Western Isles Trip Report

Scotland (Western Isles) 2011

...with Mark Finn

May 8th - 14th

The Western Isles again proved to be an exceptional place to be during early May. The group witnessed some wonderful birds for Scotland and indeed the British Isles; American Wigeon, Bonaparte’s Gull and Red-rumped Swallow being observed. In addition to this the group recorded all four species of skuas, Golden and White-tailed Eagles, Corncrake, Dotterel, Curlew Sandpiper, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler (both rare migrants here) and an astonishing passage of waders. The waters around the islands hosted Great Northern, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, Manx Shearwaters and high numbers of auks especially Atlantic Puffins in their highest numbers for some years. Our next departures to the islands are September 2011 and May 2012 .

May 8th: Black Isle, Skye, Uig, Lochmaddy, Langass, Balranald, Benbecula.

Weather: Sunny spells with a fresh southeast wind 13 C.

From the Black Isle we travelled through Wester Ross and over the Skye Bridge onto the island of Skye itself. The first stop was at Waterloo near Broadford where the group watched birds in an enclosed bay dotted with small islets. Waders included Eurasian Curlew, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Eurasian Oystercatcher whilst the deeper waters attracted Great Northern Diver, Red-breasted Merganser and European Shag. Gardens and trees adjacent to the shore held Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat and Northern Wren. The journey through Skye was blighted by poor weather including mist and rain showers. Towards the main town of Portree an adult Golden Eagle showed well above the van allowing us all great views of this impressive raptor. After a short rest stop I continued to the port of Uig where the ferry sets sail to Lochmaddy on North Uist. The harbour had Common Eider, Black Guillemot, and nearby a singing Sedge Warbler and soaring Common Ravens. At 1415 the ferry left Uig to cross the sometimes choppy waters of The Minch. Seabirds were patchy but included good numbers of Manx Shearwaters, Northern Gannets, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Northern Fulmars, Common Guillemot, Razorbill and Atlantic Puffin. Near Lochmaddy we encountered flocks of migrating Arctic Terns and a winter plumaged Red-throated Diver. Once on North Uist I headed towards Langass with a small plantation next to the lodge. The garden here held localised species of the Western Isles; European Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, European Robin and to my surprise a House Martin and a singing Blackcap. On the way to Balranald we stopped for Whimbrel and European Golden Plovers feeding in grass fields. At Balranald I headed to the machir where we located eight Dotterel feeding on the grasses and Corn Bunting singing from the tops of grassy mounds. The beach had high numbers of Sanderling and Ringed Plover. Our journey took us south to Benbecula with close views of a pair of Whooper Swans by the road. Checked in at our base on Benbecula for the next three nights.

May 9th: Loch Olabhat, Valley Strand, Grenitote, Berneray, Balranald, Balieshare, Torlum.

Weather: Mixed with sunshine and showers plus a strong southeast wind 13 C.

This morning I headed to North Uist with the commoner species seen en route. At Loch Olabhat the inlet had Northern Gannet, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Eider, Arctic Tern and on the far bank three Barnacle Geese. Along the exit road we were treated to close views of a hunting Short-eared Owl. A few waders present in Valley Strand so we progressed to the village of Grenitote. From a rather windswept car park a distant Common Teal and several fishing Little Terns, nearby grass and rocks offered shelter to Grey Plover and Red Knot. Bryan then found a Woodpigeon a rather uncommon bird on the lower islands. Turned north again to the island of Berneray to explore the machir where we found hundreds of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and a single Curlew Sandpiper. Lunch taken and a return to North Uist where we located Eurasian Wigeon, Common Cuckoo and two pairs of Twite near Gremitote village. The beach north of Balranald had summer plumage Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstone. Visits to Balieshare and Coot Loch added Little Grebe, Whooper and Mute Swans and calling Corncrakes although the wind made things very difficult. Our final stop at Torlum was to look into a small plantation which held Song Thrush, European Greenfinch and the Scottish subspecies of Linnet.

May 10th: Ford Terrace, Ardivachar, The Range, Rubha Aird a’Mhuile, Loch Aenort, Loch Druidibeg, Langass.

Weather: Steady rain in the morning followed by sunny intervals and a southeast wind 14 C.

The day dawned with persistent rain and a strong wind from the southeast which made birding tricky and difficult at times. After picking up supplies at the Co-op I headed towards Ford Terrace and the road running towards the North Atlantic. A stop by a loch with adjacent iris beds allowed brief views of a Corncrake (it showed well later in the day), Common Tern and a displaying Sedge Warbler. Turned towards Ardivachar where dark phase Arctic Skuas flew over the machir and a pair of Little Terns hovered over a burn. The beach at Ardivachar was alive with shorebirds feeding in and around seaweed full of insects and other nutrients. The majority were Dunlin and Ringed Plover with lesser numbers of Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling and Red Knot. Offshore a few Great Northern Divers, Arctic Terns and a host of gulls; Herring, Common, Black-headed and Great Black-backed. Retraced our journey until reaching Ford Terrace where we added breeding plumaged Grey Plovers to the day list. The Range was next on the agenda with a pair of very approachable Eurasian Dotterel and northbound European Golden Plovers. Travelled further south passing Loch Bi with its hundreds of Mute Swans. Another turn this time to Rubha Aird a’Mhuile a noted sea-watching spot in autumn. On the approach groups of Greylag Geese and a single Pink-footed Goose. Out at sea passing Northern Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Arctic Tern, Northern Fulmar and Black-legged Kittiwake. Inshore rocks proved an attractive place for roosting Great Cormorant and European Shag. Next was Loch Aenort a sea loch with stands of birch scrub and gardens along one side of the shore. Passerines here included Common Redpoll, Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch and the local races of Northern Wren and Dunnock. After lunch a walk along the loch produced Red-throated Divers, Grey Heron and best of all an adult White-tailed Eagle which showed well in flight before disappearing from view. Back at the car park Julie had found a Peregrine Falcon and on the road a male Hen Harrier passed in front of us. Loch Druidibeg had a single Black-throated Diver before a visit to Ford Terrace for Corncrake. Our last stop was at Langass Lodge with the feeders having the commoner birds and a female Hen Harrier hunting over the moors.

May 11th: Benbecula, Langass, Balranald, Grenitote, Berneray/Leverburgh Ferry, Northton, Luskentire, Mealabost.

Weather: Mixed with heavy showers and occasional sunny spells 13 C.

We checked out of the hotel and made the short journey up to road and stopped opposite Coot Loch. The waters of the loch were choppy due to strong winds although we did manage to see a single Common Coot, House and Sand Martins and Barn Swallows. On another loch nearby up to three drake Northern Shovelers and nesting Black-headed and Common Gulls. A short stop at Stinky Bay produced nothing of note so I headed back to Langass again in the hope of seeing the reported Hawfinch. No luck with the latter but two White-tailed Eagles gave us close views with one sitting atop of a mound. On the way to Balranald a hunting Short-eared Owl, Whooper Swans and the commoner ducks and waders. At Balranald a Corncrake was observed at close range before slinking away into cover, it looks like a good year for this species on the islands. A brief stop at the sea-watching point provided little of interest so I headed to Grenitote. Plenty of waders here including Red Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits. Time was pressing as we travelled to Berneray. Northern Lapwings were getting excited about something which turned out to be a large female Eurasian Sparrowhawk. The ferry to Leverburgh on Harris departed on time a journey of an hour through rather shallow waters marked by buoys. Great Northern and Red-throated Divers, Northern Gannet, Common Eider, Razorbill, Black Guillemot and Arctic Tern were all common with smaller numbers of Great Skua, a single Pomarine Skua and Common Guillemots. Once on Harris I headed north and made a stop at Northton where Common Sandpipers were displaying on the shoreline. The plantations held the local races of Song Thrush and Northern Wren. The drive through south Harris is among spectacular scenery with beautiful beaches and mountains. Arrived at Luskentire and walked down to the beach opposite the island of Taransay and the sound of the same name. In the sound Great Northern and Black-throated Divers, Razorbill, Common Scoter and Razorbill. The weather suddenly turned for the worse so the group headed back to the van. The drive across Harris was made in awful weather conditions. Once in Lewis I headed to Mealabost where a lochan attracted a female Greater Scaup, Tufted Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Eurasian Wigeon and an Iceland Gull located by Ken. After this we made the short journey into Stornoway base for the next three nights.

May 12th: Loch Stiapahat, Butt of Lewis, Port Nis, Melbost Borve, Bragar, Loch Barvas.

Weather: Sunny periods and showers with a southwest wind 13 C.

Stornoway Harbour attracted Great Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls, Arctic Tern, Greylag Geese and Raven. I purchased supplies for lunch and headed northwest towards the Butt of Lewis. Near the village of Borve we stopped by a roadside loch which had a third winter Glaucous Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the banks. Loch Stiapahat was next on the agenda an interesting wetland at the most north-westerly point of Europe. From an elevated viewing position we recorded; Mute and Whooper Swans, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Dunlin, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, calling Corncrakes, and overhead Common Swift, Barn Swallow and House Martin. A bonus came in the form of two Tree Sparrows flying over and landing near a croft. A short drive away is the Butt of Lewis with a small lochan holding Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and Ringed Plover. From the lighthouse seabirds included Northern Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Northern Fulmar, Black-legged Kittiwake, Great Skua, Common Guillemot, Razorbill and Atlantic Puffin. Retraced our steps back to Port Nis with the harbour attracting Red-throated and Great Northern Divers, Common Eider and several auks. Melbost Borve was next an area close to the North Atlantic Ocean with a habitat of sand and rocky foreshore and machir. Luck was with us as a first year Bonaparte’s Gull was located resting on some seaweed it later started feeding on the sea like a phalarope. The beach had many northbound waders several of which were busy feeding or resting for the long journey to Iceland and beyond. I decided to visit Bragar a village with trees and scrub attracting passerines, this habitat is scarce on Lewis and worth a visit at migration times. Larger trees had Collared Doves whilst bushes and scrub attracted locally scarce migrants notably Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. Other species present included Common Chiffchaff, Sedge and Willow Warblers, Blackcap, Common Redpoll, European Greenfinch and Reed Bunting. A diversion to Bragar Cemetery added Peregrine Falcon hunting along the cliffs. Our final stop at Loch Barvas had a few birds but nothing of note so we headed back to Stornoway for the evening.

May 13th: Skigesta, Butt of Lewis, Bragar, Mankersta Peninsula.

Weather: Rain showers and occasional sunny spells with a west wind 11 C.

Today was dominated by the weather particularly a strong west wind bringing in fronts of rain. Before leaving Stornoway we added Rook and Eurasian Jackdaw to our Western Isles list. I then headed back towards the Butt of Lewis and the hamlet of Skigesta the latter being our first birding stop. From the pier at Skigesta familiar seabirds were passing offshore. Butt of Lewis had similar birds to yesterday morning but there had clearly been a large emigration of waders northwards. I decided to head along the rugged coast of North Lewis and onto the Mankersta Peninsula. Before arriving a quick check of gardens and trees at Bragar produced nothing of note due to strong wind conditions. The road to Mankersta passes through some spectacular scenery of mountains, moors, lochs and empty sandy beaches. A stop for lunch produced two hunting Golden Eagles and an unidentified small falcon whilst a nearby loch had a lone drake Tufted Duck. Once at Mankersta we explored the whole area finding several Red-throated Divers, Rock Pigeons, Twite, European Starling, Dunnock and a calling Common Cuckoo. The low cloud prevented us from seeing the Flannan Islands twenty one miles offshore. The commoner seabirds were numerous along the coast especially Northern Gannet, Northern Fulmar and Black-legged Kittiwake. We headed back to Stornoway for our last night on the islands.

May 14th: Mealabost, Tiumpan Head, Stornoway Castle, Stornoway to Ullapool Ferry.

Weather: Sunny with a brisk west wind 13 C.

Little did we realise today was going to be an exceptional one due to the rarities occurring on Lewis. It all started with a drake American Wigeon with Eurasian Wigeon near Stornoway Hospital. I then received a call about a Red-rumped Swallow which duly obliged near a caravan park with Barn Swallows and House Martins. With all this excitement during the first hour I headed back to Mealabost where the Long-tailed Duck flock had increased to over fifty birds. On the beach we had fantastic views of a pale phase Arctic Skua which duly chased Arctic Terns offshore. Tiumpan Head and its associated lochs had a few birds notably a group of Twite and Great Skua by the lighthouse. I had just enough time to visit Stornoway Castle and its extensive, wooded grounds. Scarce birds for Lewis which we found included Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Robin, Song Thrush and Woodpigeon. Checked in with Caledonian MacBrayne for the ferry to Ullapool in Wester Ross. The harbour had Red-throated and Great Northern Divers and Black Guillemots. Midway we encountered high numbers of Atlantic Puffins and up to twelve Long-tailed Skuas on their northerly migration. Travelled onto the Black Isle where the tour concluded.

For details of the full species list or to request further information about the next time we will be offering this trip. Contact us at enquiries@birdwatchingbreaks.com.