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Request for Information re North Uist (1 Viewer)

Jane Turner

Well-known member
I'm thinking of spending a few days in mid August in the outer Hebs, most likely N.uist. What is the midge situation up there this year/generally and is there anything that I should be going out of my way to see?

Thanks in advance
 
I have never found the midges to be much of a problem on North Uist, usually they're kept down by the wind.
The vegetation will possibly be a bit high for making it easy to see Corncrake and they are generally not very vocal this late on, but they do hang around the Balranauld car park and can show well when they run across it.
 
Oh and there is a Snowy Owl at Solas on the Machair opposite the Co-op shop, its been in the general area since May, I saw it distantly at Grenitote then, it was in the bay on rocks surrounded by the tide, it does hunt the sheep fields in that area.
 
midges were no problem when i was last there (92!) and it was an absolutely beautiful place Jane...

the flowers and birds in particular are wonderful

otters are reasonably easy to see...

Tim
 
nigelblake said:
I have never found the midges to be much of a problem on North Uist, usually they're kept down by the wind.

Absolutely right. I think North Uist is the windiest place I have ever been. The two things that Midges don't like are wind and bright sunlight.

By mid August, many of the hayfields may have been mown, so the corncrakes could be concentrated in areas of tall cover around the edges of fields. This (combined with the fact that their numbers should have been boosted by the rearing of two broods by then) may make them easier to see. However I have only been there in June so this is all speculation. I did find them quite easy to see around the Balranald visitor centre though. Also quite a few corn buntings here (now rarer and more endangered in Scotland than the corncrake).
 
I reckon you'll struggle to get the phals, Jane - I've missed them twice at that time of year.

Otters are quite frequently seen, as has ben mentioned - a good spot is to drive down to the Langass Lodge Hotel (east coast of the island), walk out along the north shore of Loch Langass and view over the small islands. I've had cracking views there on both trips, on one occasion continuously for about half an hour.
 
hate to be a spoilsport, but I was on N Uist a couple of years back around this time and the midges were ferocious, the lady who ran our B&B said that here white kitchen tiles were black !

So if I were you Jane take some mossi spray,just incase the wind is non excistent.

For info on Uist as a whole, just PM the local recorder Andrew Stevenson who reguarly posts on here.

He is trying to organise pelagics off there this August also just in case your interested.
 
As others have said midges usually not that great a problem here, and you'd be 2-3 weeks too late for RNPs. Corncrakes will be a struggle - they finish calling by early Aug so will be sneaking about in the abundant cover! - it's been a really late summer so the hay fields and crops are well behind, so I suspect a lot wion't be getting cut till about mid-Aug this year - staking out the Balranald visitor centre is likely to be a pretty good bet (guy I work with photographed a female with a brood in his garden this morning from his kitchen window).

Otters are everywhere best keeping an eye outall the time, although Langass is good, as is Loch Eynort on South uist and the North Ford at the fish factory at Gramsdale Benbecula - otters attracted to the outfall by the scavenging fish & crabs - once photgraphed 4 together there.

As to general birding - all the breeding raptors will still be around with young dispersing - given reasonable weather they should be relatively easy. Wader migration will have kicked in with big flocks of dunlin, sanderling, ringoes, turnstones, bar wits on the coast - likely to be a sprinkling blackwits (often on stubble here!!!), whimbrel, greenshank, ruff, maybe wood sand, little stint or curlew sand around (or even an American wader or two - pec, buff-b white-rump & lesser legs most likley in Aug)

Seabirds will be on the move too with potentially some decent seawatching to be had - sooties regular by then, stormies and maybe a few other odds and ends on top of the regular stuff. The ferry crossings can be excellent for seabirds and also cetaceans plus basking shark.

Passerines probably a bit thin in terms of migration at that time, but things like icky and barred warbler have occurred in mid Aug, as well as for us, scarce species from the mainland.

Email me if you want any uptodate gen beforehand.

Cheers,
Andrew
Outer Hebs Recorder

PS Snowy Owl being an elusive b****r!! and weather currently is F6SW with heavy rain squalls - first 3 sooties of the autumn this evening off Rubha Ardvule.
 
Oh and as Birdspotter has said if it's calm the midges can be grim!, and yes any pelagics are all weather dependent - we had one successful attempt last Aug (first ever attempted here with 'rubby-dubby' over the side)and had c100 stormies, 2 sooties and a great shear at point blank range round the boat.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
We would be interested in pelagics - for sure!

I was 18 the last time I was on N.Uist - BBSand and Pec Sand were the highlights!

Expect contact before we set off Andrew!
 
I'd also be keen to hear about any plans for pelagics in August, Andrew - my Dad's up there with family, and may well be interested.

Ta
 
Jane Turner said:
We would be interested in pelagics - for sure!

I was 18 the last time I was on N.Uist - BBSand and Pec Sand were the highlights!

Expect contact before we set off Andrew!

What you were here last autumn!? ;)

Mind you there are other years when the two have occurred on NU at the same time......

Cheers,
Andrew
 
Hope the ranges at the head of Loch Bee are as good as last year when I visited.
Shallow pools just teeming with Dunlin,Redshank and Sanderling, somehow managed to dip Andrew's Lesser Yellowlegs even though Brian Rabbits had it minutes before we arrived and then he went on to find 2 Pectoral Sands that somehow eluded us !
Didnt leave the place dissapointed though.
 
somehow managed to dip Andrew's Lesser Yellowlegs even though Brian Rabbits had it minutes before we arrived and then he went on to find 2 Pectoral Sands that somehow eluded us !


And your nickname is Birdspotter????
 
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