Outer Hebrides?

[colpurps]

undefined I hopoe to take my optics and camera to Uist, Harris and Lewis can anyone give me ant tips? What should be on my must see list? I shall go from Skye on the ferry. I hope to get to see divers and skuas close enough to use a camcorder. Have you any local contacts that I could meet? I would be very grateful for any help, colpurps

[shark attack]

undefined I hopoe to take my optics and camera to Uist, Harris and Lewis can anyone give me ant tips? What should be on my must see list? I shall go from Skye on the ferry. I hope to get to see divers and skuas close enough to use a camcorder. Have you any local contacts that I could meet? I would be very grateful for any help, colpurps

Three fantastic islands to go birding snowy owl been spotted up there not long ago & plenty of eagles.

I think you will probably find you are on your own as far as help is concerned. You will probably have certain designated areas the fact that you have mentioned that you want to use a camcorder & get close means that people will be reluctant to reply to your message because of the nature of what you want to do.

Good luck anyway.........................

[devon.birder]

undefined I hopoe to take my optics and camera to Uist, Harris and Lewis can anyone give me ant tips? What should be on my must see list? I shall go from Skye on the ferry. I hope to get to see divers and skuas close enough to use a camcorder. Have you any local contacts that I could meet? I would be very grateful for any help, colpurps

I have just returned from two weeks in the Outer Hebrides although I went to Lewis first and then on down to the Uists.
If you sit in your car in the car park outside the visitor centre at Balranald early morning or late evening you should be able to see a Corncrake at fairly close range. If you drive out to the car park at the far end of this reserve you should be able to get very close to singing Corn Buntings on the way.
All three Divers are very easy to see as they seem to be off every beach in the Uists, especially Great Northerns. Try the bridge from Lewis over to Great Bernera, I saw a family party of Red-throated Divers on the Loch.
I was too early for the main Skua passage but saw plenty of Bonxies on Lewis.
Birds like Black Guillemot and Rock Dove are very easy to see and there are Puffins on the sea once you leave Uig Harbour. The Butt of Lewis is good for nesting Fulmars and the nearby reserve at Loch Stiapavat has a small hide-Corncrakes there as well.
Have a great trip. The only thing that spoils the Outer Hebrides is that where ever you go you seem never to be very far from abandoned vehicles ranging from large lorries, coaches, JCBs, tractors down to cars, all rusting away in fantastic scenery. Abandoned houses are also just left to fall down.
Roger

[POP]

I have just returned from two weeks in the Outer Hebrides although I went to Lewis first and then on down to the Uists.
If you sit in your car in the car park outside the visitor centre at Balranald early morning or late evening you should be able to see a Corncrake at fairly close range. If you drive out to the car park at the far end of this reserve you should be able to get very close to singing Corn Buntings on the way.
All three Divers are very easy to see as they seem to be off every beach in the Uists, especially Great Northerns. Try the bridge from Lewis over to Great Bernera, I saw a family party of Red-throated Divers on the Loch.
I was too early for the main Skua passage but saw plenty of Bonxies on Lewis.
Birds like Black Guillemot and Rock Dove are very easy to see and there are Puffins on the sea once you leave Uig Harbour. The Butt of Lewis is good for nesting Fulmars and the nearby reserve at Loch Stiapavat has a small hide-Corncrakes there as well.
Have a great trip. The only thing that spoils the Outer Hebrides is that where ever you go you seem never to be very far from abandoned vehicles ranging from large lorries, coaches, JCBs, tractors down to cars, all rusting away in fantastic scenery. Abandoned houses are also just left to fall down.
RogerDid I see you on the military rd re Raptors etc?

POP

[devon.birder]

Did I see you on the military rd re Raptors etc?

POP

I don't think so although you may have seen me somewhere else on the Islands. I drive a silver grey Mondeo and was with my wife. I wasn't particularly looking for raptors apart from Short-eared Owl which I finally saw on South Uist. Roger

[POP]

I don't think so although you may have seen me somewhere else on the Islands. I drive a silver grey Mondeo and was with my wife. I wasn't particularly looking for raptors apart from Short-eared Owl which I finally saw on South Uist. Roger
Obviously not Roger.

POP

[colpurps]

Thank you, you are most kind, I shall be moving on tomorrow and expect to be at Stornaway about friday. I shall be, and always have been carefull with nesting and breeding birds. I have long lenses and special equiment. Frankly, a straight-jacket would have been appropriate when I was at Balranald in 1998 the same week as there was Corncrakes everywhere but I did not see one. We stayed on a caravan site at Shell Bay, Liniclate and you had to put ear-plugs in to get to sleep! Crake!, Crake all night. I had all my films and equipment stolen when I got back that year, so this is a return and try again and do the other islands on the way. I am grateful for your advice, sounds great, I want Arctis Scuas this time without having to walk about 8 miles! I hope to bring back some photos to post here.

[AStevenson]

If you are looking for easy Arctic skuas without a trek and possible disturbance try the road at Gress Lewis it's N of Stornoway on the east coast both Arctic and Great skuas nest fairly close to the public road.

Sadly the snowy owl on North Uist is proving alarming elusive for a big white bird!!

'The only thing that spoils the Outer Hebrides is that where ever you go you seem never to be very far from abandoned vehicles ranging from large lorries, coaches, JCBs, tractors down to cars, all rusting away in fantastic scenery. Abandoned houses are also just left to fall down.'

Roger - it may well spoil the landscape in places but it might help if you knew how expensive it is to remove and recycle vehicles from the islands - the council are trying to address the problem with a mobile car crusher but it takes time. You'll also find that they make useful nest sites or songposts for some birds!!

Also there are a lot of empty houses but the islands populations are declining (ageing and many young people leaving for better opportunities elsewhere) and it's cheaper to build a new kit house than renovate an old one which doesn't meet modern building standards.

Cheers,
Andrew

[devon.birder]

white bird!!

'The only thing that spoils the Outer Hebrides is that where ever you go you seem never to be very far from abandoned vehicles ranging from large lorries, coaches, JCBs, tractors down to cars, all rusting away in fantastic scenery. Abandoned houses are also just left to fall down.'

Roger - it may well spoil the landscape in places but it might help if you knew how expensive it is to remove and recycle vehicles from the islands - the council are trying to address the problem with a mobile car crusher but it takes time. You'll also find that they make useful nest sites or songposts for some birds!!

Also there are a lot of empty houses but the islands populations are declining (ageing and many young people leaving for better opportunities elsewhere) and it's cheaper to build a new kit house than renovate an old one which doesn't meet modern building standards.

Cheers,
Andrew

I find it very hard to believe that all those rusting vehicles actually break down where they are now rusting away, they surely must be towed there and abandoned. Is that not the case?. Roger

[devon.birder]

If you are looking for easy Arctic skuas without a trek and possible disturbance try the road at Gress Lewis it's N of Stornoway on the east coast both Arctic and Great skuas nest fairly close to the public road.

Sadly the snowy owl on North Uist is proving alarming elusive for a big white bird!!

'The only thing that spoils the Outer Hebrides is that where ever you go you seem never to be very far from abandoned vehicles ranging from large lorries, coaches, JCBs, tractors down to cars, all rusting away in fantastic scenery. Abandoned houses are also just left to fall down.'

Roger - it may well spoil the landscape in places but it might help if you knew how expensive it is to remove and recycle vehicles from the islands - the council are trying to address the problem with a mobile car crusher but it takes time. You'll also find that they make useful nest sites or songposts for some birds!!

Also there are a lot of empty houses but the islands populations are declining (ageing and many young people leaving for better opportunities elsewhere) and it's cheaper to build a new kit house than renovate an old one which doesn't meet modern building standards.

Cheers,
Andrew

I have just returned from the Outer Hebrides and what a change in the last 12months since I was last there in May 2006. There has been a massive clear up of around 95% (my estimate) of the abandoned vehicles that littered these lovely islands.
This year I was there at the right time also for the Skua passage on North Uist, amazing sight. Roger

[jpoyner]

Rubha Ardvule, S Uist wouldn't be quite the same without that old lorry parked bizarrely in the middle of nowhere! And there's a fantastic collection of old buses at the north end of Barra!!!

John

[AStevenson]

John, you'll be heartbroken to hear that the lorry is all but no more- slowly being tidied away!