Skye Birds - A Birding Guide to the Isle of Skye
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Bird sightings on the Island of Skye and the neighbouring area

The objective of this page is to keep everyone, locals and visitors, up to date with what birds are about. It is therefore dependent on everyone contacting me as quickly as possible to ensure I can update the site so that others might benefit from the observations. In the case of rarer species details would also be passed on the Highland Recorder John Poyner (  who may require a full description before the record was accepted. This website will very much be locally focused but some records will be included in the SOC Highland website www.highlandbirds.scot. and may also reach national sites.  We have complete discretion as to what information is added to these pages and will try to avoid any details which might reveal breeding sites of vulnerable species.  It is impossible to record everything reported and for the more regularly observed species, we would encourage the use of 'Birdtrack' - http://blx1.bto.org/birdtrack.  Records sent to us are also submitted to Birdtrack.

Date Species Image Details
23rd Feb 2020 Tree Sparrow single still at Lower Milovaig (AS) (see Gallery)
23rd Feb 2020 Fieldfare View Image 60 at Crossal near Drynoch with a few Redwing (RMcM)
23rd Feb 2020 American Herring Gull (poss) possible 2nd winter bird again at Chraicaig River, Portree (NB)
23rd Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image two 1st winter birds at Portree (NB)
23rd Feb 2020 Viking Gull good example of a 4th winter Herring/Glauc hybrid at Portree (NB) (see Gallery)
23rd Feb 2020 Lapwing more birds moving back into breeding territories with a single at Ullinish (PS)
22nd Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter again at Bayfield, Portree (NB)
22nd Feb 2020 Yellow-legged Gull adult still at Loch Poolteil - absent during the breeding season - otherwise present on and off for a year (AS)
22nd Feb 2020 Purple Sandpiper View Image single in the gale at Rubha Hunish (TH)
22nd Feb 2020 Golden Plover 47 at Swordale, Loch Cillchroisd with 9 Lapwing (NB)
21st Feb 2020 Grey Wagtail View Image a few reports this winter with a female at Upper Halistra, Waternish today (CM)
20th Feb 2020 Golden Plover 18 near Loch Cillchroisd, Strath (RMcM)
20th Feb 2020 Jack Snipe View Image single at Harrapool (NB)
19th Feb 2020 Lapwing 35 at the head of Loch Harport (RMcM)
19th Feb 2020 Slavonian Grebe two in Loch Ainort (NB)
18th Feb 2020 Canada Goose View Image 13 on the saltings at Isleornsay (NB,RC) (see Gallery)
18th Feb 2020 Leach’s Petrel single round the fishfarm at Lochailort (SC) - thought to be blown in by stormy weather - records at this time are extremely unusual.
18th Feb 2020 Great Northern Diver View Image 9 between Knock Bay & Armadale, Sleat (NB)
18th Feb 2020 Mandarin drake still at Morar River with Mallards (SMacD)
17th Feb 2020 Yellow-legged Gull adult at Loch Poolteil - nearly a year since it was first found (AS)
17th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 2nd winter bird at Loch Poolteil (AS)
17th Feb 2020 Tree Sparrow single still visiting feeders at Lower Milovaig (AS)
17th Feb 2020 Skylark View Image spring arrivals with 14 at Kildonan, Eigg (JC)
16th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird showing at head of Loch Portree In morning and a 2nd winter at Bayfield later (NB)
16th Feb 2020 Knot single at the head of Loch Portree still + a Greenshank (NB)
16th Feb 2020 Barnacle Goose View Image single battling against the gales at Traigh, Morar (SMacD)
16th Feb 2020 Water Rail single in garden at Uig maybe sheltering from storm (B.Grant)
15th Feb 2020 Water Rail still showing at garden pond in Elgol (DW)
14th Feb 2020 Collared Dove despite the weather, nest building at Portree Industrial Estate (AS)
14th Feb 2020 Skylark View Image more signs of spring with Skylark on the Headte Road (NB)
13th Feb 2020 Greenland White-fronted Goose only four birds in the Kilmuir wintering flock - sadly this flock which regularly contained 25-30 birds up to a few years ago, now seems to be in terminal decline (RMcM)
13th Feb 2020 Barnacle Goose View Image c40 scoped on Trodday island (RMcM)
13th Feb 2020 Whooper Swan View Image 4 on Loch Meodal, Sleat (DJ)
12th Feb 2020 Carrion Crow View Image single still at Uig (SD)
12th Feb 2020 Blackcap View Image male visiting feeders in Portree (TH)
12th Feb 2020 Fulmar northern form blue phase from the Uig-Lochmaddy ferry on the Skye side (SD)
11th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter still at Loch Scresort, Rum (SM)
11th Feb 2020 Barnacle Goose View Image 5 at Kilmaluag & 43 at Staffin Island (JDJ)
11th Feb 2020 American Herring Gull (Poss) 2nd winter bird at Bayfield, Portree, late afternoon (SD,RMcM)
10th Feb 2020 Blackcap View Image male still visiting feeders at Isleornsay (RC)
10th Feb 2020 Diary Date Phil Knott is giving a talk ‘Taransay to Tasmania’ life as a Wildlife Tour Leader on Thursday 20.2.2020 - see blog for details
9th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter birds still at Bayfield, Portree (NB) and loch Scresort, Rum (SM)
9th Feb 2020 American Herring Gull (Poss) bird seen again at Bayfield, Portree early afternoon (NB,JDJ) - this bird is also being reported on a national site as a Viking Gull
8th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird again at Bayfield, Portree (NB) & another at Loch Scresort, Rum (SM)
7th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird at Bayfield, Portree (NB)
6th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image two at Bayfield, Portree, 1st & 2nd winter (NB)
6th Feb 2020 Black Duck long staying drake still at Strontian paired with a female Mallard (RMcM) (see Gallery)
5th Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image single 2cy at Chracaig River, Portree (RMcM) (see Gallery) - no sign of ?AHG
5th Feb 2020 Barn Owl View Image single at Armadale late evening (AD)
4th Feb 2020 Puffin single bird flying north in the Minch on Skye side (SD)
4th Feb 2020 Birds & Drones the use of drones in areas of nesting birds is problematical & could be an offence - Staffin Trust have now erected signs at Kilt Rock (SP) (see Gallery)
3rd Feb 2020 American Herring Gull (poss) 3cy bird again at Crachaig River mouth, Portree, mid afternoon (NB)
2nd Feb 2020 American Herring Gull (Poss) 3cy bird showing well and bathing at Chracaig River, Portree, before flying to outer loch (RMcM) (see Gallery)
2nd Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 2cy bird at Chracaig River mouth, Portree, this morning (RMcM) with two later (NB,AS); a 3rd bird later (NB)
1st Feb 2020 Iceland Gull View Image three at Bayfield, Portree including a 2nd winter bird (NB)
1st Feb 2020 Tree Sparrow still showing at feeders Lower Milovaig (AS)
1st Feb 2020 Yellow-legged Gull showing at Loch Poolteil again (AS)
1st Feb 2020 Possible American Herring Gull 2nd winter bird showing a lot of features of AHG off Chrachaig River, Portree (NB,RMcM)
31st Jan 2020 Viking Gull a hybrid between Glaucous/Herring Gull, a near adult was at Bayfield, Portree this afternoon (NB)
30th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 2cy at Bayfield, Portree (NB,JJ,RMcM) (see Gallery) & three others in outer Loch Portree (NB)
30th Jan 2020 Herring Gull sp Neil Bennett has seen a large HG at Portree recently which shows many of the features of a 2nd winter American Herring Gull which probably arrived on the back of storm Gloria. It has proved extremely elusive & as this is a challenging species to ID, efforts are continuing to obtain more images
30th Jan 2020 Whooper Swan View Image five at Loch nan Corr, Inverinate (RC) & just a single at Loch Suardal (JY)
29th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image two 2cy birds at Loch Portree, though to be different birds again from recent (NB)
28th Jan 2020 Common Crossbill View Image two groups of three in Portree forestry including a pair mating (NB)
28th Jan 2020 Mandarin drake still on Morar river between bridges associating with Mallard (RMcM) (see Gallery)
28th Jan 2020 Purple Sandpiper View Image 20 on Mallaig harbour wall + 12 Turnstone (JC)
27th Jan 2020 Yellow-legged Gull adult still at Lower Milovaig (AS) (see Gallery)
27th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter at Loch Portree (a different bird) (NB) (see Gallery)
27th Jan 2020 Mandarin drake again between the bridges at Morar (SMacD)
27th Jan 2020 Barn Owl View Image roosting at usual rock site near Mallaig (SMacD)
26th Jan 2020 Pink-footed Goose View Image single with 80 Greylags at Strathcarron (RMcM)
26th Jan 2020 Knot still a single at Loch Portree + Greenshank, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit & 74 Wigeon (NB)
25th Jan 2020 Goldfinch 60+ at Kyleakin (A&EH)

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