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 Peter Stronach (  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
16th Jan 2019 Dunlin View Image 40 in Broadford Bay & 20 Ringed Plover (NB) - these are the normal wintering birds in the area
15th Jan 2019 Brambling View Image still a single at Portree (JDJ)
14th Jan 2019 Red-legged Partridge View Image single bird still at Kyleakin as well as pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers visiting feeders (A&EH)
13th Jan 2019 Great Spotted Woodpecker View Image pair at Armadale Castle car park (NB,JDJ,RMcM)
13th Jan 2019 Goosander View Image 14 near Knock Bay, Sleat (NB,JDJ, RMcM)
13th Jan 2019 Barnacle Goose View Image c25 flew from Staffin Island & 35 at Balmacquien (NB,JDJ, RMcM) - seem to be much lower numbers in Trotternish this winter.
13th Jan 2019 Iceland Gull View Image juvenile at Mallaig (SMacD)
12th Jan 2019 Glaucous Gull View Image 1st winter again at Bayfield, Portree, mid afternoon (JDJ)
11th Jan 2019 Glaucous Gull View Image 1st winter bird again at Bayfield, Portree, with putative Viking Gull (NB) (see Gallery)
10th Jan 2019 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird still at Inverailort (RMcM) (see Gallery)
10th Jan 2019 Long-eared Owl View Image three around forest gate, Eigg, at dusk (JC)
9th Jan 2019 Water Rail calling bird at Loch Suardal, Dunvegan & three Whooper Swans (RMcM)
9th Jan 2019 Little Egret View Image bird still showing well at Invercaimbe, Back of Keppoch (SMacD)
8th Jan 2019 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird at Lochailort fish farm (SMacD)
5th Jan 2019 2018 - A year of listing see the Blog
5th Jan 2019 Goosander View Image 10 on Loch Eishort at Heaste (NB)
4th Jan 2019 Lesser Redpoll View Image 20 in Uig Woods + 20 Siskin (SG)
4th Jan 2019 Goosander View Image 6 at Kylerhea (M.Nicholas)
3rd Jan 2019 Goosander View Image 9 at Camascroise, Sleat (RC)
3rd Jan 2019 Glaucous Gull View Image juvenile at Bayfield, Portree (RMcM) (see Gallery)
3rd Jan 2019 Little Egret View Image single on Loch nan Ceall, Arisaig, & possibly still a 2nd bird at Back of Keppoch (JC & NR)
3rd Jan 2019 Kingfisher single still on the Morar River + Mandarin drake on sea pool (JC&NR)
3rd Jan 2019 Purple Sandpiper View Image 6 at Mallaig west Bay (JC&NR)
2nd Jan 2019 Jack Snipe View Image single flushed on Ardnish, Broadford (PO-W) & another on the Heaste road near the waterworks (MB)
2nd Jan 2019 Brambling View Image 5+ Home Farm area, Portree (NB)
2nd Jan 2019 Greenland White-fronted Goose small group still at Kilmuir + 10 Barnacles at Staffin (RMcM, AW)
2nd Jan 2019 Skylark View Image early bird over Uig (SG, AW)
2nd Jan 2019 Ptarmigan View Image two pairs on Sgurr an Airgid, Inverinate (DM)
2nd Jan 2019 Common Scoter 6 still off Ardnish, Broadford (NH)
2nd Jan 2019 Slavonian Grebe three off Ardnish, Broadford (NH) and three in Scalpay Narrows (RMcM, AW)
1st Jan 2019 Happy New Year wishing everyone good health & lots of fine birding in 2019. We recorded 179 species in the area last year but the only new record was Lesser Yellowlegs - but what a super bird that was!
1st Jan 2019 Barn Owl View Image single still at roost in Uig Woods (SG)
1st Jan 2019 Lapwing four very early returning birds to Loch Cillchroisd area (A&EH) - false spring!
31st Dec 2018 Little Egret View Image single still at Invercaimbe, Back of Keppoch - now 3 months in the area (SMacD)
30th Dec 2018 Collared Dove birds nest building at Portree (NB) with recently hatched young at Portnalong!! (ST)
30th Dec 2018 Whooper Swan View Image still ten on the wee loch at Inverinate (RMcM) & three on Milltown Pond, Applecross (JB)
30th Dec 2018 Wigeon 126 at Ardelve, Lochalsh (RMcM)
30th Dec 2018 Turnstone good count of 40 at Harrapool (A&EH)
30th Dec 2018 Heron 50+ flushed at Isleornsay (RC)
29th Dec 2018 Great Northern Diver View Image 23 in Broadford Bay (NB) & another 12 off Lusa (RMcM) (see Gallery)
29th Dec 2018 Black-throated Diver View Image c12 between Lusa & Pabay (RMcM)
29th Dec 2018 Common Scoter 7 off Lusa & another probable group of c10 at distance off Pabay (RMcM)
29th Dec 2018 White-tailed Eagle View Image with the mild weather lot of early activity amongst pairs at the moment - birds also reported regularly in Broadford area with daily reports of singles (MB,HS et al) (see Gallery)
28th Dec 2018 Great Spotted Woodpecker View Image singles regularly visiting feeders at Broadford (JD) & Isleornsay (RC)
28th Dec 2018 Peregrine View Image pair seen on the Suisnish-Borreraig walk (RF)
27th Dec 2018 Barnacle Goose View Image 40 at Balmaqueen (AC)
27th Dec 2018 Heron 32 flushed at Isleornsay (RC)
24th Dec 2018 Merry Christmas & Happy New Year just to wish all the site supporters and followers a merry Christmas & some great birding in 2019 - see the Gallery
24th Dec 2018 Hen Harrier View Image ringtail at Balmaqueen (AC)
24th Dec 2018 Mandarin drake back on sea pool on River Morar (SMacD)
24th Dec 2018 Little Egret View Image still in the Arisaig area (SMacD)
20th Dec 2018 Skye Birds 3rd edition see the blog for details of the updated edition
20th Dec 2018 Barn Owl View Image single reported in Harrapool (NB)
20th Dec 2018 Woodcock 6 in Glen Varrigall on roadside (NB)
19th Dec 2018 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird at Kishorn + 600 Black-headed Gulls (RMcM)
19th Dec 2018 Woodcock up to three birds flushed regularly on walk in Glen Brittle forest (KS)
19th Dec 2018 White-tailed Eagle View Image four at Loch Caroy (MS) - also reports of singles today at Loch Cillchroisd (RW) & near Strome (DM)
18th Dec 2018 Brambling View Image single near Balmacara Square, Lochalsh (E.Stanley)
18th Dec 2018 Ring-necked Duck on the fringes of our area but drake reported again at Acharacle (A.Dacre)
17th Dec 2018 Brambling View Image two in garden at Portree (NB)
17th Dec 2018 Little Egret View Image another report from Lochailort (SC)

© 2019 Skye Birds