Recent Sightings

To report sightings please contact Steve at: steveduffield@hebrides.net

County bird recorder: Brian Rabbitts [rabbitts@hebrides.net]

 

Home Page
Wildlife Tours
July Sightings
June Sightings
May Sightings
April Sightings
March Sightings
February Sightings
January Sightings
Sightings 2007

31st August:

Lewis: Lapland Bunting at the Butt of Lewis.

North Uist: female Snowy Owl still at Aird an Runair. 6 Whimbrel at Scolpaig.

South Uist: Whitethroat at Druidibeg plantation. Goldcrests at both Gorgarry Lodge and Kinloch B&B. Whitethroat at South Glendale.

Other: A single Porpoise seen off Scolpaig this afternoon.

                                                                Snowy Owl and immature White-tailed Eagle (Steve Duffield)

30th August:

South Uist: A single Redwing at Howmore.

29th August:

South Uist: 7 Black-tailed Godwits Balgarva, 5 at the south-west corner of Loch Bee.

Insects: 137 macro moths of 16 species were trapped last night at Drimsdale, South Uist including the first Red Line Quaker of the autumn.

28th August:

North Uist: The female Snowy Owl is still at Aird an Runair, Balranald. Lapland Bunting at Scolpaig. A sea-watch from Scolpaig this morning (09:45 - 11:45) produced: 11 Sooty Shearwaters, 6 Arctic Skuas, 3 Great Skuas, 1 Arctic Tern, 2 Red-throated Divers and 1 Great Northern Diver; plus 16 Whimbrel in 2 groups (9 and 7).

South Uist: 3 Sooty Shearwaters and 3 Arctic Skuas flew passed Ardvule and the juvenile Spotted Redshank is still present. 35 Black-tailed Godwits and a Ruff at Howmore. Osprey hunting over Loch an Eilein, Drimsdale this evening.

                                                                                                Lapland Bunting and Osprey (Steve Duffield); Spotted Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit (John Kemp)

27th August:

Lewis: Ruff at Barvas.

North Uist: Snowy Owl Aird an Runair, Balranald. A sea-watch from Griminish Point (08:00 - 10:30) produced the following south: 39 Brent Geese, 9 Common Scoter, 704 Fulmar, 6 Sooty Shearwaters, 122 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas and 3 Great Skuas.

South Uist: 26 Black-tailed Godwits Howmore / Peninerine.

Red Admiral at Balgarva, South Uist.

26th August:

North Uist: female Snowy Owl at Aird an Runair, Balranald.

South Uist: 22 Black-tailed Godwits and a Ruff at the Howmore river. Juvenile Spotted Redshank on Loch Ardvule. Osprey Loch Carnan in the evening.

Other: Around 7 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, including 2 young animals off the mouth of the river at Howmore this evening. The youngsters were seen playing with a (flightless) female Eider. They regularly nudged the Eider with their beaks and swam around the bird corralling it in so they could seemingly play with it. Eventually after around 10 - 15 minutes the female Eider managed to get close enough in to shore to make a dash for shallower water. The young dolphins followed her in for a while through the surf until the water became too shallow.

Snowy Owl (Steve Duffield)

25th August:

Lewis: Sea-watching from Labost (12:05 - 16:00) produced 24 Sooty Shearwaters, 367 Manx Shearwaters, 112 Fulmar and a Great Skua.

Benbecula: 2 Black-tailed Godwits at Torlum.

South Uist: A sea-watch from Adrvule (06:00 - 15:10) produced: 3 juvenile Sabine's Gulls, 35 Sooty Shearwaters, 1,504 Manx Shearwaters, 636 Fulmar, 5, 242 Gannet, 1 Pomarine Skua, 1 Arctic Skua, 3 Great Skua plus a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit and 7 Whimbrel. There was also a Storm Petrel, Great Skua and another Sooty Shearwater off Ardvule this evening. The juvenile Spotted Redshank was on Loch Ardvule this morning. 4 juvenile Black-tailed Godwits at Peninerine.

Other: Basking Shark off Labost.

Sooty Shearwater (Steve Duffield); Sabine's Gull (John Kemp)

24th August:

Lewis: 3 Sooty Shearwaters, 9 Storm Petrels and one Great Northern Diver off Labost (in 3 hour sea-watch). Balearic Shearwater adn 10 Sooty Shearwaters off Magersta (10 hour sea-watch).

South Uist: juvenile Spotted Redshank in the north bay at Ardvule. 6 Sooty Shearwaters, 1 Storm Petrel, 3 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver and 3 Puffins off Ardvule (3.5 hour sea-watch this morning).

Spotted Redshank (John Kemp); juvenile Sparrowhawk, Luirbost (Frank Stark)

22nd August:

Lewis: 7 Black-tailed Godwits at Loch Stiapabhat. Crossbill at Marybank, Castle Grounds.

Other: Basking Shark off Port of Ness.

21st August:

Lewis: Juvenile Black-tailed Godwit at Loch Ordias. 3 juvenile Black-tailed Godwits at Loch Branahuie plus a lone Long-tailed Duck. 8 Black-tailed Godwits off the Braigh. Glaucous Gull at Loch Barvas and Siadar. Female Crossbill in Stornoway. Male Hen Harrier at Barvas.

Sound of Harris: ringtail Hen Harrier on Grodhaigh.

South Uist: Baird's Sandpiper and Ruff Ardvule.

Cetaceans: 2 Porpoise in the Sound of Harris (from the ferry)

20th August:

Lewis: Glaucous Gull Loch Barvas.

North Uist: female Snowy Owl still at Aird an Runair, Balranald. Ruff on Loch Paible and Baleshare.

South Uist: 8 Black-tailed Godwits over the South Ford. 4 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Ruff along the north-west shore of Loch Bee. 2 Ruff at Balgarva. Adult Baird's Sandpiper still at Ardvule plus a Ruff there too.

Baird's Sandpiper (John Kemp)

19th August:

South Uist: Osprey over Loch Carnan this afternoon.

Insects: 396 macro moths of 24 species trapped at Drimsdale, South Uist last night including Pink-barred Sallow. Red Admiral on Torlum machair today.

Pink-barred Sallow (Steve Duffield)

18th August:

North Uist: female Snowy Owl Balranald.

South Uist: adult Baird's Sandpiper south side of Ardvule. Ruff on Bornish machair.

Insects: Red Admirals at South Glendale, Drimsdale and Howmore, South Uist.

Ruff (John Kemp); Poplar Hawkmoth caterillar (Andrew Stevenson)

17th August:

North Uist: female Snowy Owl at Baranald this afternoon.

South Uist: adult Baird's Sandpiper at Ardvule plus 20 Black-tailed Godwits and 38 Knot there. Green Sandpiper and 2 Ruff along the west shore of Loch Bee. 75 Knot, 90 Grey Plover and 220 Bar-tailed Godwits on the South Ford. Common Swift at Ardivachar this morning and a Pink-footed Goose at Balgarva.

             Peregrine Falcon feeding on Redshank  - 2 photos (John Kemp); male Stonechat (Frank Stark); female Snowy Owl (Steve Duffield)

16th August:

South Uist: Adult Baird's Sandpiper at Ardvule, plus 14 juvenile Black-tailed Godwits.

Insects: Barred Chestnut caught at Loch Eynort last night.

                                                                                              Baird's Sandpiper  - 2 photos; juvenile Black-tailed Godwit (John Kemp); Barred Chestnut (Steve Duffield)

15th August:

Lewis: 23 Common Scoter off Valtos. 3 Storm Petrels feeding off Mangersta as well as 3 Swift. Coal Tit Glen Valtos. 4 juvenile Siskin Gisla.

Insects: 677 macro moths of 27 species were attracted to light at Drimsdale, South Uist last night. The commonest moth was an ear moth species (very difficult to tell 4 species apart) with 323 individuals.

30+ White-sided Dolphins off Mangersta.

Nest of the wasp D. sylvestris from Strome Daliburgh (Bill Neill)

14th August:

Lewis: 1st yr Glaucous Gull at Barvas, plus 2 Swift.

South Uist: adult Baird's Sandpiper still at Balgarva this morning. Juvenile Black-tailed Godwit at Ardivachar.

Insects: Red Admiral at Ardivachar. Small Tortoiseshell Drimsdale. Black Darter at Carnan.

Basking Shark off Port of Ness.

              Baird's Sandpiper first 4 photos (Steve Duffield); Baird's Sandpiper last three photos (John Kemp)

13th August:

South Uist: adult Baird's Sandpiper at Balgarva this afternoon. Female Pintail and Black-tailed Godwit on Loch an t-Saile.

Insects: 367 macro moths of 24 species were trapped at Drimsdale, South Uist last night including: Autumnal Rustic, Hedge Rustic and Small Wainscot. Black Darter at Stilligarry, South Uist today.

                                                                                           Baird's Sandpiper (John Kemp 1st photo); Baird's Sandpiper, Chevron and Hedge Rustic (Steve Duffield)

12th August:

Lewis: Crossbill picked up at Point (after flying into a window) and released in the Castle Grounds in Stornoway.

South Uist: Common Crossbill at Drimsdale this evening.

Red Gurnard (Ruth Macloed); Common Crossbill (Martin Scott)

8th August:

Basking Shark seen in the mouth of Lochmaddy Bay today. The one photographed below has a distinct notch in the tail and follows a report of a similar animal in the Sound of Harris in 2007. If anyone else sees a Basking Shark with a similar notch please could you forward the sighting to me at the email address above.

Basking Shark (Ruth Macloed)

4th August:

Lewis: flava Wagtail at Europie machair and 3 Sooty Shearwaters off the Butt of Lewis.

St. Kilda: Female Two-barred Crossbill on Hirta again today.

Insects: The following macro moths were trapped at Carnan, South Uist last night: 253 moths of 33 species as follows:- Map winged Swift 1, Flame Carpet 1, Red Carpet 5, Purple Bar 2, Chevron 19, Northern Spinach 2, Dark Marbled Carpet 1, July Highflyer 4, Lime Speck Pug 2, Magpie 1, Garden Tiger 10, White-line Dart 10, Large Yellow Underwing 6, Lesser Yellow Underwing 1, Dotted Clay 3, Six-striped Rustic 5, Cabbage Moth 5, Glaucous Shears 1, Smoky Wainscot 72, Dark Brocade 1, Dark Arches 24, Clouded-bordered Brindle 1, Double Lobed 2, Small Wainscot 3, Ear Moth sp 7, Rosy Rustic 4, Haworth's Minor 2, Large Wainscot 8, Rustic 1, Burnished Brass 8, Gold Spot 35, Beautiful Golden Y 6.

Two-barred Crossbill (Sarah Money)

3rd August:

Harris: 7 Common Scoters at Luskentyre.

St. Kilda: Female Two-barred Crossbill on Hirta today plus a Snowy Owl and Green Sandpiper recently.

South Uist: 2 Ruff, 28 Black-tailed Godwits, 20 Knot and 4 Storm Petrels (pm) at Ardvule. 30 Knot at Ardivachar.

Insects: Dark Green Fritillary at Drimsdale and Bornish South Uist.

26 species of macro moth were trapped at Drimsdale last night including the first Small Wainscot of the year. The most common species was White-line Dart (59) and included the dark individual photographed below.

White-line Darts (Steve Duffield)

2nd August:

South Uist: Knot today included 17 at Hebridean Jewellery, 42 at Ardivachar, 28 at Loch Bee and 1 at Peninerine (all in summer plumage). There was also 77 Bar-tailed Godwits and 13 Grey Plover off Hebridean Jewellery. A Ruff was on the tide line Peninerine. 3 juvenile and a male Siskin, plus a Crossbill were at Loch Eynort.

1st August:

Lewis: Ca 80 Swifts around Brue / Barvas mid - late morning. 3 Black-tailed Godwits Loch Barvas.

South Uist: Crossbill at South Glendale. Swifts today included at least 4 over Loch an Eilein, Drismdale early this afternoon plus 2 feeding at Howmore with around 40 Swallows.

Insects: Small Tortoiseshell at Griminish, Benbecula.