📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Uist & Benbecula ~ Part 3 ~ May 2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Saturday 11th May 2024 🌤  19C ~ Wind SE @ 14MPH ~ It was another beautiful day on Uist, and once again, we enjoyed glorious sunshine. We had already recorded both eagles and, of course, the sought-after Corncrake. We decided to try for better views of a Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl today and I was still hoping to find a summer plumage Black-throated Diver.

Hen Harrier

On Benbecula, a good walking track runs from the car park past Ruabhal. This area of moorland and lochs apparently hosts breeding Hen Harrier, Merlin, and Short-eared Owls. However, our first bird as we were parking was a complete surprise - a 'dark phase' Pomarine Skua shot past overhead before disappearing from view an unexpected addition to our holiday listings! Shortly after we did indeed get better views of a Hen Harrier. 

Black-throated Diver ~ Shame I was unable to get closer!

There are two large lochs along the route and I was delighted to see that the only bird on one loch was a cracking Drake Black-throated Diver. While watching the diver a couple of Stonechats were busy chattering away and so we moved on, we may well have been too close to their nest. Also of note during our walk, more Wheatears and our first Kestrel of the holiday.

Short-eared Owl ~ Taken from the car window! 

It wasn't until we were leaving our accommodation on Sunday morning for our ferry back to Skye that we had our best views of a Short-eared Owl. As we drove away from our accommodation we noticed immediately a bird perched on the verge next to the road. A great end to a cracking holiday!

Our first visit to the Outer Hebrides was amazing, and we have no doubt that we'll be back. The area features beautiful white sand beaches, exquisite turquoise waters, bracken-cloaked moors, and machair-draped dunes. When the sun breaks through, it's simply stunning. 

More Images of the Trip...

Moss Carder Bee

South Uist

Lenticular Clouds 

The sought-after Corncrake

Wheatears are abundant

A fresh Red Admiral on gorse

Drinker Moth caterpillar ` Cuckoos Love them!

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Uist & Benbecula ~ Part 2 ~ May 2024

 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Friday 10th May 2024 🌤  18C ~ Wind SW @ 15MPH ~ After yesterday's abysmal weather today was a gorgeous spring day, if not a little breezy. We began with a walk along the shingle at 'Rubha Aird A' Mhuile a coastal headland with beaches to the north and south plus a loch to investigate. 

Wheatears are literally everywhere! 

There were Red-breasted Mergansers on the lock, along with a few Greylag Geese and overhead passing Common Terns, Arctic Terns and Sandwich Terns. Meadow Pipits are abundant on Uist and so too Wheatears, it seems you can't go 5 minutes without seeing one. 

Corncrake ~ Probably the most elusive species I've managed to photograph. 

Corncrake 

As we drove back past the church at Bornish we again heard Corncrake and spent a good hour investigating and this time we got lucky! Dazza spotted him first with the head showing just above the vegetation and we enjoyed several good views before we left him in peace.

An Otter on route to Locheynort. 

While driving towards Locheynort for a walk in the mixed woodland, we stopped multiple times to look for Otters around the numerous islets. We observed a particular Otter devouring a fish, which was likely a Trout or Salmon before it disappeared below the seaweed. The woodland area provided a pleasant walk, and we were able to record sightings of Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Robin, and Chaffinch, the latter two are uncommon in other areas. 

White-tailed Sea Eagle ~ A little distant compared to yesterday.

After yesterday's rainy visit, we headed back to Loch Druidibeg and enjoyed a 3-mile moorland trail across the very wet blanket bog. White-tailed Sea Eagle and Golden Eagle were the best along with Linnet, Twite, Meadow Pipits, Hooded Crow, Wheatear and Cuckoo. 

Whimbrel

A stop on Benbecula at the appropriately called Stinky Bay, due to the large amounts of seaweed that often accumulates provided an opportunity to search through 1000s of waders. Turnstone, Sanderling, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Ringed Plover and Dunlin were seen in large numbers along with Whimbrel a single Bar-tailed Godwit, several Knot and a Little Stint.

Handheld iPhone image across the flat calm loch

In the evening we had the unprecedented 'Red Alert' Aurora and for Dazza and I what a surreal experience! While photographing the Aurora from the garden a Corncrake was 'crexing' nonstop just yards away, a Cuckoo was calling nearby and a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling in the reedbed below!

Handheld iPhone

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Uist & Benbecula ~ Part 1 ~ May 2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thursday 9th May 2024 😶‍🌫️🌧️10C ~ Wind Variable @ 2MPH ~ Today, we took a ferry from Leverburgh on Harris to Berneray, a small island connected by a causeway to North Uist. The Sound of Harris is shallow and treacherous, and although the distance is relatively short, the current ferry crossing takes an hour to cover the nine nautical miles. The journey involves some hairpin course changes along the way. On route to the ferry the weather had closed in and we received a text message stating that due to fog, the ferry crossing could be disrupted or even cancelled. Fortunately, the fog had lifted sufficiently by departure and we completed the crossing on time. It was a reasonably quiet crossing with Black Guillemots, Great Northern Divers and several Auks noted. 

Harris to Uist

Shortly after disembarking at Berneray and despite the weather, we heard at least three Corncrakes calling from the roadside just a few minutes into our journey. We braved the weather and went for a short walk, but Corncrakes are known for being elusive and we failed to connect.

A thoroughly fed-up Stonechat still looking striking in the rain

Our accommodation was in South Uist, so before heading down we decided to explore the north. We began at Balranald Nature Reserve on the northwest corner. Although, once again we heard Corncrakes, we didn't manage to spot any and eventually gave up due to the weather. However, we did watch a couple of winnowing Snipe and snapped a forlorn-looking Stonechat from the Nature Centre. 

White-tailed Sea Eagle in the gloom at Loch Druidibeg

Next, we visited Loch Druidibeg, a large freshwater loch with many islets surrounded by moorland and blanket bog. During our drive around the loch, we spotted a White-tailed Sea Eagle perched high on a nearby hill. The eagle gave us great views as it flew over the car, having been spooked by two hillwalkers. We also noted several Wheatears, plus Cuckoo, Common Sandpiper, and Red-breasted Mergansers on the loch. Weather permitting we plan to take a long hike tomorrow.

A Cormorant struggles with a huge Eel ~ We were surprised to find out that there are no course fish on the Islands!

Having driven across the causeway to Benbencula and onto South Uist we eventually reached our accommodation at Daliburgh around 5pm. Known as the Boathouse it overlooks a small body of water and we watched from the window as a Cormorant struggled with a huge Eel. There were also many Sand Martins and several Swallows hunting flies over the water.

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Lewis/Harris ~ 6th/8th May 24

Dazza and I began our next Scottish Islands adventure on Sunday, the 5th, making an overnight stop in Fort Augustus, located at the southwest end of Loch Ness, on the Caledonian Canal. Fort Augustus is a delightful village that emanates the charm and mystery of Scotland's most renowned loch.

View out towards Loch Ness from the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus

From Fort Augustus, we drove over to the Isle of Skye and then continued our journey to the Uig Ferry Terminal, which is located on the north coast of the island. The ferry to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris takes around an hour and 40 minutes, and the sea conditions were fair. 

One of many Puffins during the crossing.

There were several Black Guillemots around Uig Harbour as we set off. The crossing was pretty quiet except for the occasional Gannet and Kittiwake. However, many Puffins were spotted on the water, along with Common Guillemot.  

Outer Hebrides

The Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris make up the main island in the Outer Hebrides. Lewis is located in the northern part of the island. During our trip, we stayed in Balallan on Lewis for three nights in a converted bothy. The name Balallan means "Allan's Town" and it is a crofting township within the parish of Lochs. Balallan is notable for being the longest village in Lewis and also in northern Scotland.

Beautiful white sands at Seilebost ~ A tidal channel separating Harris from the Island of Taransay.

Lewis & Harris is actually the third largest island in the British Isles after Great Britain and Ireland and covers an area of over 810 sq miles (2,100 sq km). From a birding perspective, It's a huge Island to cover in just 2 full days, especially if you factor in a visit to Stornoway the Island's main town. Birding wise we decided on Taransay Sound in the south of Harris and the Butt of Lewis in the north, along with several stops while touring around.

Several Little Terns at Taransay.

Taransay boasts of having vast stretches of shell sand beaches and machair, which is a fertile low-lying grassy plain found on the northwest coastlines of Ireland and Scotland. The most prominent examples of this terrain are found on the islands of North and South Uist, Harris, and Lewis. During our walk, we watched Little Terns fishing in the tidal channels along with Arctic Terns and looking across the sound good scoped views of Great Northern Divers, Red-throated Divers and Common Scoter. We were lucky enough to record a single Black-throated Diver in summer plumage and several Long-tailed Ducks. Apparently, Corncrake can be heard from the machair but not during our stay. Waders included Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Curlew, Whimbrel and Ringed Plover.

A surprise as a Hen Harrier flies in off the sea at the Butt of Lewis.

To the north at the Butt of Lewis lighthouse, there is an opportunity for sea watching. However, after a beautiful day on the 7th, it was challenging today due to rain and a strong breeze. Below the lighthouse, we noted several Seals and despite the poor conditions we managed a short sea watch, the highlights were Great Skua and Hen Harrier, which we were surprised to see coming in off the sea. 

Whimbrel one of eleven we watched feeding.

We had lunch sheltering in the car overlooking the grass-covered cliffs and adjacent to a clifftop freshwater pool. Eleven Whimbrel were busy feeding along with a half dozen Dunlin and a few Ringed Plover and Redshank. More surprisingly we counted seven White Wagtails! 

Wheatear

We enjoyed the stunning scenery of Lewis & Harris, but for birding purposes, it's too vast to fully appreciate during such a short visit. Driving around we noted many Wheatear, a few of which may well have been of the Greenland race, which pass through. Because of its location only a few Swallows were seen. Sand Martin and House Martin are scarce here, along with many of the common species from home such as Blue Tit & Great Tit etc. 

Great Northern Diver

From our accommodation which overlooks the west end of Loch Eireasort we watched what the locals call 'real' Greylag Geese plus Pink-footed Geese, Great Northern Divers, Red-throated Divers and Shelduck were also seen. A Cuckoo would perch occasionally singing at the back of the house. In the evenings and early mornings, we could hear winnowing Snipe and distant calls of Golden Plover. There are also 'real' Rock Doves all around the coast and Raven and Hooded Crows are residents. Weatherwise we encountered a beautiful day on the 7th and rain and wind on the 8th, so a typical mixed bag, the norm for Scotland. Today May 9th, we take the ferry to Uist, where hopefully we can get our real birding heads on!

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Dalmadilly Ponds ~ 4th May 24

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Saturday 4th May 2024 🌤 11C ~ Wind Variable @ 2MPH ~After enjoying a few days of sunny and warm weather, we woke up to a cloudy and drizzly morning. To make the most of it, we decided to have a full breakfast at our favourite local cafe. Afterwards, we completed our final preparations for our trip to the Hebrides. In the afternoon, Dazza and I took a stroll around Dalmadilly Ponds in search of any new arrivals before we set off on our trip tomorrow.

Garden Warbler ~ A good find for the area.

Upon our arrival, the weather had improved, and it turned out to be an excellent visit. We were delighted to find a Garden Warbler, which is always a good tick for the area and an early one too. While we were sitting on one of the benches, observing the Garden Warbler, calls overhead caught our attention, alerting us to the presence of an Osprey. The Osprey circled around for a while before flying off, making it the first local bird we've encountered this year. 

Common Whitethroat

Another addition to the list was our first Common Whitethroat of the year and during our walk (7) Willow Warblers. (2) Chiffchaff and (2) Blackcap. Looking down onto the River Don we watched four Goosander and a Dipper, which I think was collecting nesting materials. Finally, as a distant 'cronking' got louder, three Ravens headed across towards the quarry, a good end to our stroll.

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 RSPB Strathbeg ~ 3rd May 24

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Friday 3rd May 2024 🌤 14C ~ Wind NE @ 8MPH ~ I spent a few hours at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg this morning. A couple of Corn Buntings were singing along the phone wires as I passed the Crimond cemetery, and a Stonechat perched briefly along the entrance road to the reserve. Strathbeg has a large colony of Tree Sparrows and several were on the feeders as I parked.

One of the many Tree Sparrows at Strathbeg 

A quick check through the screens at the visitor center picked up a male Garganey that had been seen on site for the past week. After that, I made my way around to the bench to have a look over Starnafin Pools. 

Record image of the Drake Garganey.

The Garganey was quite distant, but I managed to take a few record shots of it while it was busy preening. Scanning the pools there were hardly any waders around, except for a few Lapwings. However, I did manage to note down Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, and Gadwall.

Pectoral Sandpiper ~ My first Nearctic of the year. 

I then suddenly came across a distant medium-sized wader which I didn't recognise immediately. The bird was brown-toned overall with yellowish legs but when it turned toward me it revealed dense breast streaking with an abrupt border and white belly, a Pectoral Sandpiper! My first Nearctic species of the year and more pleasing a self-found bird!

Linnet

I spent an hour at the bench recording Marsh Harrier, and a couple of Ospreys drifted over at a distance. There were plenty of Swallows, along with a few House Martins. During my walk to the Dunbar Hide, several Willow Warbler, Linnet, Tree Sparrows, Yellowhammer, Meadow Pipits, a Blackcap, and Skylarks. The reedbeds held at least five Sedge Warblers and a few Reed Buntings, but the low ground was particularly quiet, save for four Grey Herons.

Green-veined White 

With the relative warmth, I also recorded my first Green-veined White butterfly of the year. 

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Muir of Dinnet ~ 2nd May 24

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thursday 2nd May 2024 🌤 14C ~ Wind NNE @ 6MPH ~ The sun was finally shining with a balmy 14C forecast, so I decided to take a 40-minute drive from home to Muir Of Dinnet NNR. This was my first visit of the year, and it is my go-to place for spotting Tree Pipits, Common Redstarts, and Cuckoos. There are two freshwater lochs at Dinnet, Loch Kinord and Loch Davan and the vegetation includes pine and birch woodland, breaking to open moor on the high ground.

Tree Pipit ~ At least 15 during my visit

I would have to say that having visited each spring since 2020 when I first moved to Scotland this was by far my best year for Tree Pipits. I recorded at least 15 birds frequently displaying, landing in the treetops and occasionally foraging at ground level. 

Common Redstart 

I made my way to Loch Davan, mainly for a regular nesting pair of Great Crested Grebes, a rare thing in Aberdeenshire. Unfortunately, there was no sign during my scans and I'll try again in a few weeks. However, I did record a rather nice-looking male Common Redstart, which I managed a shot of, even though he perched with the sun directly behind! 

Cuckoo ~ My first of the year!

I could hear a distant Cuckoo occasionally and whether it was the same bird or not a short time later one flew right past, fortunately, my camera was in hand. 

Red Kite on the prowl

On the high ground, several Lapwings were protecting their nests, fighting off the occasional Corvid and I wasn't surprised to see a Red Kite looking for a meal. He did leave empty-handed. As well as the more common species today a Common Sandpiper was also noted at Loch Kinord and my first Orange-tip butterfly of the year. 

Here are a few more Images of the day...

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

A Kettle Hole

An old settlement

Wood Anemone 

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Dalmadilly in the Rain ~ 1st May 24

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Wednesday 1st May 2024 🌤 10C ~ Wind NE @ 3MPH ~A new month has begun and spring migration is slowly taking shape up here in the northeast of Scotland. I spent the early morning at Girdleness, meeting David Leslie at the Torry Battery car park. Having left home in low cloud and poor visibility by the time I reached Torry conditions had improved slightly, sufficient at least for a spot of birding.

The view along the shoreline and the harbour entrance ~ Thanks to David for the photo

We spent an enjoyable if not productive few hours searching the many gorse bushes around the Battery and golf course, as well as the local allotments and the harbour shoreline. Visibility was poor for sea watching but Kittiwake and Sandwich Terns were seen around the shoreline. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything noteworthy to get excited about. However, we did come across plenty of Meadow Pipits displaying, Skylarks singing, and Sand Martins, House Martins, and Swallows feeding low. We also spotted Willow Warblers, a couple of Blackcaps, and a brief singing Sedge Warbler before the rain arrived and we called it a day. 

Back home and having almost dried off I decided to take a walk around Dalmadilly Ponds. I like the ponds in the rain! Normally I can get around both pools without seeing a dog walker, jogger or swimmer. It was actually a good visit and despite the rain plenty of Willow Warblers and a few Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing. My first Sedge Warbler for the Ponds this year was also noted. 

Common Sandpiper ~ Not a particularly good day for photos.

Below on the River Don my first Common Sandpipers of the year were busy chasing each other around but the highlight had to be hearing a Green Woodpecker across at Fetternear, quite the rarity up here and a bird I only ever hear in the spring. On the pools a dozen Tufted Duck, a Little Grebe and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls.