Garden Warbler on Skye

16th May 2017

I've been trying to find Garden Warbler on Skye for several years. Though they breed in neighbouring Lochalsh there are only a handful of records on Skye, and though they are reported annually, a number of these have turned out to be Blackcaps. In contrast the Blackcap populations seems to have exploded with birds now recorded throughout the island. I was therefore delighted to find my first singing Garden Warbler in a woodland at Armadale today, and be able to photograph it. This is the first new bird I have recorded on the island in 2017 and brings my Skye list to 204.

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