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 Aug 2012 Knot 4 at Waterloo (RMcM)
31st Aug 2012 Brent Goose View Image single at Sconser Pier (A.Middleditch)
31st Aug 2012 Iceland Gull View Image summering bird in Portree Harbour (PE)
30th Aug 2012 Magpie bird still in the Uig area with report from Idrigill (Louise Pearce)
30th Aug 2012 Sanderling View Image 5 at Camas a Mhor-bheoil, Braes + 10 Turnstone & 12 Dunlin (RMcM)(see Gallery)
30th Aug 2012 Pintail single in eclipse at Loch Mealt (RMcM)
30th Aug 2012 Brent Goose View Image single pale bellied in Broadford Bay...the first of the autumn (MB) (see Gallery)- this bird was ringed on an expedition to Canada in 2007.
30th Aug 2012 Black-tailed Godwit View Image 7 at Traigh then 4 later at Traigh Golf Course (DW)
29th Aug 2012 Jay a bird at Morar was an excellent garden record (SMacD)
29th Aug 2012 Black-tailed Godwit View Image a single on the golf course at Traigh + 16 Sanderling & 2 Whimbrel on the nearby shore (SMacD)
29th Aug 2012 Black-throated Diver View Image 4 in Loch Slapin near Kilmarie (RMcM)
27th Aug 2012 Chaffinch (deformed) juvenile visiting bird table at Gedintailor has an unusual deformity (Catherine Atkins) (see Gallery)
27th Aug 2012 Knot 17 at Harrapool + c80 Ringed Plover (RMcM)
27th Aug 2012 Sanderling View Image 16 at Traigh (SMacD), a single at Harrapool (RMcM)and three at Achnacloich ( Keith Martin)
26th Aug 2012 Whimbrel View Image 5 at Harrapool + a Sanderling (MB)
26th Aug 2012 White Wagtail View Image 3 at Harrapool + a Grey Wagtail (MB)
26th Aug 2012 Sanderling View Image 8 at Traigh and a single Whimbrel (SMacD)
25th Aug 2012 Northern Wheatear View Image 5 on the croft at 10/11 Elgol suggests a flush of birds on passage including leucorhoa (RMcM)
25th Aug 2012 Arctic Skua View Image 5 in Broadford Bay harassing Kittiwakes (MB)
24th Aug 2012 Long-tailed Skua juvenile reported 8 miles east of Kilt Rock from Hebridean Whale Cruises (N.Davies)
24th Aug 2012 Magpie bird reported from Uig - on roadkill (M.Lumb)
24th Aug 2012 Black-throated Diver View Image report of 7 in Loch Harport (P.Semler)
23rd Aug 2012 Canada Goose View Image now 20 in the Traigh area + 80 Greylag Geese (SMacD)
23rd Aug 2012 Hen Harrier View Image recent reports include a male at Bracadale on the 1st (PS), a ringtail at Tormore on the 22nd (A.Drever) and another, possibly a young bird, at Ullinish to-day (PE)
23rd Aug 2012 Short-eared Owl View Image report of a single at Borve (T.Hodgetts)
22nd Aug 2012 Ringed Plover View Image 45 at Staffin Bay + 3 Sanderling & 7 Dunlin (MP)
22nd Aug 2012 Great Northern Diver View Image single at Staffin Bay is possibly a summering bird (MP)
22nd Aug 2012 Knot 8 on Ardnish + 6 Turnstone (A&EH)
21st Aug 2012 Sanderling View Image 7 in Staffin Bay (MP)
21st Aug 2012 Golden Eagle View Image see the blog for a summary by John Smith and Rule Anderson on their work with Golden Eagles in the wider Lochalsh area where 5 pairs were successful.
21st Aug 2012 Canada Goose View Image 7 at Traigh/Back of Keppoch for over a week + a Canada/Greylag hybrid (SMacD)
21st Aug 2012 Swift another single at Valtos, Trotternish (GJones)
20th Aug 2012 Sandwich Tern View Image 6 at Ashaig (A&EH)
19th Aug 2012 Sanderling View Image 6 at Ashaig (SB)
19th Aug 2012 Knot 5 at Ardnish, 50 Redshank & 70 Dunlin & Ringed Plover (A&EH)
19th Aug 2012 Swift Single at Ellishadder (GJones)
18th Aug 2012 Golden Eagle View Image we previously reported on this year's poor breeding performance which was reported in the blog. The figures are now even worse with only 7 young from 6 nests. Despite the efforts of Ken & Kate to provide a large chick on the nest with supplementary feeding, the bird has now died.
18th Aug 2012 Cuckoo straggler at Glasnakille (J.MacKinnon)
18th Aug 2012 Knot 3 in Broadford Bay + 7 Bar-tailed Godwits & 35 Common Terns (MB)
18th Aug 2012 Common Scoter report of 5 on Loch Bracadale (M.Herbert)
17th Aug 2012 Sabine's Gull adult at sea 4 miles east of Kilt Rock (Nick Davies, Hebridean Whale Cruises)
17th Aug 2012 Twite View Image large flock of c150 at Lephin, Glendale (AS)
15th Aug 2012 Orca Party of 3 reported from Neist (per AS)
15th Aug 2012 Red-throated Diver View Image group of 4 at Neist Point then a single bird flying inland carrying a fish (probably to feed young) (RMcM,DW)
15th Aug 2012 Moorhen single adult at Loch Suardal, Dunvegan (RMcM,DW)
15th Aug 2012 Greenshank three at Harrapool,three at Ardnish, three at Struan Causeway, and two at Loch Portree (RMcM,DW)(EH)
15th Aug 2012 Red-breasted Merganser View Image female with brood of 6 small young at Ardnish is late (EH)
15th Aug 2012 Grey Plover View Image single on Ardnish (EH)
14th Aug 2012 Shoveler probable eclipse male at Harrapool (see Gallery)(RMcM,DW)
14th Aug 2012 Little Stint View Image three at Harrapool (RMcM,DW)
14th Aug 2012 Grey Plover View Image single in summer plumage over Ashaig, Broadford, + three Greenshank and three Knot (RMcM,DW)
13th Aug 2012 Basking Shark report from Neist Point on the 9th + 2 Minke Whales and several Common Dolphins (C.Alston) - see recent blog post on Basking Sharks
13th Aug 2012 Arctic Tern View Image 9 south at The Aird, Gedintailor & 2 Greenshank nearby (WM)
12th Aug 2012 Swift single over Elgol (RMcM)
12th Aug 2012 Eider raft of c200 Eider at sea between Airigh-drishaig (Applecross) and Drumbuie (JP)
10th Aug 2012 Leach's Petrel single + Storm Petrels off South Rona - from Hebridean Whale Cruises (N.Davies, D.Whitaker)
9th Aug 2012 Hen Harrier View Image male near Ashaig Cemetry (S.Tattersley)
9th Aug 2012 House Sparrow View Image interesting report of c60 at Neist Point including many juveniles (C.Alston)
8th Aug 2012 Canada Goose View Image Single with Greylags at Loch Caroy (MS)
8th Aug 2012 Sabine's Gull two immatures 5 miles east of Staffin Island from Hebridean Whale Cruises out of Gairloch (Nick Davies)
8th Aug 2012 Sanderling View Image single at Camas Malag, Torrin + Ringed Plover with late chick (L.Card)
8th Aug 2012 Ring Ouzel View Image report of a single from A Chorra beinn, Storr Lochs (S.Bungard)
6th Aug 2012 Sabine's Gull adult and 2nd summer 8 miles east of Kilt Rock from Hebridean Whale Cruise out of Gairloch (Nick Davies)
6th Aug 2012 Sanderling View Image single in Staffin Bay (MP)
5th Aug 2012 Sabine's Gull another probable adult late afternoon in Broadford Bay with up to 400 Kittiwake (MB)
5th Aug 2012 Great Skua View Image up to 4 in Broadford Bay + 2 Arctic Skua (MB)
4th Aug 2012 Common Scoter 3 in Broadford Bay (MB)
4th Aug 2012 Great Skua View Image 3 in Broadford Bay & an Arctic Skua (MB)
4th Aug 2012 Common Scoter 3 in Broadford Bay (MB)
1st Aug 2012 Golden Eagle View Image many followers of this website regularly report Golden Eagle sightings and these are invariably passed to Ken Crane and Kate Nellist who have been monitoring the Skye population since 1984. Unfortunately 2012 has been the worst year on record for breeding performance with only 7 nests successful producing 8 young. (See Blog)
1st Aug 2012 Knot 36 at Ashaig (A&EH)

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