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
27th Jul 2007 Seabirds a seawatch at Neist Point to-day produced hundreds of Gannets moving north, c200 Manx Shearwater, c200 Puffin some feeding just off the rocks, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Fulmar, Common & Black Guillemots, 2 x Great Skua and a single dark phase Arctic Skua.
27th Jul 2007 Greenshank 3 at Pool Roag along with 12 Redshank and a few Dunlin.
27th Jul 2007 Kittiwake though Skye does not have huge Kittiwake colonies on a visit to Neist Point it was obvious that not too many were occupied. Check the image which shows a Kittiwake with a pipefish at Neist obviously destined for a local nest - in the absence of sand eels a variety of seabirds are feeding young pipefish which are much less nutritious (Bob)
25th Jul 2007 Little Gull View Image report from Sam Forrest of a juvenile in Uig Bay.
25th Jul 2007 Great Skua View Image single at Ullinish Point (GLeatherbarrow) and pair at Strathaird Point.
25th Jul 2007 Linnet single in garden at Ullinish (GL)
24th Jul 2007 Golden Plover post-breeding flock of 23 at Ardnish, Broadford, also 30 Ringed Plover, 20 Redshank and a Purple Sandpiper (A&EH)
24th Jul 2007 Greylag Goose View Image flock of 40 at Ardnish, Broadford, consisting adults and fully grown young, all local breeders (A&EH)
24th Jul 2007 Corncrake View Image despite late date still calling bird at the Church car park, Trumpan on Waternish. (Carol & Martin Lomas)
23rd Jul 2007 Arctic Skua View Image two harassing Terns off Strathaird Point
22nd Jul 2007 Sandwich Tern View Image 3 at Ardnish, Broadford (A&EH)
22nd Jul 2007 Twite View Image post-breeding flocks building up with 40 at Lower Milovaig (AStables)
22nd Jul 2007 Arctic Skua View Image 4 at Neist Point (AStables)
22nd Jul 2007 Tufted Duck View Image 3 at Loch Mor, Waterstein - Black Swan still in residence (AStables)
21st Jul 2007 Grasshopper Warbler still a singing bird at Harrapool - also singing Sedge Warbler - interesting when everything else has gone quiet (DR)
20th Jul 2007 Dunlin View Image numbers building up with 35 at Ashaig (A&EH)
20th Jul 2007 Great Skua View Image 4 in Broadford Bay (MB)
20th Jul 2007 Grasshopper Warbler still a singing bird in Greshornish Forest
19th Jul 2007 Little Gull View Image a nice adult found in Broadford Bay by Martin Benson is the first record on Skye since 2000 - see Gallery page.
19th Jul 2007 Black-tailed Godwit View Image 4 in Broadford Bay opposite Hebridean Hotel (MB)
19th Jul 2007 Black Tern excellent record from Brian Neath of an adult amongst the Common & Arctic Tern colony at Glas Eilean, Avernish in Loch Alsh. This is probably the first record for Skye and Lochalsh.
18th Jul 2007 Black-headed Bunting not quite Skye but news has just filtered through of a nice male on Canna about 10 days ago - a near miss.
18th Jul 2007 Red Kite View Image reliable report of a Red Kite at Keppoch, Strathaird.
17th Jul 2007 Common Tern View Image possibly 50 pairs breeding Gairbh Eilein, Dunvegan (Alan Harris)
16th Jul 2007 Knot 3 at Broadford Bay in summer plumage - also 2 Whimbrel (MB,DR)
15th Jul 2007 Common Crossbill View Image family party of 5 in Coishleadar Forest, Edinbane.
15th Jul 2007 Hen Harrier View Image the breeding season has almost concluded and in the study area north of the Struan-Portree road a total of 12 territories were occupied and 9 pairs laid clutches and hatched young. Unfortunately 6 pairs failed when young were predated, red fox being the main culprit. Only 3 pairs successfully fledged a total of c10 young. (RMcM)
15th Jul 2007 Scaup nice drake on Glas Eilean, Broadford Bay (MB)- still there on the 16th (DR)
15th Jul 2007 Whimbrel View Image waders starting to move again with 3 in Broadford Bay (MB)
11th Jul 2007 Manx Shearwater View Image c50 off Neist Point (Colin Schofield)
10th Jul 2007 Arctic Skua View Image single dark phase bird off the coast near Elgol (Colin Schofield)
9th Jul 2007 Leach's Petrel report of a single at Neist Point (Jim & Joan McLean)
7th Jul 2007 Common Scoter very interesting report from Dave Rogers of a flock of 30 in Broadford Bay
7th Jul 2007 Razorbill View Image raft of 300+ auks in Broadford Bay, mainly Razorbills but also Guillemots (MB). Separate report from Peter Elford of raft of 400+ mainly Razorbills seen from the ferry at Kylerhea - these separate sightings are presumably non-breeding birds which doesn't look too good when we would expect them to be at breeding sites.
7th Jul 2007 Great Skua View Image several reports from Broadford Bay with 3 being the best count (MB)
7th Jul 2007 Manx Shearwater View Image 3 groups totalling 12 passing through the narrows at Kylerhea and seen from the ferry (Peter Elford) - also a Bonxie
5th Jul 2007 Canada Goose View Image report of 9 Canada Geese at Heaste, Loch Eishort (date estimated)
3rd Jul 2007 Red-throated Diver View Image three recent breeding reports - pairs with two chicks at two sites - and another pair which are still incubating eggs.(DHammond, JJones, RMcM)
3rd Jul 2007 Peregrine View Image still frequenting Ardnish area Alan & Elaine Horner had one whizzing passed their ears as it took a Starling off a fence and disappeared towards Broadford.
3rd Jul 2007 Blackcap View Image singing bird in woodland at Waternish House.
1st Jul 2007 Great Skua View Image report from Peter Elford of a single bird at Bracadale Point
1st Jul 2007 Arctic Skua View Image summering birds are again frequenting the Coral Beaches area at Dunvegan with recent counts of three birds. However a count of five (DHammond) again suggest there is a possibility of birds breeding - there is no breeding record for Skye.

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