20th August 2017

Loch Sandray, North Uist
An Iceland Gull and juvenile Ruff present today

Carinish, North Uist
3 Black-tailed Godwits seen today

Ormiclate, South Uist
A juvenile Ruff and 53 Black-tailed Godwits present.

North Locheynort, South Uist
12 Siskins seen today

News from Tony Marr in Ness, Isle of Lewis:-
The Butt – Seawatch (0900-1000)
Sooty Shearwater – 7 E->W
Manx Shearwater – 15 E->W
Arctic Skua – 1 pale-morph E->W
Puffin – 1 E->W
European Wigeon – 5 in from NW flew on SE into the Minch

Loch Stiapavat
Black-tailed Godwit – 10
Ruff – 3 in the newly-cut field

At Baleshare (Traigh Leathann), North Uist this morning there was a flock of 119 Black-tailed Godwits and on the saltings nearby a juvenile Ruff.


Distant shot of part of the flock of Black-tailed Godwits. Ruff with the flighty Dunlin flock.

Quieter here at Askernish today with just 43 Black-tailed Godwits on Loch Hallan this evening

I went out onto the headland at Leinis, Barra this morning with the intention of looking for cetaceans in the totally calm, sunny conditions. I soon picked up a pod of distant common dolphins, but more surprising considering the conditions were the numbers of storm petrels feeding just offshore. A scan revealed a minimum of 70 birds lingering within a quarter mile or so of the headland. Further out there were several large rafts of manx shearwaters that were periodically shifting position; it's hard to say how many there were, but certainly well in excess of a thousand manx. It would of been good to have spent more time checking the petrels in case Wilson's was present, but the midges were horrendous and finally got the better of me after 30 minutes!

This afternoon 4 sand martins were at Eoligarry. The breeding pair of house martins there are now feeding young in the nest.