A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

22nd December 2012

The year 2012 will be remembered by many in the rest of the country for its wet weather, whilst the north-west coast enjoyed one of its best summers ever. It was also an interesting year for birds with three new species recorded in the area. A 'tundra' Bean Goose was found at Kilmuir, part of a wider influx into the north of the country. A number of European White-fronted Geese also joined our wintering Greenland White-fronts. Whilst the warm dry summer allowed several passerine species to have repeat clutches, Golden Eagles faired badly with their worse breeding season on record. Two new species from north America joined the 'Skye list' - a White-throated Sparrow made a very brief appearance at Harrapool whilst a Semi-palmated Sandpiper hung around for several days allowing many birdwatchers opportunities for good views. Finally the year ended with unprecedented numbers of Waxwings and huge flocks of Fieldfares, gorging on the terrific berry crop, a product of our super summer weather. Many thanks for all our site supporters out there and we look forward to another exciting year.

THE BOOK

"A glorious little gem"

AMAZON

"A book such as this has to look backwards and the author does so succinctly, looking at the work of several of the pioneering naturalists before picking out the publications of JA Harvie-Brown and the Rev. Hugh Macpherson. I know this book fills a real gap in the information available for the Isle of Skye and it will surely sell well at local bookshops."

Andrew Currie Miscellany West Highland Free Press

"A total of 238 species have been recorded, with 14 of those 'red listed' as of high conservation concern ... another innovation has been the inclusion of Gaelic names for some birds. While this is not uncommon in a few other books, the addition of some regional Gaelic names is very unusual and very welcome."

Ray Collier Country Diary 'Up in the Skye' The Guardian

"Illustrated with beautiful photographs of current birdlife on the island, the publication also features sketches by Jean Thomas of The Little Gallery, Portnalong, stimulating the reader's interest further and allowing them to identify species they encounter on Skye."

The Hebridean