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 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 Image Details
31st Jan 2020 Viking Gull a hybrid between Glaucous/Herring Gull, a near adult was at Bayfield, Portree this afternoon (NB)
30th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 2cy at Bayfield, Portree (NB,JJ,RMcM) (see Gallery) & three others in outer Loch Portree (NB)
30th Jan 2020 Herring Gull sp Neil Bennett has seen a large HG at Portree recently which shows many of the features of a 2nd winter American Herring Gull which probably arrived on the back of storm Gloria. It has proved extremely elusive & as this is a challenging species to ID, efforts are continuing to obtain more images
30th Jan 2020 Whooper Swan View Image five at Loch nan Corr, Inverinate (RC) & just a single at Loch Suardal (JY)
29th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image two 2cy birds at Loch Portree, though to be different birds again from recent (NB)
28th Jan 2020 Common Crossbill View Image two groups of three in Portree forestry including a pair mating (NB)
28th Jan 2020 Mandarin drake still on Morar river between bridges associating with Mallard (RMcM) (see Gallery)
28th Jan 2020 Purple Sandpiper View Image 20 on Mallaig harbour wall + 12 Turnstone (JC)
27th Jan 2020 Yellow-legged Gull adult still at Lower Milovaig (AS) (see Gallery)
27th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter at Loch Portree (a different bird) (NB) (see Gallery)
27th Jan 2020 Mandarin drake again between the bridges at Morar (SMacD)
27th Jan 2020 Barn Owl View Image roosting at usual rock site near Mallaig (SMacD)
26th Jan 2020 Pink-footed Goose View Image single with 80 Greylags at Strathcarron (RMcM)
26th Jan 2020 Knot still a single at Loch Portree + Greenshank, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit & 74 Wigeon (NB)
25th Jan 2020 Goldfinch 60+ at Kyleakin (A&EH)
23rd Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 2ndcy bird still at Bayfield, Portree (RMcM)
22nd Jan 2020 Magpie single at Kilvaxter and another at Ellishadder (NB) - this proves conclusively we have two birds in the north end...not sure what sex they are though so we may not have a breeding pair! (See Gallery)
22nd Jan 2020 Barnacle Goose View Image flock of c50 at Staffin Bay (NB)
22nd Jan 2020 Lapwing 20 at Staffin Bay (NB) and three at Loch Cillchroisd returning to breeding area (RMcM)
21st Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 2nd cy still at Bayfield, Portree (RMcM)
20th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image flyby white winger at Kilmory, Rum, was a probable Iceland (SM)
20th Jan 2020 Glaucous Gull View Image juvenile at Talisker Bay (J.Cooke)
19th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 2cy bird again at Loch Portree (NB)
19th Jan 2020 Glaucous Gull View Image juvenile feeding on a dead sheep at Lub Score, Duntulm (NH) (see Gallery); single also reported Loch Brittle (J.Cook)
19th Jan 2020 Jack Snipe View Image single on Kinloch Croft fields, Rum (SM)
18th Jan 2020 Yellowhammer two females & a male below bird feeders at Camuslongart, Lochalsh (BH)
18th Jan 2020 Whooper Swan View Image three on Loch Cillchroisd, Strath (NB)
18th Jan 2020 Redwing View Image c50 at Kilbride, Torrin (NH)
17th Jan 2020 Glaucous Gull View Image juvenile off Lub Score, Duntuilm (RMcM)
17th Jan 2020 Barnacle Goose View Image flock of 50 at Balmacquien (RMcM)
16th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image two 1st winter birds at Loch Portree - also a single Knot (NB) (see Gallery)
16th Jan 2020 Great Northern Diver View Image 14 on the south side of Loch Slapin/Eishort with 14 - 8 at Ord, 2 at Tokavaig & 4 in Tarskavaig Bay (RMcM)
16th Jan 2020 Great Northern Diver View Image 14 on the south side of Loch Slapin/Eishort with 14 - 8 at Ord, 2 at Tokavaig & 4 in Tarskavaig Bay (RMcM)
15th Jan 2020 Great Spotted Woodpecker View Image single visiting feeders Broadford (JD)
15th Jan 2020 Barn Owl View Image single near Ord junction, Sleat (TG)
14th Jan 2020 Slavonian Grebe four in Loch Ainort (NB)
14th Jan 2020 Yellow-legged Gull adult showing well again at Loch Poolteil (AS) (see Gallery)
14th Jan 2020 Pink-footed Goose View Image single still at Harrapool with Greylags (NH)
13th Jan 2020 Hen Harrier View Image male braving the storm at Ullinish (DMcG)
12th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter still at Bayfield, Portree (JJ)
12th Jan 2020 Wigeon 140 at Ardelve, Lochalsh (RMcM)
12th Jan 2020 Whooper Swan View Image 5 at Kinlochshiel, Lochalsh (RMcM)
12th Jan 2020 Common Crossbill View Image male singing Portree forestry + 15 Bullfinch (NB)
12th Jan 2020 Blackcap View Image male at feeders Isleornsay (RC)
12th Jan 2020 Jack Snipe View Image single flushed at Lower Milovaig (AS)
11th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird still in Loch Portree (MB,NH,JJ, RMcM)
11th Jan 2020 Slavonian Grebe two in Loch Ainort & female Common Scoter off Ard Dorch (MB,NH,JJ, RMcM)
11th Jan 2020 Pink-footed Goose View Image single with Greylags at Harrapool (NB) (see Gallery)
11th Jan 2020 Whooper Swan View Image four on Loch Lundie, Lochalsh (DM) & just a single at Loch Suardal (SC)
9th Jan 2020 Slavonian Grebe 9 in Loch nan Ceall, Arisaig (RMcM)
9th Jan 2020 Common Crossbill View Image several above Balmacara, Lochalsh (DM)
9th Jan 2020 Fieldfare View Image c90 at Killilan, Lochalsh (DM)
9th Jan 2020 Glaucous Gull View Image single reported on BG at Duntulm
8th Jan 2020 Slavonian Grebe five in Broadford Bay (RMcM)
5th Jan 2020 Rock Dove see the Blog for information on a current study relating to Rock Doves in the area
5th Jan 2020 Iceland Gull View Image 1st winter bird again at Portree, in the harbour (NB)
5th Jan 2020 Yellow-legged Gull adult still at Lower Milovaig (AS)
4th Jan 2020 Common Crossbill View Image 6 in two groups at Braigh an Uird plantation & group of 6 at Kinloch, Sleat (RMcM)
4th Jan 2020 Black-throated Diver View Image four in Loch Ainort (NB)
4th Jan 2020 Slavonian Grebe three in Loch Ainort & two in Broadford Bay (NB)
4th Jan 2020 Bar-tailed Godwit View Image 19 in Broadford Bay & 16 at Loch Portree (NB)
4th Jan 2020 Wigeon 72 at Loch Portree + two Greenshank & a single Knot (NB)
4th Jan 2020 Woodcock five flushed from the Kylerhea road (RMcM)
3rd Jan 2020 Yellow-legged Gull adult still at Loch Poolteil (AS)
3rd Jan 2020 Barnacle Goose View Image only low numbers still - 5 at Staffin & 8 on Staffin Island (RMcM)
2nd Jan 2020 Black-throated Diver View Image single in Sound of Sleat off Armadale (RMcM)
2nd Jan 2020 Jack Snipe View Image single at Teangue, Sleat (RMcM)
2nd Jan 2020 Hen Harrier View Image male flew west at Scullamus late morning & ringtail south of An Crubh, Sleat, early afternoon (RMcM)
1st Jan 2020 Shoveler pair at Glas Eilean, Broadford - rare migrant with us even more so in winter (RMcM) (see Gallery)
1st Jan 2020 Shelduck single & a single Knot at the head of Loch Portree (NB)

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