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 Oct 2006 Pink-footed Goose View Image 2 along with the Greylag Flock at Conchra, Lochalsh (BN)
29th Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image still moving south with 15 at Ullinish, Struan (GL)and 25 moving south over Harrapool (DR)
29th Oct 2006 Twite View Image flock of c110 at Glas Eilean, Harrapool.
29th Oct 2006 Wigeon good count of 75 at Loch Long, Dornie (Hugh & Margaret Scott)
28th Oct 2006 Pinkfooted Goose View Image two on croftland in Elgol - though this species overflies Skye in huge numbers, birds rarely land so this is one of several reports this autumn which is unusual
28th Oct 2006 Coot View Image single bird still on Loch Suardal with a Moorhen for company (GL)
28th Oct 2006 Swallow late bird at Glasnakille, Strathaird (Rob Day)
28th Oct 2006 Little Grebe View Image count of 6 at Eilean Tioram, Ardelve (BN)
27th Oct 2006 Common Scoter total of 7 in Broadford Bay, all females (MB)
27th Oct 2006 Wigeon numbers in Broadford Bay have built up to 32 (MB)
27th Oct 2006 Brambling View Image 4 males in garden at Storr Road, Portree (Neil Bennett)
27th Oct 2006 Blackcap View Image single female in garden in Portree (Neil Bennett)
26th Oct 2006 Kittiwake Big nor/wester blowing to-day so 150-70 Kittiwakes in Broadford Bay (MB)
26th Oct 2006 Fieldfare View Image a few now about with Redwings suggesting we are starting to get a spillover of Scandinavian as distinct from Icelandic thrushes (MB)
26th Oct 2006 Black-headed Gull flock of 230 at Balmacara (BN)- this is a huge flock for Lochalsh and significantly larger than anything ever recorded on Skye.
25th Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image herd of 25 moving east at Ullinish at noon then another 27 moving north-east at 5.30 p.m.(GLeatherbarrow). These are interesting sightings suggesting that Icelandic Whoopers are on their way in big numbers.
25th Oct 2006 Sandwich Tern View Image an exceptionally late record of two at Camus a Mhor, Braes (Bill Marshall)
25th Oct 2006 Pink-footed Goose View Image still 3 on the Aird, Balmeanach, Braes (Bill Marshall) - it is unusual for this species to linger as they normally pass through quickly.
25th Oct 2006 Siskin party of 25-30 at Bernisdale (tracey)
25th Oct 2006 Wigeon numbers building up with 45 at Loch Portree (Neil Bennett)
24th Oct 2006 Coot View Image for the information of visitors to the site this is an extremely rare bird on Skye so a single on Loch Suardal is only about the third record in the last 5 years (Bernard Cookson)
24th Oct 2006 Red Grouse total of 4 birds flushed on the hill near Suisnish, Strathaird (JJones)
23rd Oct 2006 Scaup The pair seen yesterday at Broadford Bay have moved on but a new female has arrived (MB)
23rd Oct 2006 Long-tailed Duck View Image lovely male at the Scalpay Narrows
23rd Oct 2006 Brent Goose View Image group of 6 on the shore in front of Sconser Quarry (Les Millington)
23rd Oct 2006 Brambling View Image first report of the winter - one feeding with Chaffinches at Portree Hospital (DMonks)
23rd Oct 2006 Goldeneye 1st of the autumn - a male on Loch Leathan, Storr.
23rd Oct 2006 Black-headed Gull good count of 126 at Balmacara (BN)
22nd Oct 2006 Twite View Image numbers at Ullinish have built up to 150 (GL)
22nd Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image birds on the move to-day with 5 at Ullinish and 4 at Elgol - significant that both groups were flying east and had probably come off the sea.
22nd Oct 2006 Long-tailed Duck View Image Pair at Camus Daraich, nr Point of Sleat - also 80 Eider (MB)
22nd Oct 2006 Scaup pair of Scaup at the Old Pier, Broadford - although Scaup records are regular most autumn/winters they are normally of females or immatures so it is good to see an adult male (MBenson)
22nd Oct 2006 Jack Snipe View Image single on the coastal path near Elgol
21st Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image report from Peter Elford and Linda Henderson of 14 Whoopers heading south over Ullinish towards Loch Harport
21st Oct 2006 Pink-footed Goose View Image small group of 6 along with Greylags at Caroy (G.Leatherbarrow)
21st Oct 2006 Goosander View Image report of 6 at Drynoch (GL)
21st Oct 2006 Twite View Image Good sized flock of 60 at Ullinish (GL)
21st Oct 2006 Little Auk an excellent and early report of a single at Kylerhea (DMonks)
21st Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image 4 overflew Point of Sleat (DMonks)
21st Oct 2006 Black Grouse View Image excellent report from Loch Cluanie side (about 1.5 miles within Skye/Lochalsh boundary) - it is suspected this may be the first genuine report from the area in the last few years (Sarah Kay)
21st Oct 2006 Barn Owl View Image a report from Lochalsh at Carr Brae (BN)
20th Oct 2006 Blackcap View Image a male at Carr Brae (BN)
18th Oct 2006 Pink-footed Goose View Image 3 landed on the croft at Balmeanach, The Braes (Bill Marshall)
18th Oct 2006 Grey Geese reports from MB & A&EH of skeins of unidentified geese heading through Broadford - going north and south - too high to identify. RMcM spoke to Malcolm Ogilvie from Islay on the 20th and apparently big numbers of Barnacles and White-fronts have still to arrive - everything is late.
18th Oct 2006 Wheatear View Image late straggler on the Heaste Road (JJones)
18th Oct 2006 Kingfisher report of a bird at Morvich in Lochalsh - only our second record of the year for this spectacular visitor (Rule Anderson)
16th Oct 2006 Slavonian Grebe single off Tokavaig, Sleat (Gordon McCracken, Liz Mitchell) - records away from the main Broadford-Luib area are unusual.
15th Oct 2006 Blackcap View Image report from George Smart of a lovely male at Ardvarsar - our first of the autumn. Tantalisingly this was a ringed bird. The general view is that these autumn/winter Skye records involve birds which have probably bred in the east of Europe and which seem to move north west in autumn.
15th Oct 2006 'Comic' Tern unidentified Tern sp. seen in Broadford Bay - a late report (MB)
15th Oct 2006 Black-throated Diver View Image group of 4 in Broadford Bay - also 2 Great Northerns (MB)
15th Oct 2006 Jack Snipe View Image single flushed from the Keppoch path, Strathaird. (D.Monks)
15th Oct 2006 Wheatear View Image a late straggler (juv) on the upper slopes of Belig, head of Loch Slapin (S.McQueen)
14th Oct 2006 White-tailed Eagle View Image report of an immature bird between Suisnish & Boreraig (DR) which is probably the same bird seen recently around Suardal and Loch Cill Chriosd. Blue T hung about this are for a time but is now thought to have paired up further north on the island.
13th Oct 2006 Common Scoter 3 in Broadford Bay (DR)
13th Oct 2006 Sandwich Tern View Image very late bird in Broadford Bay (DR)
13th Oct 2006 Ringed Plover View Image good count of 45 in Broadford Bay (DR)
12th Oct 2006 Redwing View Image Fairly sudden influx of (Icelandic) birds with 550 counted over Harrapool between 0945 and 1015 (DR). Also other reports from Broadford later (MB),c100 at Dunvegan and smaller numbers at Elgol, Luib and Ard Dorch.(RMcM)
12th Oct 2006 Goldfinch c25 at Ardroag, Dunvegan.
12th Oct 2006 Pink footed Goose View Image still a single at Broadford/Ardnish along with a flock of 20 Greylags (A&EH, DR). This is probably the small group which has wintered in Lochalsh over the last 2 years.
10th Oct 2006 Heron High Tide count of 32 at Ardnish during WeBS.
10th Oct 2006 Red-throated Diver View Image count of 6 in Greater Broadford Bay during WeBS
8th Oct 2006 Merlin View Image juvenile bird in Broadford Bay (MB)
8th Oct 2006 Common Scoter female in Broadford Bay (MB)
8th Oct 2006 Turnstone count of 39 at Kilmarie, Loch Slapin.
8th Oct 2006 Gannet still good numbers about with 200+ in Loch Slapin (am)
8th Oct 2006 Jack Snipe View Image first report of autumn - a single near Suisnish, Strathaird (Dave Monks)
7th Oct 2006 Auk 'Wreck' There are widespread reports of dead auks from Argyll to Caithness - species involved include Common Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin. We are happy to collate any records of beached birds for Skye and Lochalsh and pass them on - always check to make sure if any of the birds are ringed.
7th Oct 2006 Swallow still a few stragglers with 3 at Kyleakin (Hugh Scott)
4th Oct 2006 Pink-footed Goose View Image single at Ardnish (A&EH)
4th Oct 2006 Hen Harrier View Image singtail Harrier at Ullinish (GLeatherbarrow)
3rd Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image small group of 3 at Ardnish
3rd Oct 2006 Grey Wagtail View Image report from Ullinish (GLeatherbarrow) - this species winters in small numbers on Skye though most of the reports are in the south of the island.
3rd Oct 2006 Long-tailed Duck View Image superb adult male at the mouth of the River Lusa near Ashaig, Broadford (Alan & Elaine Horner)
2nd Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image herd of 15 heading south over Harrapool in the early afternoon.
2nd Oct 2006 Manx Shearwater View Image there have been a few grounded Manx's over the last few days including one to-day in Broadford - see the photo of 'Martin with Manx'under Recent Reports. If you find a grounded bird put it in a box overnight then release it the next morning - trying to make sure there are no Black Backs or other predators about.
2nd Oct 2006 Knot group of 6 at Ardnish (A&EH)
2nd Oct 2006 Whooper Swan View Image 4 at Loch Mealt - and the 10 Tufties are still there (SPorter)
1st Oct 2006 An Apology Yours truly has been off on holiday so the site has been at a standstill for a couple of weeks - now catching up and backdating records. Unfortunately the day we left the island (15/9)there was a report of a Pallid Swift at Broadford - this is an unfortunate problem as I previously missed the Uig Bittern on the first day of a holiday. Service is now back to normal so keep the records coming in. (Bob)

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