Ardivachar; Loch Bee; Howmore.

Barra: Brehvig; Vatersay; Eoligarry, North Bay; Loch Tangusdale; Allasdale.

Daily dairy:

17^th May:  After meeting up at the hotel we had a quick evening walk in Lochmaddy to the “Hut of the Shadows” which is a stone building housing a camera obscura and working very well in the evening sun. Outside we saw a couple of Arctic Terns fishing in the bay and 2 Whimbrel before retiring to enjoy an evening meal at the Tigh Dearg.

18^th May: Our first full day took us on a circuit around North Uist with the first stop being Grenitote where we got a good look at a male Snowy Owl hunkered down by a fence running across the machair.  This stunning bird shortly disappeared after our visit and did not re-appear for the rest of the week. Other birds we had here included Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Lapwing and Oystercatcher. A few miles further on we stopped at the northern end of the Committee Road where a Short-eared Owl was seen hunting the moorland and a winter plumage Grey Plover was feeding on the sand flats. Griminish was our next port of call; this fishing pier overlooks the island of Vallay and the stretch of water between us and the island frequently holds Little, Common and Arctic Tern, which we saw in due course. After a short walk and on returning to the minibus we spotted an Otter fishing on the far bank close to the shore amongst the seaweed. Through the telescope we had good views of this furry beast before it swam behind a small island and disappeared from our gaze. We then headed to Balranald RSPB reserve for lunch stopping at Grogary Loch on route and picking up a pair of Garganey and brief views of a Corncrake. Balranald produced 6 Great Northern Divers, various waders, Twite, Sedge Warbler, Shoveler and Whooper Swan. After lunch we headed back round the north road and stopped to see if there was any activity at the eagle eerie and although there was no sign of the adults we did see a pair of Hen Harriers. A little further east we had good views of 2 male Hen Harriers and a Greenshank. We finished off with Hen Harrier; Short-eared Owls; a perched immature Golden Eagle and 2 Golden Plover along the Committee Road – an excellent day.

19^th May: A lovely day today with little cloud and light south-easterly winds. On the way south we saw Red-throated Diver on a loch close to Langass before driving over to Benbecula and calling in at Loch Mor where we encountered the first of the returning Red-necked Phalaropes; a female asleep on the bank. This wonderful wader has just a toe-hold in this country as a breeding bird and we were lucky to catch up with one as their usual loch was drying out fast. A Merlin made a quick dash passed and a Short-eared Owl hunted the moor in the distance. Other species on the loch included Shoveler and Arctic Tern. On to South Uist and the South Ford which was pretty quiet although we did have a close encounter with an Arctic Skua at Ardivachar. Further south still Peninerine held 5 summer plumage Great Northern Divers, a selection of waders, Eiders and a number of Gannets off-shore. A very nice lunch was enjoyed a Kildonan Café before we headed to North Loch Eynort. Whilst at this scenic site facing east to the Minch and Rum, we spotted 4 distant Golden Eagles (one being mobbed by a Merlin); Kestrel, Red-throated Divers and Black Guillemot. In the wooded garden we all managed to obtain views of a singing Wood Warbler, a scarce species in the Outer Hebrides. On our way back north we called in at Coot Loch where we saw a selection of wildfowl including a male Scaup, Gadwall, Shoveler and of course Coot.

20^th May: This morning we headed for Barra although before we caught the ferry we had a little time to look for Corncrake on Eriskay. We heard one call repeatedly but could not gain views and had to make do with more sightings of Twite before we had to catch the ferry. From the ferry we saw Great Northern Diver, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Eider and a brief Merlin close to Barra. Barra held a number of migrants which included 3 Whinchat at Eoligarry where some of the group managed to see a calling Corncrake. We had a Whitethroat at Brevig where we also heard a Blackcap, plus sightings of Goldfinch. We saw 2 more Whitethroat at Gleann plus some stunning redpolls as well as more Goldfinch before heading further round our Barra circuit. We stopped on a hill top in the bright sunshine to get a view of the famous Kisimuil Castle. The well-placed benches were very tempting for some although our time was limited on the island and to make the most of it we had to carry on our way. Further round Loch Tangusdale held 2 Whooper Swans and we saw a good number of Manx Shearwaters passing Allasdale off the north-west of the island. Our last stop at North Bay produced little until about 15 minutes before we had to leave for the ferry; just as we thought the day on Barra was over a Golden Oriole shot out of the trees and whizzed passed us before disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared. Unfortunately the bird was not seen again and we had little time to look. The ferry back saw the usual group of Grey Seals plus Great Northern Divers, Guillemots, Razorbills and Black Guillemots as well as Eider and Kittiwake. Not far off Eriskay some of us were fortunate enough to see a Basking Shark close to the ferry as it fed at the surface of the sea. 

21^st May: The weather was again good with sunshine throughout most of the day and fairly light winds. Today we headed north to Berneray but on route we stopped at Clachan Sands and again some of us got views of a calling Corncrake. The bird uncharacteristically took to the air and flew into a ditch before everyone could gain views. A little further north we checked the site for the endemic Hebridean Marsh Orchid but were too early although we did get good views of a singing Corn Bunting. Berneray allowed us good views of Common Seal and all three species of terns (Common, Arctic and Little). Loch Bhursda held 2 Coot but the biggest surprise was a Turtle Dove that was flushed from near a croft house and gave us excellent views from the minibus before a Meadow Pipit drove it away into a nearby valley. We had lunch at Loch Portain but little in the way of birds so we returned to the Committee Road where we had a male Hen Harrier, 2 Kestrels, Buzzards and a male American Wigeon on Loch a’Charra. Back to Balranald once again and finally we all got views of a Corncrake close to the minibus after being coaxed into action with a comb and a bank card! Everyone obtained views as the bird periodically called and sneaked through the fairly scant vegetation. We also saw a 1^st yr Iceland Gull and Corn Bunting here. We stopped at the eagle eerie and although an adult was sat on the nest it wasn’t easy to see at the distance we had to view from. The real star of the day was a Short-eared Owl that was sat at the side of the main road around the north-west corner of North Uist and providing us with stunning views for around 20 minutes.

22^nd May: Today we headed south calling in at Loch Mor, Benbecula to look for the phalaropes and although there was no sign we did see a couple of Short-eared Owls, Shovelers and Arctic Terns. Once on South Uist we visited an area of the South Ford to look for waders and had good views of around 20 Knot and a number of Bar-tailed Godwits all in non-breeding plumage. A dark-phase Arctic Skua flew over, livening things up. Nearby Loch an t’Saile held 5 Teal and we saw Sedge Warblers and heard a Corncrake calling. We carried on south to Loch Druidibeg where we had excellent views of a summering Whooper Swan, a Spotted Flycatcher in the plantation and a Sparrowhawk carrying prey. At the end of the road we paused for a while at Loch Skipport; birds included Kestrel and Red-throated Divers. We were just about to leave when 2 Otters appeared in the tidal loch below our position and showed well for around 10 minutes in and out of the water and at one point were seen playfully leaping off the rocks into the sea. Our next stop took us to Loch Eynort where we saw a Golden Eagle perched on a hilltop and Steve had distant views of a White-tailed Eagle. Other birds here included Buzzard, Kestrel and Lesser Redpoll. A number of Common Seals were seen scattered around this lovely location and idling away their time on the rocks. Our final destination took us back to the west coast and the peninsula of Ardvule. Sanderling scurried up and down the beach and a few Whimbrel were hanging around. Off-shore Manx Shearwaters skimmed the sea surface as they travelled effortlessly passed. On the way back to the main road we had excellent  views of an adult female Peregrine Falcon perched in a ploughed field allowing us to get stunning views of this superb bird.

23^rd May: Our last full day was spent on North Uist and our first stop was the Committee Road to have a look at the male American Wigeon that was posing side by side with a Eurasian Wigeon for comparison. A male Hen Harrier flew by as did an Arctic Skua and 2 Greenshank landed on the loch shore. Not a bad start! Loch Paible was our next destination where we managed to pick out 3 Little Stints amongst the flock of Dunlin that fed on the sands. As we moved around the outer edge of this tidal loch we had superb views of an immature Golden Eagle being mobbed by 2 Buzzards allowing us to appreciate at close hand just how big these birds really are. We also had a single Barnacle Goose, a single Brent Goose and a few Turnstones. At Balranald we saw a Short-eared Owl, Shovelers, Whooper Swan and a Little Grebe sat on a nest. Lunch was enjoyed at the Claddach Kirkibost Centre where on leaving Steve received a call about a Subalpine Warbler at Middlequarter along the north coast of North Uist. Without delay we headed for the site and saw this lovely Sylvia warbler flitting about low down in the Sycamores of a small garden. This Mediterranean bird was a long way off course but with the superb weather we experienced during the week had a good chance of finding enough food to help it back on track. The last stop for some of the group was to Langass and the stone circle known as Finn’s People. We saw a few birds here including the diminutive Hebridean Wren and displaying Siskin. Some of the group then retired to the hotel to get ready for their journey home the next day whilst the rest staked out the hills from the pier at Lochmaddy in the hope of connecting with White-tailed Eagle. No sea-eagles were seen but we did have a perched Golden Eagle, Red-throated Divers and a Great Skua; a fine end to an excellent week full of surprises. 

24^th May: Gerry, Pamela, Henry and Dorothy all left on the early morning flight to Glasgow whilst Jane and Judith headed to Skye and Franc and Gabrielle departed for Lewis.

Species list:

1. Red-throated Diver

2. Great Northern Diver

3. Little Grebe

4. Northern Fulmar

5. Manx Shearwater

6. Northern Gannet

7. Cormorant

8. European Shag

9. Grey Heron

10. Mute Swan

11. Whooper Swan

12. Greylag Goose

13. Barnacle Goose

14. Brent Goose (pale-bellied)

15. Common Shelduck

16. Mallard

17. Gadwall

18. Northern Shoveler

19. Eurasion Wigeon

20. American Wigeon

21. Common Teal

22. Garganey

23. Tufted Duck

24. Greater Scaup

25. Eider

26. Red-breasted Merganser

27. White-tailed Eagle

28. Golden Eagle

29. Hen Harrier

30. Common Buzzard

31. Sparrowhawk

32. Common Kestrel

33. Merlin

34. Peregrine Falcon

35. Corncrake

36. Common Moorhen

37. Common Coot

38. European Oystercatcher

39. Ringed Plover

40. Grey Plover

41. European Golden Plover

42. Northern Lapwing

43. Knot

44. Sanderling

45. Ruddy Turnstone

46. Dunlin

47. Little Stint

48. Common Sandpiper

49. Common Redshank

50. Common Greenshank

51. Bar-tailed Godwit

52. Eurasian Curlew

53. Whimbrel

54. Common Snipe

55. Red-necked Phalarope

56. Great Skua

57. Arctic Skua

58. Black-headed Gull

59. Common Gull

60. Herring Gull

61. Lesser Black-backed Gull

62. Great Black-backed Gull

63. Iceland Gull

64. Black-legged Kittiwake

65. Little Tern

66. Common Tern

67. Arctic Tern

68. Black Guillemot

69. Common Guillemot

70. Razorbill

71. Rock Dove

72. Wood Pigeon

73. Collared Dove

74. Turtle Dove

75. Common Cuckoo

76. Snowy Owl

77. Short-eared Owl

78. Skylark

79. Barn Swallow

80. Rock Pipit

81. Meadow Pipit

82. Pied Wagtail

83. Hebridean Wren

84. Hebridean Dunnock

85. European Robin

86. Northern Wheatear

87. Common Stonechat

88. Whinchat

89. Hebridean Song Thrush

90. Blackbird

91. Blackcap (H)

92. Whitethroat

93. Subalpine Warbler

94. Sedge Warbler

95. Wood Warbler

96. Willow Warbler

97. Common Chiffchaff

98. Goldcrest

99. Spotted Flycatcher

100. Hebridean Starling

101. House Sparrow

102. Hooded Crow

103. Common Raven

104. Chaffinch

105. Linnet

106. Lesser Redpoll

107. Twite

108. Goldfinch

109. Greenfinch

110. Eurasian Siskin

111. Reed Bunting

112. Corn Bunting

Other:

Red Deer

Otter

Common Seal

Grey Seal

Basking Shark