Skye Birds - A Birding Guide to the Isle of Skye

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	Details
30th Sep 2006	Purple Sandpiper	a single at Ardnish (A&EH) - also a single Sanderling
30th Sep 2006	Swallow	possibly not the last - but still 6 birds at Balmeanach, Braes (Bill Marshall)
30th Sep 2006	Wheatear	straggler on Ben Suardal, Strathaird (DR)
30th Sep 2006	Great Northern Diver	a single at Ardnish (A&EH)
30th Sep 2006	Slavonian Grebe	The first report of the autumn with a single off Ardnish - it has always been asumed that the birds which winter with us are Icelandic breeders (A&EH)
29th Sep 2006	Wigeon	numbers building up with 19 in Broadford Bay (DR)
29th Sep 2006	Ringed Plover	excellent count of 60+ at Broadford (DR)
29th Sep 2006	Osprey	report from John Pear of two birds, an adult and a juvenile male, which remained in the Loch Eynort area for several days - presumably Scottish birds meandering south.
29th Sep 2006	Dunlin	count of 65+ at Harrapool/Broadford - other wader sp. included a single Black-tail and 12 Bar-tails (MB)
29th Sep 2006	Wheatear	late single at Broadford (MB)
28th Sep 2006	Barnacle Goose	report of a single bird on the shore at Loch Brittle (Paul Tandy)
28th Sep 2006	Ringed Plover	count of 20 on Loch Brittle shore (Paul Tandy)
28th Sep 2006	Teal	small build up with 11 at Broadford Bay (MB)
28th Sep 2006	Sandwich Tern	report of 3 latish birds at Broadford Bay (MB)
28th Sep 2006	Great-spotted Woodpecker	we get few reports of this species so a single 'battering hell' out of a nest box in Kyleakin was interesting - and still at it the following day! (A&EH)
27th Sep 2006	Sanderling	interesting report of 6 on Camus a Mhor, Braes (Bill Marshall)
27th Sep 2006	Wheatear	another straggler between Glendale and Milovaig (Paul Tandy)
27th Sep 2006	Brent Goose	a single bird remained in the Glen Brittle estuary area for several days from 22-27th (K&K)
26th Sep 2006	Great Skua	an injured bird found at Kilmaluag was found to have a broken collarbone (S.Porter)
26th Sep 2006	Bar-tailed Godwit	12 at Harrapool/Waterloo (MB)
25th Sep 2006	Bar-tailed Godwit	single at Camus a Mhor, Braes - had also been seen on the 25th (Bill Marshall)
25th Sep 2006	Tufted Duck	10 on small loch beside Loch Mealt - remained until the end of the month (SPorter)
25th Sep 2006	Dunlin	70+ at Harrapool (DR)
25th Sep 2006	Black-tailed Godwit	3 at Harrapool/Waterloo - also 12 Bar-tails and a single Knot
24th Sep 2006	Heron	Good count of 26 during WeBS count of Greater Broadford Bay (John Phillips)
24th Sep 2006	Bar-tailed Godwit	count of 13 during WeBS Broadford Bay (JPhillips)
23rd Sep 2006	Wheatear	late bird on Ben Tianavaig (Bill Marshall)
23rd Sep 2006	Knot	6 at Harrapool (DR)
23rd Sep 2006	Bar-tailed Godwit	This is the best autumn for this species for some time with a count of 19 at Harrapool/Waterloo - also 2 Black-Tails (MB)
22nd Sep 2006	Swift sp.	Following the reports on the 15/16th Janet Datchens reports a Swift species at Clachan, Raasay - again this would be an exceptionally late date for Common Swift - could it have been the same bird seen at Broadford?
22nd Sep 2006	Great Northern Diver	first autumn arrival with a single at Ardnish (A&EH)
22nd Sep 2006	Brent Goose	report of 8 at Ardnish (A&EH)
22nd Sep 2006	Knot	good count of 5 at Harrapool/Waterloo - also a single Sanderling and Black-tailed Godwit (MB)
21st Sep 2006	Ringed Plover	40+ at Harrapool (DR)
20th Sep 2006	Black-tailed Godwit	3 at Harrapool/Waterloo along with 8 Bar-tails and 3 Knot (MB)
19th Sep 2006	Black-throated Diver	bird found 'grounded' at Digg was kept overnight and released into the sea the next morning, seemingly none the worst for its experience. (S.Porter)
18th Sep 2006	Bar-tailed Godwit	count of 12 at Harrapool/Waterloo area (MB)
18th Sep 2006	Ringed Plover	count of 42 at Harrapool/Broadford (MB)
17th Sep 2006	Black-tailed Godwit	single at Glen Brittle estuary area (K&K)
15th Sep 2006	Whooper Swan	the summering bird at Loch Snizort-Beag was still present in the Park Bernisdale area between 13-15 Sept.
15th Sep 2006	Pallid Swift	report via the Highland Recorder Al MacNee of a probable Pallid Swift above 'Skye Surprises' (Sutherlands Garage) Broadford in the early afternoon. The record was also on the Bird Guides website and followed up by Martin Benson who saw a Swift species above the Church of Scotland on 16/9 - however the view was too brief for Martin to make a judgement on the species. As most locals are aware Common Swift records are relatively rare on Skye and a sighting in mid September exceptionally so. This will be one for the Rarities Committee to sort out.
14th Sep 2006	Twite	good flock of 75 at Lower Milovaig (Glyn Clarke)
14th Sep 2006	Wheatear	2 at Lower Milovaig (Glyn Clarke)
13th Sep 2006	Tufted Duck	a single on Loch Mor was away from the normal area of reports (Glyn Clarke)
12th Sep 2006	Knot	there had been two on Glen Brittle beach since the 8th (K&KC)
11th Sep 2006	Sanderling	good report of 8 at Claigan, Dunvegan - this is an example of a good record from an area for which we receive few reports but which obviously turns up interesting birds (Glyn Clarke)
11th Sep 2006	Goldfinch	report of flock of 50 at Ardelve - the largest count Brian Neath has ever had on Lochalsh.
11th Sep 2006	Goosander	4 at Ardelve (BN)
10th Sep 2006	Whimbrel	3 at Lower Milovaig (Glyn Clarke)
10th Sep 2006	Whinchat	late juvenile on passage at Faoilean, Loch Slapin
10th Sep 2006	Brent Goose	report from Bill Marshall of 7 at Camus a Mhor, Braes - this is an early date (1st report on the 20th last year) and we can look forward to observing passage over the next two months.
10th Sep 2006	Merlin	Passage birds probably moving through with a male at Skinidin (Val Huncken) and an unsexed bird terrorising Pipits at Glasnakille.
9th Sep 2006	Bar-tailed Godwit	count of 12 at Harrapool/Waterloo, the largest count for some time. (MB)
9th Sep 2006	Whinchat	late juvenile at Carr Brae, Dornie (Brian Neath)
7th Sep 2006	Raven	total of 45 counted near VicAskill Farm, Balmeanach.
6th Sep 2006	Rock Dove	flock of 57 at Ashaig, Broadford.
6th Sep 2006	Whitethroat	straggler at Glasnakille, Strathaird.
5th Sep 2006	Waders	more from Harrapool again (am) - with 75+ Dunlin, 30+Ringed Plover, 3 Sanderling and 2 Knot (DRogers)
5th Sep 2006	Barn Owl	report from Andy Law of a single bird at Kylerhea - this is our first report for several months.
4th Sep 2006	Sanderling	Still up to 4 Sanderling showing at Harrapool as well as 3 Knot.
3rd Sep 2006	White Wagtail	c10 at Elgol Jetty in morning.
3rd Sep 2006	Knot	still 4 showing well at Harrapool opposite the Heb' Hotel.
3rd Sep 2006	Red Grouse	now a scarce bird on Skye with report from John Marchington of coveys of 7 and 8 on moorland east of Struan - larger than normal suggesting that early season breeders may have done well.
3rd Sep 2006	Bar-tailed Godwit	5 at Waterloo/Harrapool in the afternoon (DRogers)
3rd Sep 2006	Black-tailed Godwit	we have been bemoaning the lack of passage of this superb wader when a total of 12 were seen at Harrapool in the late evening (MBenson)
2nd Sep 2006	Kingfisher	excellent report from Alistair Peppe of a bird on the River Drynoch just below the bridge on the Carbost road - records of this species are scarce on Skye, especially on the west side of the island.
1st Sep 2006	Sanderling	up to 5 at Harrapool/Waterloo also up to 7 Knot (MB)(DR)
1st Sep 2006	Black-throated Diver	good report from Dave Rogers of a juvenile off Glas Eilean in Broadford Bay

Bird sightings on the Island of Skye and the neighbouring area

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