Skye Birds - A Birding Guide to the Isle of Skye

Bird sightings on the Island of Skye and the neighbouring area

The objective of these pages 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 Gordon (  who may require a full description before the record was accepted. This website will very much be locally focused but has become part of the SOC local recorder system and other networks and we hope we can enhance these systems. We will also 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.

Date Species Image Details
30th Apr 2004 White-tailed Eagle View Image Juvenile seen near Balmeanach showing 'lurid' pink tags with the letter 'E' - this was a bird which fledged on Skye last year and was seen by the same observer (Bob) near Neist Point on 11.10.2003 - nice that it is still looking healthy.
28th Apr 2004 Wood Warbler singing bird Carr Brae, Dornie.
27th Apr 2004 Whinchat View Image male recorded Carr Brae, Dornie.
27th Apr 2004 Grasshopper Warbler Yet another report of a bird singing between Struan and Ullinish which is very encouraging.
27th Apr 2004 Linnet Pair recorded from a garden at Ullinish near Struan, which is a good Skye record - see the previous report on the 20th.
26th Apr 2004 Grasshopper Warbler Reports of 2 singing birds in the Kylerhea area - and a further bird in territory on a forest edge site at Edinbane on the 27th.
26th Apr 2004 Whinchat View Image Report of a pair in a garden in Ullinish
25th Apr 2004 Blackcap View Image Report of singing bird at Isle Ornsay
25th Apr 2004 Sedge Warbler View Image 1st report from Cruard, Camuscross, Sleat
25th Apr 2004 Whimbrel View Image At least 4 at high tide in Loch Portree. There is normally a heavy spring passage through Skye at this time, probably returning Icelandic birds.
25th Apr 2004 White Wagtail View Image Small group of 6 feeding on insects on the high tide line at Camas Malag, Loch Slapin - these are likely to be Icelandic breeding birds and there is always a good spring passage on Skye - they are certainly always easier to identify at this time of year.
25th Apr 2004 Grasshopper Warbler Two 'reeling' birds in forestry plantation at Greshornish, near Edinbane.
25th Apr 2004 Shoveler Report from Nancy Wightman of a pair in Portree Loch. This is a species which is scarce on Skye and there is a strong possibility that these were passage birds, perhaps from the Icelandic population.
23rd Apr 2004 Common Redstart calling bird at Totaig, Lochalsh.
23rd Apr 2004 Tree Pipit View Image Singning birds at Ratagan and Carr Brae, Dornie.
20th Apr 2004 Common Sandpiper View Image Though a bird was reported at Arisaig on the 8th arrival on Skye seems to have been slow though there was a single on Loch Slapin to-day.
20th Apr 2004 Grasshopper Warbler A singing bird at Dornie, in the same place as in 2003, but on a particularly early date.
20th Apr 2004 Linnet report of a bird back in breeding territory at Dubh-Aird, Plockton. According to Brian Neath there are pockets of breeding birds in Lochalsh. The species is probably even scarcer on Skye so all reports are welcome. There has recently been a significant increase in numbers in the Uists so it would be interesting to see if there is any increase in our area.
19th Apr 2004 Cuckoo First report so far from Strathaird with another from Upper Breakish on the 21st.
18th Apr 2004 ChiffChaff Never a common bird on Skye there was a report of a singing bird at Duisdale
16th Apr 2004 House and Sand Martin First reports of the two species to-gether at Morvich in Lochalsh - though both species are not common breeders in the area, the Sand Martin does tend to have an early arrival - it is however, an early date for a House Martin. With the wild weather of the 17th, hopefully they can find enough feeding.
12th Apr 2004 Great Skua View Image single seen off Strathaird Point entering Loch Slapin
11th Apr 2004 Manx Shearwater View Image Two birds seen off Strathaird Point are perhaps an indicator of birds returning to the breeding colonies on Rum and Canna
11th Apr 2004 Black-throated Diver View Image Still 5 at Loch Slapin opposite Glasnakille
10th Apr 2004 Common Crossbill View Image Birds seen and calling in the forest plantation at Braigh an Uird, Sleat
10th Apr 2004 Swallow First report from Brian Neath of a single bird at Armadale Castle - remember - one Swallow never made a summer! - but at least spring seems to have arrived.
9th Apr 2004 Willow Warbler View Image first report of another early summer visitor at Loch na Dal.
8th Apr 2004 Whooper Swan View Image There has been a continued passage of Whoopers through the area but the peak count, an exceptional 160, was seen at 0900 hours heading north through Strath Mor, the narrow pass which lies between the north end of Loch Slapin and Luib. A group of 8 on Loch Cill Chriosd may be stragglers from this group.
8th Apr 2004 Pink Foot Goose Report of skeins totalling c400 heading north at Loch na Dal, Kinloch, Sleat. The gap between Loch na Dal and Broadford Bay is regularly used by migrating birds including Geese, Swans and Waders.
2nd Apr 2004 Chiffchaff All the reports are so far from Lochalsh with singing birds at Glenelg on 2/4 and at Carr Braes and Attadale on 6/4.
2nd Apr 2004 Greenshank Birds noted back on breeding territories in Central Skye

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