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
31st Jan 2007 Iceland Gull View Image report on the 'BirdGuides' alert of 3 Icelands at Portree Harbour.
31st Jan 2007 Glaucous Gull View Image report on 'BirdGuides' alert of single bird at Portree Harbour. Other bird at Heaste is still around, usually on its own and frequenting the small Bay behind the old school to the west of the fish farm. (DR,RMcM)
31st Jan 2007 Waxwing View Image overall numbers are scarce this winter but this is the first for our area with 2 in the garden of the Tingle Creek Hotel, Erbusaig (Dennis Bates)
29th Jan 2007 Goldeneye good count of 8 at Ardnish, Broadford (DR)
29th Jan 2007 Purple Sandpiper View Image count of 10+ at Ardnish - and also a single Greenshank (DRogers)
29th Jan 2007 Slavonian Grebe always scarce on Lochalsh there was a single at Strathy Bay, west of Plockton (BN)
28th Jan 2007 Glaucous Gull View Image following a report from Roger Gentle of a white gull at Heaste Martin Benson checked it out and confirmed a first winter Glaucous - there are currently three different birds on Skye.
28th Jan 2007 Knot single in Broadford Bay (MB)
28th Jan 2007 Carrion Crow View Image single at Broadford (MB)
28th Jan 2007 Barnacle Goose View Image report from Ken Crane that a single has been consorting with Greylags at Glen Brittle for most of the winter.
27th Jan 2007 Grey Plover View Image single at Ardnish
27th Jan 2007 Bar-tailed Godwit View Image count of 17 during WeBS count - much more this winter than recent years. Conversely no Greenshank seen.
27th Jan 2007 Goldeneye scarce this winter in Lochalsh but 6 on Loch Achaidh na h-Inich and 5 on Loch Lundie (BN)
25th Jan 2007 Barnacle Goose View Image showing well in Trotternish with 85 at Staffin and 110 at Kilmaluag
25th Jan 2007 Redwing View Image flocks of 40 at Duirinish and 33 at Dubh-aird, Plockton (BN)
24th Jan 2007 Glaucous Gull View Image still 2 at Portree with at least one Iceland Gull (MB)
23rd Jan 2007 Fulmar territorial occupation at Neist Point with at least 50 pairs back on nest ledges (AStables)
20th Jan 2007 Gannet scarce in winter but 3 at Neist Point and 3 off Milovaig Pier (AStables)
18th Jan 2007 Song Thrush View Image early songster at Dunvegan (Bernard Cookson)
17th Jan 2007 Black-headed Gull excellent count of 60 at Kyleakin (A&EHorner)
16th Jan 2007 Whitefronted Goose the 'Broadford' flock has been conspicuous by its absence this winter so 29 over Harrapool is encouraging (DRogers)
16th Jan 2007 Turnstone 22 on the shore in Broadford at the mouth of the Broadford River - also 53 Rock Doves (DR)
10th Jan 2007 Glaucous Gull View Image a single showing well at Portree (see pic) and two Iceland Gulls (MBenson)
9th Jan 2007 Purple Sandpiper View Image 12 at Strathaird Point
7th Jan 2007 Glaucous Gull View Image two this morning - a 1st winter bird on the refuse disposal site with typical plumage - and another probable 1st winter bird, but with much whiter plumage, at the mouth of the Varrigal River in Portree Loch - also a 1st winter Iceland. (MB RMcM)
7th Jan 2007 Grey Wagtail View Image though the species can be found on the shore in winter at Lochalsh it was unusual to find one on Carr Brae - also a female Pied Wagtail - both products of the mild weather. (BN)
6th Jan 2007 Glaucous Gull View Image report via the Bird Guides site of a 1st winter bird in Portree Harbour - as well as a 1st winter Iceland.
6th Jan 2007 Ringed Plover View Image big count of 90 at Waterloo (A&EH)
5th Jan 2007 Crossbill we get few reports so a pair in the forest near Kyleakin is well worth recording - our species is the European Crossbill (A&EH)
4th Jan 2007 Barnacle Goose View Image report from Donald Brown of flock of 55 near Staffin Slip.
2nd Jan 2007 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird at mouth of Broadford River -noon to-day - see photograph (MBenson)
2nd Jan 2007 Twite View Image scarce in winter there were 2 near Struan
2nd Jan 2007 Barn Owl View Image report of bird at Struan causeway - Peter Elford & Linda Henderson.
1st Jan 2007 Turnstone 8 at Portnalong Pier (JThomas)
1st Jan 2007 Goosander View Image 3 at Portnalong Pier (JThomas)

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