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 Jun 2011 Spotted Crake bird calling for the 2nd time at a site on Trotternish (S.Parlane)
30th Jun 2011 Great Northern Diver View Image a summering bird in Loch Portree (PE)
30th Jun 2011 Common Scoter 6-8 in Portree Bay (PE)
30th Jun 2011 Whimbrel View Image single at the head of Loch Portree + a Bar-tailed Godwit (DCJ)
30th Jun 2011 Black Redstart View Image still at Ellishadder in early evening
29th Jun 2011 Red-rumped Swallow View Image originally reported near Talisker House by Steph Hamilton - found independently and photographed by Ian Fulton (see Gallery)
28th Jun 2011 Great Spotted Woodpecker View Image fledged young visiting feeders at Kyleakin (A&EH)
28th Jun 2011 Grey Wagtail View Image a fledged bird at Balmeanach, Braes,(WM) and fledged young near Edinbane (RMcM) - a reminder of how scarce this bird has become after the hard winters.
27th Jun 2011 Black Redstart View Image still showing at Ellishadder (GJ)(RMcM) - see Gallery
26th Jun 2011 Sandwich Tern View Image 3 in Broadford Bay + 2 Bar-tailed Godwit (MB)
26th Jun 2011 Golden Plover 6 on Ardnish might be early passage birds (A&EH)
25th Jun 2011 Great Skua View Image a bird photographed between Rum and Eigg from MV Shearwater had been ringed as a chick on Handa in 2004 (SMacD, AR)
25th Jun 2011 Great Skua View Image pair seen forcing a Heron into the sea at Loch na Dal, Sleat - dead carcase of Heron subsequently found (RC)
25th Jun 2011 Black Redstart View Image still at Ellishadder (GJ)
25th Jun 2011 Red-rumped Swallow View Image a retrospective sighting - seen and photographed at Talisker (David & Christine Hammond - see Gallery)
24th Jun 2011 Osprey View Image another report late afternoon from Upper Breakish (Jan Storie) - clearly suggesting we have a wandering bird in the area.
24th Jun 2011 Herring fry local fishermen off Neist Point have commented on huge numbers of Herring fry in the sea - this may well account for some of the big assemblies of auks and shearwaters off our coasts (per AS)
24th Jun 2011 Black Redstart View Image still at Ellishadder (GJones)
23rd Jun 2011 Great Northern Diver View Image two at Moonen Bay, Neist Point (BMSmith)
23rd Jun 2011 Mute Swan View Image unusual record of a bird in the sea at Neist Point (BMSmith)
23rd Jun 2011 Osprey View Image following yesterday's report a bird was seen heading east over Kyleakin early morning (EH)
23rd Jun 2011 Common Crossbill View Image 20+ including juveniles in Uigshader Forest
23rd Jun 2011 Black Redstart View Image still at Ellishadder and photographed (GJones)
22nd Jun 2011 Osprey View Image bird reported over Loch Cillchroisd, Strathaird (per Graham Ross)
21st Jun 2011 Black Redstart View Image another scarce vagrant, report of a possible first year bird at Ellishadder (Gwyn Jones)
21st Jun 2011 Osprey View Image single seen and videod over Broadford (Christy James)
20th Jun 2011 Auks huge raft of 5,000 auks drifting north from Ardmore Point, Waternish, + Gulls and Gannets (AM) - either rich feeding or a problem in breeding colonies?
20th Jun 2011 Manx Shearwater View Image c300 seen near South Rona from MV Brigadoon (PE) + 5/600 in Sound of Sleat from Armadale-Mallaig ferry along with Minke Whale and small pod of Bottlenose Dolphin (RMcM) + 2-300 on Loch Eishort on the 19th
19th Jun 2011 Spotted Flycatcher View Image at least two pairs breeding round Broadford Cottage Hospital with one pair nest prospecting (MB) (See Gallery)
18th Jun 2011 Common Swift 15 along the cliffs near Neist Point - groups of this number are rare on Skye (BCookson)
18th Jun 2011 Grasshopper Warbler continuing the run of reports - reeling birds still at Achachork, Portree (CLomas), Greshornish (RMcM)and Skulamus, Broadford (GFerguson)
18th Jun 2011 Redwing View Image interesting report of a single bird at Kyleakin (EHorner)
18th Jun 2011 Manx Shearwater View Image huge flocks heading south at Neist Point, many thousands (Phil Swainson)
18th Jun 2011 Swift report of c15 along the cliffs near Neist Point - counts of this number are scarce on Skye (BCookson)
17th Jun 2011 Turnstone 16 at Traigh, Morar (SMacD)
17th Jun 2011 Red-rumped Swallow View Image reported near Talisker House (Steph Hamilton)
16th Jun 2011 Arctic Skua View Image single near Staffin slipway (JMacLennan)
15th Jun 2011 Turnstone still 7 at Traigh + 12 Dunlin and 20 Ringed Plover (SMacD)
14th Jun 2011 Whooper Swan View Image unfortunately the bird recently reported at the Black Lochs, Broadford, has been found dead. Another bird seems to be summering at the head of Loch Slapin (L.Shove, R.Geary)
12th Jun 2011 Common Scoter 12+ flying north two miles east of Arisaig - seen from MV Shearwater (RDyer)
12th Jun 2011 Whooper Swan View Image report of a possible summering bird in the Staffin area (S.Porter)
12th Jun 2011 Grasshopper Warbler birds still very vocal with recent reports from Ullinish ((GL), Upper Breakish (MIzzard), Lephin Glendale (AS), Brogaig Staffin (MP) and a fledged young on Scalpay (RMcM, JP)
10th Jun 2011 Goosander View Image 17 on the sea at Attadale - also 16 on the Shiel saltings (BN)
8th Jun 2011 Turtle Dove seen and photographed in garden at Borreraig, Duirinish (CBarton) - around for several days
8th Jun 2011 Whooper Swan View Image late straggler on the Black Lochs, Broadford (F.Simpson)
8th Jun 2011 Black-throated Diver View Image single bird reported from an inland loch in Sleat (G.Hull)
7th Jun 2011 BTO Atlas we are now in the last few weeks of the Atlas. Though we are covering all of the tetrads there is a need to upgrade breeding data - please see http://blx1.bto.org/atlas-results/pconf_gaps_map.html. To improve our coverage Could I ask for any breeding data to be added as roving records. Many thanks. Bob
7th Jun 2011 Sanderling View Image late waders still going through at Traigh, Morar, with 8 Sanderling, 9 Turnstone & 25 Dunlin (SMacD)
7th Jun 2011 Great Northern Diver View Image single off Traigh (SMacD) and two flying north in sound of Rum (R.Dyer)
7th Jun 2011 Long-tailed Skua single two miles east of Eigg heading north - from MV Shearwater (RDyer)
7th Jun 2011 Barn Owl View Image report of a single at Greshornish (C.Alston)
5th Jun 2011 Spotted Flycatcher View Image report of an albino flycatcher at Broadford which is extremely unusual (IMathewson)
5th Jun 2011 Great Northern Diver View Image two in Staffin Bay (MP) and a single in Loch Slapin (RMcM)
5th Jun 2011 Whooper Swan View Image single and very late straggler flying north at Glasphein, Staffin (MP)
5th Jun 2011 Red-throated Diver View Image two at The Aird, Kilmaluag and three in Staffin Bay (MP)
5th Jun 2011 Red-necked Phalarope View Image this is the first confirmed record for Skye for a considerable period with a pair in the sea off Rubha Hunish - seen from Orca 1 of Hebridean Whale Cruises, Gairloch. (Images by Nich Davies in the Gallery)
5th Jun 2011 Whooper Swan View Image single seen flying over Ashaig (Helen Birch)
4th Jun 2011 Woodcock roding bird at dusk near Faoilean, Loch Slapin - though common in winter there are very few breeding Atlas records for this species so all welcome.
3rd Jun 2011 Swift single near Ben Aketil windfarm + a House Martin (RMcM)
3rd Jun 2011 Wood Warbler singing bird behind Kinloch Lodge Hotel, Sleat (DCJ)
3rd Jun 2011 Whinchat View Image good numbers about with a single at Orbost, two at Pool Roag, two at Uig and three at Monkstadt (P.Garrity, RMcM) (see Gallery)
3rd Jun 2011 Turnstone late bird at Camas Mor, Borneskitaig (R&W Seymour)
2nd Jun 2011 Black headed Bunting Still at Mallaig though elusive (SMacD)
2nd Jun 2011 Great Northern Diver View Image single still at Portree (PGarrity)
2nd Jun 2011 Barn Owl View Image single near Storr Car Park (PGarrity)
2nd Jun 2011 Greenshank single in Uig Harbour (R&W Seymour)
1st Jun 2011 Black-headed Bunting male still in gardens at Mallaig at 1100, though visiting different feeders and seen on several occasions up to 1930 (SMacD)
1st Jun 2011 Sand Martin View Image c60 adults and young perched on sheltered trees at Kyleakin apparently seeking some respite from the wind and rain (A&EH)
1st Jun 2011 Sanderling View Image still moving through with 8 at Traigh, Morar + 2 Turnstone (SMacD)

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