Skye (1 Viewer)

Mike Crawley · May 6, 2008

Hi chaps and chapesses,

I have a colleague who is off to Skye next week.
As the company expert (ho-ho) on all things ornithological she has asked my advice on seeing White-tailed Eagle.
I haven't been in ages and can't really help.
Any recommendations about boat trips - which one; how much - to take.
Also other "wildlife" activities (otter; deer; etc, etc.)

Many thanks

Mike
|8)|

delia todd · May 6, 2008

Hi Mike

I'm off to Skye at the weekend too:-O

This site might prove useful. I'm not going to have time for the boat trips there I don't think, so haven't really researched them yet

D

Quercus · May 7, 2008

Hi Mike

Unless Argyll's empire building is getting out of control.( first Bute, tomorrow the world!)........... Skye is part of 'Highland'!

Jeff Hopkins · May 7, 2008

I just got back from Skye. I didn't see any eagles, but I didn't take any boat trips either. The weather was not really supportive of doing so. That said there are several companies offering boat trips. I got the impression they don't have scheduled trips going this early in the season, but if there's enough demand, they'll go.

I had a more mundane target while there - twite - which I eventually saw well, and was more in the general tourist mode by that point of my visit.

Other birds of note I saw on Skye:

- Black guillemots in Portree harbor
- Lots of ringed plover and dunlin in Broadford Bay
- Gannets off of Neist Point (along with twite on land)
- Wheatears common in the upland moors.
- Fulmars nesting at Kilt Rock
- Sedge warblers near Waterloo / Harrapool

No sign of corn crakes yet (edit: the Skye-birds website just listed them yesterday as FOS).

delia todd · May 7, 2008

Jeff hopkins said:
I just got back from Skye. I didn't see any eagles, but I didn't take any boat trips either. The weather was not really supportive of doing so. That said there are several companies offering boat trips. I got the impression they don't have scheduled trips going this early in the season, but if there's enough demand, they'll go.

I had a more mundane target while there - twite - which I eventually saw well, and was more in the general tourist mode by that point of my visit.

Other birds of note I saw on Skye:

- Black guillemots in Portree harbor
- Lots of ringed plover and dunlin in Broadford Bay
- Gannets off of Neigs Point (along with twite on land)
- Wheatears common in the upland moors.
- Fulmars nesting at Kilt Rock
- Sedge warblers near Waterloo / Harrapool

No sign of corn crakes yet (edit: the Skye-birds website just listed them yesterday as FOS).

Thanks for that Jeff

Could you point me in the direction of Neigs Point please - don't seem to be able to find it on the map

D

Jeff Hopkins · May 7, 2008

My mistake - it's Neist Point, not Neigs Point. That's what I get for trusting my memory. Senior moments, indeed.

Original post corrected.

delia todd · May 7, 2008

Jeff hopkins said:
My mistake - it's Neist Point, not Neigs Point. That's what I get for trusting my memory. Senior moments, indeed.

Original post corrected.

Thanks Jeff LOL .. funnily enough I nearly wrote 'Neist' in my post having come across it in my searchings.

I wouldn't mind trying to find some Twite this year, not seen any for ages

D

Mike Crawley · May 8, 2008

Thanks for your comments.
My colleague has set off, so no more help required on this destination

Gordon · May 8, 2008

Delia - the Neist Point that Jeff refered to seesms to be a fairly major cetacean watching site. Last time we were in Skye a couple of years a go we met a few people there specifically for that and they had stayed on longer then intended because sightings were really good. I can't remember the date now but it was certainly later in the year - probably August - and don't know what might be about at this time of year. We had lots of views on Minke and one spectacular view of an Orca breeching just metres off-shore.

cheers
Gordon

delia todd · May 8, 2008

Gordon said:
Delia - the Neist Point that Jeff refered to seesms to be a fairly major cetacean watching site. Last time we were in Skye a couple of years a go we met a few people there specifically for that and they had stayed on longer then intended because sightings were really good. I can't remember the date now but it was certainly later in the year - probably August - and don't know what might be about at this time of year. We had lots of views on Minke and one spectacular view of an Orca breeching just metres off-shore.

cheers
Gordon

Thanks very much for that Gordon. I'll try and get there, as it sounds so good.

D

Jeff Hopkins · May 8, 2008

delia todd said:
I wouldn't mind trying to find some Twite this year, not seen any for ages

D

Well those guys certainly made we work for them.

I walked out the muddy trail to the hide at Loch Mey since they were possible in the fields on the way (nope - stonechats). I had a flock of small birds in Durness that turned out to be linnets (which according to the RSPB's "Birds of Britain" weren't supposed to be there). I stopped at the Beinn Aighe visitor center, where the woman told me she had them coming to her home feeder (40 miles back in the way I'd just come). Finally on my second day on Skye, I went out to Neist Point in gale force winds and found a flock of them in the field of one of the nearby crofts.

Of couse I found more of them that night on a total fluke while out looking for corn crakes.

delia todd · May 8, 2008

Jeff hopkins said:
Well those guys certainly made we work for them.

I walked out the muddy trail to the hide at Loch Mey since they were possible in the fields on the way (nope - stonechats). I had a flock of small birds in Durness that turned out to be linnets (which according to the RSPB's "Birds of Britain" weren't supposed to be there). I stopped at the Beinn Aighe visitor center, where the woman told me she had them coming to her home feeder (40 miles back in the way I'd just come). Finally on my second day on Skye, I went out to Neist Point in gale force winds and found a flock of them in the field of one of the nearby crofts.

Of couse I found more of them that night on a total fluke while out looking for corn crakes.

Well at least you got them:-O but that's always the way isn't it - stop looking and there they are!

D

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Mike Crawley

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