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 2009	Wheatear	two 'Northern' birds on the shore at Kirkton, Lochalsh (BN)
30th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	birds on the move with the good weather - 31 at Broadford Bay (A&EH)
30th Sep 2009	Parakeet!!	report of green Parakeet at Braes - any reports of escapes? - taking global warming a bit far (WM)
29th Sep 2009	Greylag Goose	90 heading east over Kyleakin (A&EH)
29th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	15 at Harrapool and c100 heading towards Ardnish (A&EH), 60 at Waterloo in afternoon (DR) & 19 at Ashaig (RDavison)- also 71 at the head of Loch Ainort (MPerry)
29th Sep 2009	Whooper Swan	16 flew west below the cloud in Broadford Bay (DR)& 27 at Upper Breakish heading south (PDavison)
29th Sep 2009	Slavonian Grebe	1st arrivals of the winter with 3 in Broadford Bay (DR)
29th Sep 2009	Black-tailed Godwit	single in Broadford Bay (DHawksworth)
29th Sep 2009	Willow Warbler	two stragglers foraging in Rowans at Glasphein, Staffin (MPerry)
29th Sep 2009	Wheatear	still stragglers moving through with 2 on the Heaste road (MPerry)
28th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	still unprecedented numbers at Harrapool with 180 - comprising perhaps three separate groups of 75, 34 & 71 (DR)- interesting that MB found no colour ringed birds in these groups suggesting they were new arrivals.
28th Sep 2009	Red-throated Diver	2 in Broadford Bay (DHawkswell)
28th Sep 2009	Black-tailed Godwit	3 at Waterloo (MB)
27th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	115 at Harrapool including colour ringed birds which suggest this is another new group passing through (MB, RMcM)+ a separate group of 34 heading north-west later (MB)
27th Sep 2009	Manx Shearwater	two dead birds on the road in Broadford and another in Kyleakin suggest that the poor weather continues to 'ground' birds - suggests mortality of young birds could be high. (MB, RMcM)
27th Sep 2009	Pink-footed Goose	whilst this species regularly overflies Skye on migration, it rarely lands - 12 grounded at Harrapool are noteworthy (MB)
27th Sep 2009	Wheatear	another 'northern' at Irishman's Point, Broadford (MB)- and another straggler at Broadford on the 28th (DHawksworth)
25th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	single beside the fish farm at Loch Portree (PE) and up to 80 at Harrapool in the afternoon (RMcM, DR, A&EH)
25th Sep 2009	Wheatear	still a few stragglers going through - single at Elgol showed distinct characteristics of the Greenland race leucorhoa (see Gallery) (RMcM)
24th Sep 2009	Manx Shearwater	with the current windy weather there have been several reports of grounded Manx Shearwaters from Mallaig, Glenelg, Kyleakin and Broadford. These are mainly young birds and advice is to keep them in a well ventilated box overnight and release them onto the sea in the morning - incidentally one was found grounded at the Cairngorm Car Park to-day.
24th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	c70 at Glas Eilean, Harrapool (RMcM)
24th Sep 2009	Scaup	single female in Broadford Bay (MB)
23rd Sep 2009	Brent Goose	c150 at the head of Loch Ainort in late afternoonand early evening(RMcM) - meanwhile MB had a 140+ at Harrapool at lunchtime then again in early evening - clearly different flocks and both contained colour ringed birds.
23rd Sep 2009	Whooper Swan	7 at Ardnish - our first reports of the autumn (Sylvia Porter)
22nd Sep 2009	Whimbrel	single at Kilmarie Bay (RMcM)and three at Ashaig (A&EH)
22nd Sep 2009	Great Skua	9 off Strathaird Point + a single Arctic Skua (RMcM)
22nd Sep 2009	Brent Goose	8 at Harrapool + 15 Wigeon (A&EH), 3 Brents in the Narrows of Raasay (WM), then a terrific count of 120+ in late afternoon at Broadford Bay which flew south-west(DR)- then 3 in the early evening at Harrapool (MB.
22nd Sep 2009	Black-tailed Godwit	3 juveniles at Harrapool (MB)
20th Sep 2009	Golden Eagle	pair low above Torrin which joined another pair on the ridge of Beinn Dearg Mhor (RMcM - see Gallery)
20th Sep 2009	Bar-tailed Godwit	12 at Ashaig + single Knot and Sanderling (RMcM)& 13 Golden Plover later (A&EH)
19th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	solitary pale bellied at Waterloo - also on 20th (see Gallery) (DR, RMcM)
17th Sep 2009	Common Crossbill	party of 9 at Ardintoul (MPerry)
17th Sep 2009	White Wagtail	12 at Ardvarsar (RMcM)
17th Sep 2009	Barn Owl	at 0945 single seen looking for roost site at The Lump, Portree (PElford)
16th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	various reports in early evening with count of 57 + 11 Wigeon in tow - then 44 an hour later.(MB, DR, RMcM)
15th Sep 2009	Little Gull	another rare Gull, this time an adult Little Gull in Broadford Bay (MB)
14th Sep 2009	Twite	100 at Borrodale, Glendale (AS)
13th Sep 2009	Sandwich Tern	3 in Broadford Bay with lots of Kittiwakes (MB)
13th Sep 2009	Sabines Gull	juvenile with Kittiwake at Camus a Mhor-bheoil, Gedintailor (MB) - see Gallery - this is a rare vagrant to the UK though may occur annually in the waters round Skye.
13th Sep 2009	Barn Owl	single at Faoilean, Strathaird (RMcM)
13th Sep 2009	Goldfinch	nice flock of 60 at Lower Breakish (A&EH)
12th Sep 2009	Pomarine Skua	on pelagic trip MV Kerry out of Gairloch - 2miles east of Staffin Island - 2 Pomarines, 2 Arctic Skua, 12-15 Great Skua and 2 Storm Petrels (see Gallery).
12th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	2 at the mouth of Broadford River (DCJ) and 10 flying into Ardnish in evening (A&EH)
12th Sep 2009	Willow Warbler	late bird in garden at Dornie (BN)
12th Sep 2009	Grey Heron	about 30 soaring above Dornie had obviously been spooked by an immature Sea Eagle (BN)
12th Sep 2009	Razorbill	unusual numbers of auks, mainly Razorbill off Eilean Donan - c120 (BN)
12th Sep 2009	Water Rail	3 calling birds at Loch Suardal (DCJ)
12th Sep 2009	Greylag Goose	60 at Ardmore and 27 at Pool Roag (DCJ)
12th Sep 2009	Twite	flock of 200 at Pool Roag and 15-25 feeding on ridge high up Bruach na Frithe (DCJ). Also recent report of flock of 100 at Achnacloich, Sleat containing colour ringed birds from both Angus and the north of England (DRobertson)
12th Sep 2009	Golden Plover	excellent flock of 120 at Bealach na Main, near Bruach na Frithe (DCJ)
11th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	15 at the mouth of the Broadford River
10th Sep 2009	Balearic Shearwater	a single at Rubha Hunish heading west with Manx Shearwaters (RMcM)
10th Sep 2009	Great Skua	in seawatch at Rubha Hunish 8 flew west in an hour; 5 Red-throated Divers, a great Northern Diver and a dark phase Arctic Skua - all heading west. (RMcM)
10th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	16 at the head of Loch Ainort (RMcM)
9th Sep 2009	Brent Goose	strong passage through Broadford Bay, several groups combining to a record count of c350 - the group was then spooked by a Buzzard and about 100 flew north, the others remaining at the mouth of the Broadford River (MB, RMcM,DR)- see Gallery. The c100 heading north were seen at Loch na Cairidh then headed west up Loch Ainort (TSwainbank).
9th Sep 2009	Goosander	5 females on Loch Caroy (MSellors)
9th Sep 2009	Whimbrel	2 at Harrapool (DR)
6th Sep 2009	White-tailed Eagle	report of immature 'White 4' at Loch Treaslane - this is a 2 year old bird which fledged on the Small Isles. The bird was feeding on small fish stranded by the receding tide (Sue Watkins)
6th Sep 2009	Curlew Sandpiper	still single at Harrapool.
5th Sep 2009	Curlew Sandpiper	single at Harrapool with Dunlin and a Sanderling (MB)(see Gallery)
4th Sep 2009	Gannet	3-400 at Neist Point and clearly lots of feeding available (RMcM - see Gallery)
4th Sep 2009	Willow Warbler	straggler at Stein (Clive Ellis)
4th Sep 2009	White-tailed Eagle	pair with a young bird, probably a family group at Wiay, Bracadale (Clive Ellis)
3rd Sep 2009	Arctic Skua	3 south in the Narrows of Raasay + 40 Manx Shearwater north (WM)
3rd Sep 2009	Sanderling	still 5 at Camus a Mhor, Braes, + 7 Turnstone, Ringed Plover & Dunlin (WM)
2nd Sep 2009	Ptarmigan	two on Beinn na Caillich, Kylerhea (JPhillips)
2nd Sep 2009	Sanderling	10 at Camus a Mhor, Braes (WM)
2nd Sep 2009	Great Northern Diver	two off Ashaig + 15 Bar-tailed Godwit (A&EH)
2nd Sep 2009	Barn Owl	report of a single at Culnacnock, Trotternish (SPorter)
2nd Sep 2009	Short-eared Owl	few recent reports - single over clearfell at Waternish Forest (Clive Ellis)
1st Sep 2009	Kittiwake	still 87 occupied nests at Neist Point with min. + 3 Shag nests & 12 Fulmar nests 7 large young on verge of fledging - probably reflecting a late start to breeding season (AS)
1st Sep 2009	Goldfinch	nice 'charm' of 26 at Lower Breakish (JP)

Bird sightings on the Island of Skye and the neighbouring area

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