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
31st Oct 2009 Chough (uncertainty around date) but 4 Chough visited croft at Glasnakille feeding for c20 minutes before flying off (John MacKinnon per RMcM)
31st Oct 2009 Thrushes big numbers passing through - a mix of Redwings/Fieldfare in many hundreds at Torrin, Balmacara and Shiel Bridge. (RMcM) Good numbers at Kyleakin on the first (LC)
30th Oct 2009 Great Northern Diver View Image 3 at Ashaig + 8 Bar-tailed Godwit (A&EH)
29th Oct 2009 Whooper Swan View Image family group of 5 at the head of Loch Dunvegan (Rob Wright) and 22 at Loch Sligachan (RMcM)
29th Oct 2009 Turnstone flock of c40 at the head of Loch Sligachan, a good count for this location (RMcM)
29th Oct 2009 Chiffchaff very late bird at Morar (S.MacDonald)
29th Oct 2009 Snow Bunting View Image singles on the Quirang (Niki Fulton) and at kilmuir on the 1st. (Richard Lockett)
28th Oct 2009 Fieldfare View Image 800-1000 at Mallaig bheag + 200 Redwing & 20+ Blackbirds - also c1000 mixed thrushes at Arisaig (SMacD) - bug flocks of migrant thrushes seem to have avoided Skye apart from Sleat (RC)
26th Oct 2009 Barnacle Goose View Image 3 at the head of Loch Ainort (DCJ)
26th Oct 2009 Common Crossbill View Image 6 in Tormore Forest, Sleat (DCJ)
26th Oct 2009 Fieldfare View Image 100 flying east in Glen Drynoch (DCJ)
26th Oct 2009 Mallard 120 at Loch Dubrachan, Sleat, + 20 Teal & 2 Whooper Swan (DCJ)
26th Oct 2009 White-tailed Eagle View Image 3 enjoying the thermals on MacLeod's North table along with 3/4 Golden Eagles and several Ravens (Rob Wright)
25th Oct 2009 Brambling View Image 3 with Chaffinches in garden at Achacork, Portree (C.Lomas)
24th Oct 2009 Brambling & albino Chaffinch report from Sarah Kay of a Brambling with Chaffinch in the grounds of Home Farm Nursing Home, Portree - also with this group was a semi-albino male Chaffinch - this latter bird was seen in the garden at Benview, Dunvegan, a few days ago with plumage similar to a male Snow Bunting (I&CHouston). There is a strong possibility that these birds are all of Scandinavian origin.
23rd Oct 2009 Wheatear View Image straggler near Dunvegan (RMcM)
23rd Oct 2009 Twite View Image flock of c60 at Kildonan, Edinbane (RMcM)
23rd Oct 2009 Red-throated Diver View Image 4 at Camastianavaig Bay + 4 Great Northerns at nearby Balmeanach Bay (AM, WM)
23rd Oct 2009 Redwing View Image 150 + 30 Fieldfare at Camastianavaig (AM)
23rd Oct 2009 Common Scoter 2 at Broadford Bay + 4 Slavonian Grebes & a female Goldeneye (MB)
23rd Oct 2009 Common Swift report of an extremely late bird over Portree this morning - per www.birdguides.com - coincidentally one was reported in Benbecula at 1340 hours!!
23rd Oct 2009 Hoopoe delayed report that a Hoopoe was at Achacork, Portree, from 16-18th October and photographed on mobile phone (Ian Bates)
23rd Oct 2009 Whooper Swan View Image 6 in Loch Dunvegan (MCullen), pair with 2 young still at Loch Suardal, and single in the sea at the Sound of Raasay (SBungard)
22nd Oct 2009 Red-throated Diver View Image group of 13 to-gether in the Sound of Raasay (SBungard)
20th Oct 2009 Whooper Swan View Image 8 on the Black Lochs, Broadford (RC)
20th Oct 2009 Whooper Swan View Image 20 flying south at An Aird, Braes (P.Dark)
20th Oct 2009 Woodcock still scarce though two flushed at Kilbryde, Torrin (JJ)
19th Oct 2009 Redwing/Fieldfare mixed flock of 300 around Isleornsay for several days (RC)
19th Oct 2009 Turtle Dove bird which appears to be a juvenile/1st winter, still visiting garden at Waternish (AMearns) - see Gallery - can also be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUmKfr5eDWU.
19th Oct 2009 Whooper Swan View Image still reports of small groups - 9 over Breakish at midday & 11 over Ashaig late afternoon - both heading south (Pam Davison)
18th Oct 2009 Turtle Dove a garden visitor at Hallin, Waternish - see gallery for outstanding image (Al Mearns)
18th Oct 2009 Blackcap View Image female on rowan berries at Meanish Pier, Glendale (AS)
18th Oct 2009 Eider numbers building up with 70 at Kyleakin (H Scott)
18th Oct 2009 Snow Bunting View Image c20 on east side of Marsco (Terry Swainbank)
18th Oct 2009 Greenland White-fronted Goose early returners with 8 at Kilmuir (RMcM)
17th Oct 2009 Common Scoter single female in Broadford Bay (MB)
17th Oct 2009 Whooper Swan View Image 7 at the head of Loch Duich & 10 Little Grebe (BN)
17th Oct 2009 Goosander View Image 11 on the Shiel/Croe saltings, Lochalsh + 23 Teal on the Shiel saltings (BN)
16th Oct 2009 Redwing View Image big influx overnight with small flocks at Lower Milovaig, Fasach, Dunvegan, Edinbane and Suledale - also a few Fieldfare in the morning but 30 at Lyndale late afternoon(AS)
15th Oct 2009 Redwing View Image more on the move with 30 at Elgol and 60 at Loch Cillchroisd (RMcM)
15th Oct 2009 Jack Snipe View Image single on Ardnish, Broadford (RMcM)
15th Oct 2009 Slavonian Grebe 2 in Glenelg Bay (Pete Jones) - very few reports from this part of Lochalsh.
14th Oct 2009 Redwing View Image two small groups of Redwing (7/8) passing through Broadford - still waiting for big influx (MB)
12th Oct 2009 Wheatear View Image straggler at Elgol + 3 White Wagtails(RMcM)
12th Oct 2009 Great Northern Diver View Image starting to return with 4 in Kilmarie Bay, Loch Slapin + 2 Black-throated Divers (RMcM)
11th Oct 2009 Redwing View Image 5 over Isleornsay (RC)
11th Oct 2009 Great Skua View Image 2 in the Narrows of Raasay harassing 250+ Kittiwake (RMcM) - also a single at Ardmore yesterday (DCJ)
11th Oct 2009 Whimbrel View Image still 2 at Ardnish + 8 Bar-tailed Godwit (A&EH)
11th Oct 2009 Lesser Whitethroat View Image interesting migrant at Lower Milovaig, a rare occurrence for Skye (AS) - well worth looking for more unusual migrants at the moment.
10th Oct 2009 Brent Goose View Image 3 at Lower Milovaig is a first from this area (AS)
10th Oct 2009 Goldeneye 3 at Loch Mor, Waterstein are the first for the autumn + 3 Whooper Swan and a Tufted Duck (AS)
10th Oct 2009 Redwing View Image at least 4 at Lower Milovaig amongst a mixed group including Blackbirds and Song Thrushes which were thought to be migrants (AS) - also 8-10 Robins suggesting a bit of an influx.
10th Oct 2009 Ring-necked Parakeet our wandering Parrot was at Camustianavaig feeding on garden berries (Gill Barnett) - the origins of this bird remain a mystery.
10th Oct 2009 Gadwall View Image a male at Loch Sligachan along with Wigeon - possibly the return of one of our wintering birds (DCJ)
9th Oct 2009 Brent Goose View Image single at Harrapool (DR)
8th Oct 2009 Ring-necked Parakeet the parakeet has returned to Balmeanach, Braes, and positively identified as a Ring-necked (WM)
8th Oct 2009 Wheatear View Image straggler at Balmeanach, Braes (WM)
8th Oct 2009 Woodcock single flushed at Kilbryde, Torrin, the first report of the autumn (JJ)
8th Oct 2009 Whooper Swan View Image two adults and two young on Loch Suardal (MSellars) and 10 flew south-east over Loch Portree (PE)
7th Oct 2009 Curlew Sandpiper View Image a 2nd record this autumn of this scarce passage migrant at Ashaig (A&EH)
6th Oct 2009 Scaup 3 in Broadford Bay in the morning, a male and two females (DR)- then 8 in the afternoon - a male, 5 females and 2 juveniles (MB)
6th Oct 2009 Red Kite View Image a day after the bird was seen in Kintail, one was spotted at Kinloch, Skye (perhaps the same bird!) (Brendan Henry)
5th Oct 2009 Red Kite View Image wandering bird following stalking party at Gleann Lichd, Kintail (Rule Anderson) - probably a bird from the Black Isle population which had a better breeding year.
4th Oct 2009 Fieldfare View Image another small group of 8 at Kensaleyre (SClarke)
4th Oct 2009 Scaup mixed flock of 10 Scaup/Tufted Duck in Broadford Bay (MB) - also two Tufted Duck on Loch Mor, Waterstein (RMcM)
3rd Oct 2009 Great Skua View Image 5 heading north at Narrows of Raasay - also 3 Arctic Skua and 60-80 Gannets in about 30 minutes (WM)
3rd Oct 2009 Fieldfare View Image flock of 13 at Camas Malag, Torrin (JJ)
2nd Oct 2009 Mute Swan View Image 3 at Eilean Donan, Lochalsh - always rare occurrences in these parts. (BN)
1st Oct 2009 Willow Warblers two still at Staffin (MPerry)
1st Oct 2009 Slavonian Grebe 4 at Ardnish (A&EH)

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