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
30th Nov 2016 Eagle Owl a bird in very poor condition was found at Morvich, Kintail, yesterday and sadly died overnight (RA). The bird is thought to be a young female and its origins are unknown. This is not a native species to Scotland and captive birds have been released into the wild.
29th Nov 2016 Glaucous Gull View Image 3rd winter bird at Mallaig Pier (RMcM)
27th Nov 2016 Grey Plover View Image single at the head of Loch Harport + a Greenshank and 70 Teal (RMcM)
27th Nov 2016 Slavonian Grebe 7 between the head of Loch Ainort and Ard Dorch (RMcM)
27th Nov 2016 Waxwing View Image single at Kinloch, Rum (SM)
27th Nov 2016 Blackcap View Image female still on feeders at Kinloch, Rum (SM)
27th Nov 2016 Velvet Scoter juvenile at Uig Bay with a juvenile Common Scoter (ML) - could these be the two birds which were at Achnacloich?
26th Nov 2016 Knot single with 56 Dunlin in Broadford Bay (MB)
25th Nov 2016 Goldfinch 80-100 at Kyleakin Obbe (A&EH)
24th Nov 2016 Water Rail single at Camus an Arbhair, Plockton (E.Stanley)
24th Nov 2016 Blackcap View Image female on feeders at Kinloch, Rum (SM)
24th Nov 2016 Common Scoter still two in Loch Portree (NB) (see Gallery)
24th Nov 2016 Waxwing View Image flock of 9 over 'The Lump', Portree (NB) mid afternoon
23rd Nov 2016 Waxwing View Image whilst there has been a big influx to Inverness and Speyside our numbers have been low - two this morning near Broadford Post Office (NB); 20-25 at Morar (SMacD)
23rd Nov 2016 Black-throated Diver View Image five in Loch Slapin (RMcM) and a single in Loch Harport at Portnalong (KS)
23rd Nov 2016 Goosander View Image 10 males in Loch Slapin & 280 Common Gulls (RMcM)
23rd Nov 2016 Blackcap View Image female at feeders at Dunvegan (I.Houston)
23rd Nov 2016 Slavonian Grebe 7 in Loch nan Ceall, Arisaig (SMacD)
22nd Nov 2016 Snow Bunting View Image still a single at Kilmory Glen, Rum (SM)
21st Nov 2016 Little Grebe View Image 7 at Loch Kishorn + 45 Teal (RMcM)
20th Nov 2016 Great Northern Diver View Image 18 between Lusa - Skye Bridge (RMcM)
20th Nov 2016 Common Scoter stIll a single in Broadford Bay (RMcM) and two in Loch Portree (NB) - all female/juv types.
20th Nov 2016 Wigeon 74 in Loch Portree and 27 Bar-tailed Godwit (NB)
19th Nov 2016 Whooper Swan View Image three over Breakish Obbe (NH)
19th Nov 2016 Velvet Scoter still a juvenile off Achnacloich, Sleat, now accompanied by a Common Scoter (RMcM)
19th Nov 2016 Purple Sandpiper View Image single at Harrapool (PO-W)
18th Nov 2016 Great Northern Diver View Image seven off Kilmory, Rum (SM)
18th Nov 2016 Whooper Swan View Image 11 west off Kilmory, Rum (SM); 15 in the Sound of Eigg (J.Storie); 6 on Loch Shiel, Lochalsh (RMcM)
17th Nov 2016 Whooper Swan View Image 12 flying south at Kilmuir (JDJ) and 6 at Portnalong (KS); also heard late evening in darkness over Kyleakin (A&EH) - these and the record yesterday suggest birds still moving south
17th Nov 2016 Snow Bunting View Image still two in Kinloch Glen, Rum (SM)
16th Nov 2016 Glaucous Gull View Image adult at Mallaig harbour for several days (SMacD)
16th Nov 2016 Snow Bunting View Image two in Kinloch Glen, Rum (SM)
16th Nov 2016 Whooper Swan View Image five at the head of Loch Sligachan (NB)
16th Nov 2016 Pink-footed Goose View Image a single with 45 Greylags at Harrapool (NB) - this is thought to be a resident feral bird
15th Nov 2016 Iceland Gull View Image juvenile in Loch Scresort, Rum (SM)
15th Nov 2016 Bar-tailed Godwit View Image 27 in Loch Portree (NB)
15th Nov 2016 Barnacle Goose View Image 83 on Staffin Island (NB)
13th Nov 2016 Wigeon 72 in Loch Portree & 300 Common Gulls (NB)
12th Nov 2016 Whooper Swan View Image still 12 on Loch Suardal + 3 Goldeneye (ST)
12th Nov 2016 Brent Goose View Image still 11 in Broadford Bay & a Common Scoter (NB)
12th Nov 2016 Great Northern Diver View Image 4 in Broadford Bay + 2 Red-throated Divers and Slavonian Grebes (NB)
12th Nov 2016 Waxwing View Image still 15 at Camastianavaig (J.B)
11th Nov 2016 Willow Warbler View Image a small warbler seen briefly and photographed at Kyleakin Obbe yesterday by Danny Boyd appears to be a juvenile Willow Warbler...and an exceptionally late one
11th Nov 2016 Brent Goose View Image 9 on the shore at Ashaig, Broadford (P&RD) - then 10 on the shore at Harrapool a short time later (A&EH); then 11 on Glas Eilean at dusk (NB) possibly the same group
11th Nov 2016 Greenshank single at Kildonan Bay, Eigg (JC)
8th Nov 2016 Brent Goose View Image still three in Broadford Bay (JDJ)
8th Nov 2016 Velvet Scoter still a single at Achnacloich and 6 Great Northern Divers (JDJ)
7th Nov 2016 Brambling View Image male at feeders in Ard Dorch for a couple of days (J.Wildgoose)
7th Nov 2016 Peregrine View Image a juvenile bird at Harrapool (P.Olde-Wolbers)
7th Nov 2016 Waxwing View Image 15 at Camastianavaig (J.B)
6th Nov 2016 Siberian Accentor a bit off our patch but a Siberian Accentor was trapped and ringed in Avoch on the Black Isle this morning, the first record for Highland. This species normally winters in south-east Asia but this Autumn has seen an unprecedented inlux into Western Europe including 13 in the UK for images see http://www.highlandbirds.scot/sightings.html
6th Nov 2016 Blackcap View Image single in garden at Earlish (Jane Munro)
6th Nov 2016 Mediterranean Gull adult in Broadford Bay today (MB)
6th Nov 2016 Oystercatcher though this leucistic bird was seen in Broadford Bay previously, nice images in the Gallery MB)
5th Nov 2016 Fieldfare View Image there has been an extremely unusual leucistic bird at Uig -see gallery for image (Gordon Willoughby)
5th Nov 2016 Whooper Swan View Image 12 at Loch Suardal (B.Jones)
5th Nov 2016 Lesser Black-backed Gull View Image late single at Camastianavaig (J.B)
4th Nov 2016 Brent Goose View Image late 9 at Ashaig, Broadford (DM)
4th Nov 2016 Great Northern Diver View Image 7 at Ashaig, Broadford (DM)
4th Nov 2016 Glaucous Gull View Image adult at Loch Portree (JDJ)
4th Nov 2016 Redwing View Image 100 at Elgol in a flock of pure Redwings (MK) - these birds are likely to be of the Icelandic race coburni many of which were known still to be in Iceland a week ago.
4th Nov 2016 Waxwing View Image 15 at Fanks, Edinbane (J.Lawson)
4th Nov 2016 Purple Sandpiper View Image 12 at west bay, Mallaig (SMacD)
3rd Nov 2016 Velvet Scoter bird still at Achnacloich, Sleat, thought to be a juvenile (RMcM) - this is the first record since 2007/08 when a bird wintered at Loch Harport.
3rd Nov 2016 Common Scoter female at Kilmory, Rum (SM)
2nd Nov 2016 Waxwing View Image two in Glen Varrigall, Portree (RMcM)
2nd Nov 2016 Barnacle Goose View Image at least 20 on Staffin Island but incomplete count - also 12 at Balmacquien which flew south (RMcM)
2nd Nov 2016 Whooper Swan View Image two on the Storr Lochs (RMcM) and five over Kilmory, Rum (SM); 10 over Morar (SMacD)
2nd Nov 2016 Pink-footed Goose View Image 18 over Kilmory, Rum (SM)
2nd Nov 2016 Goldfinch now 60 at Kyleakin (A&EH)
2nd Nov 2016 Wigeon 63 at Loch Portree (NB) and 60+ at Broadford Bay (A&EH)
2nd Nov 2016 Grey Plover View Image single on Ardnish (J&WM)
2nd Nov 2016 Long-tailed Duck View Image single still on. loch nan Eala, Arisaig (SMacD)
2nd Nov 2016 Velvet Scoter male at Achacloich, Sleat (J&WMattinglay)
2nd Nov 2016 Black-throated Diver View Image single at Knock Bay, Teangue, Sleat (J&WM)
1st Nov 2016 Whooped Swan numbers reduced today with. family group of 4 at Lochlonghead (PS); 4 over Kilmory, Rum (SM)
1st Nov 2016 Fieldfare View Image c1000 at Camustianavaig (RMcM)
1st Nov 2016 Jack Snipe View Image single at Shamhnan Insir, Rum (SM)

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