I just had an excellent weekend in the outer hebrides. Anyone going up there shortly might be interested in the following.
There were 2 white-billed divers at Port Skigersta on Saturday, at about NB 565 590. I viewed them from Creag a Rubha, following some reasonable peat-cutter trails across the bog. They were really distant, and I had to stare at them for 45 minutes before I became confident I had IDed them right - a lifer for me. Thankfully there were a few Great Northern Divers around for comparison. I was rather reassured when some other birders also saw two (rather than the three previously reported) at the same spot.
I was even more reassured by having much better views of a summer plumage WB Diver adult from Butt of Lewis later on that morning. Much better views - it really had a banana bill on show.
It was a bit early for Corncrakes. None to be heard at Balranald and none reported. There was a report on the hebrides sightings webpage of one in the Bec area last week, and it was in this area that I heard one on Fri night. But there was no chance of seeing it and the noise from a nearby farm (horrendous metal-on-metal scrapping!) seemed to scare it off.
Luskentyre was good. Loads of GN Divers, and a pair of s/pl Black-throated on the sea. A drake Surf Scoter was distant to the north, among thousands of Commons. Lots of Twite too - really pink ones, I forgot they could be so pinky.
I saw 4 Golden Eagles in total, all adults, on all 3 islands from roadsides. No luck on White-tailed Eagles though, probably bad time of year and I was only guessing as to where to look.
Quite a few migrants about. A few individual redwings kicking around, and a flock of White-fronted Geese flying off towards Iceland. Grasshopper and sedge warblers at Col reedbed, Little Tern at Balranald and a few Arctic Terns on Sound of Harris and elsewhere. Lots of Great Skuas and one Arctic Skua crossing the moors north of Bec.
A couple of Iceland Gulls (1W at Stornoway Harbour flying about but easy to find, and an adult at Loch Barvas) and 1 Glaucous Gull (1W/spring at Loch Barvas).
I also saw a bizarre shearwater which I could have sworn was a Sooty but it had a small white patch on its otherwise dark body. Could be a Med Shearwater I guess but it seemed to be too big and may be rather too north for them? It will remain a mystery I fear - probably just a Manx and me losing my mind after 2 hours of staring at Divers over a mile away!
Overall excellent weekend, particularly the 4 divers in a day bit!
John
There were 2 white-billed divers at Port Skigersta on Saturday, at about NB 565 590. I viewed them from Creag a Rubha, following some reasonable peat-cutter trails across the bog. They were really distant, and I had to stare at them for 45 minutes before I became confident I had IDed them right - a lifer for me. Thankfully there were a few Great Northern Divers around for comparison. I was rather reassured when some other birders also saw two (rather than the three previously reported) at the same spot.
I was even more reassured by having much better views of a summer plumage WB Diver adult from Butt of Lewis later on that morning. Much better views - it really had a banana bill on show.
It was a bit early for Corncrakes. None to be heard at Balranald and none reported. There was a report on the hebrides sightings webpage of one in the Bec area last week, and it was in this area that I heard one on Fri night. But there was no chance of seeing it and the noise from a nearby farm (horrendous metal-on-metal scrapping!) seemed to scare it off.
Luskentyre was good. Loads of GN Divers, and a pair of s/pl Black-throated on the sea. A drake Surf Scoter was distant to the north, among thousands of Commons. Lots of Twite too - really pink ones, I forgot they could be so pinky.
I saw 4 Golden Eagles in total, all adults, on all 3 islands from roadsides. No luck on White-tailed Eagles though, probably bad time of year and I was only guessing as to where to look.
Quite a few migrants about. A few individual redwings kicking around, and a flock of White-fronted Geese flying off towards Iceland. Grasshopper and sedge warblers at Col reedbed, Little Tern at Balranald and a few Arctic Terns on Sound of Harris and elsewhere. Lots of Great Skuas and one Arctic Skua crossing the moors north of Bec.
A couple of Iceland Gulls (1W at Stornoway Harbour flying about but easy to find, and an adult at Loch Barvas) and 1 Glaucous Gull (1W/spring at Loch Barvas).
I also saw a bizarre shearwater which I could have sworn was a Sooty but it had a small white patch on its otherwise dark body. Could be a Med Shearwater I guess but it seemed to be too big and may be rather too north for them? It will remain a mystery I fear - probably just a Manx and me losing my mind after 2 hours of staring at Divers over a mile away!
Overall excellent weekend, particularly the 4 divers in a day bit!
John
