12th April 2017

[Chris Johnson]

A tour round the block about an hour and a half past high tide - a good influx of waders.

Ardivachar Beach
Turnstone - 357
Sanderling - 1100
Purple Sandpiper - 10
Oystercatcher - 166
Ringed Plover - 45
Curlew - 4
Eider - 19
Shelduck - 17

South Ford
Sanderling - 600
Dunlin - 200
Bar-tailed Godwit - 130
Grey Plover - 57
Great Skua - 1

North Bay
Sanderling - 400

Just 6 Golden Plovers on the machair.

 

[Hawkeye]

Balranald, North Uist
A juvenile Glaucous Gull was seen flying north this morning.

Rubha Ardvule, South Uist
1 juvenile Iceland Gull present, as were 162 Pale-bellied Brent Geese. 338 Gannets, 11 Great Skuas and 2 Arctic Skuas were seen flying north. 2 Sand Martins were also recorded.

Marybank, Isle of Lewis
1 juvenile Iceland Gull

Ness area, Isle of Lewis
A summary from Tony:-

• Pink-footed Geese – down from yesterday’s 5,000 grounded birds to around 700 today (none have been seen to actually leave!)
• Barnacle Geese – 82 this evening in the usual fields were presumed to be the wintering flock minus around 20
• Grey Lag Goose – 150 (75 at Loch Stiapavat and 75 on the Fivepenny machair) which from location & behaviour appear to be migrants
• Greenland White-fronted Geese – 8 (six at southern end of Loch Stiapavat by Port of Ness, and 2 beside lighthouse road)
• Whooper Swan – still 14 on Loch Stiapavat
• Pintail – 2 pairs at Fivepenny (am) and one pair (pm)
• Shoveler – 1 pair at Fivepenny
• Black-tailed Godwit – now 33 at Fivepenny
• Whimbrel – one at the Butt (first of the year)
• Dunlin – 2 at Fivepenny (first of the year)
• Golden Plover – 650 on Eoropie machair
• Iceland Gull – again a juvenile at the Butt this evening
• Redwing – a flock of 100+ around Port of Ness (pm)

 

[BrianR]

This morning at Aird an Rùnair the Green-winged Teal was still on Loch a' Roe, a couple of Great Skuas flew N in a one hour sea-watch and a ♂ Lapland Bunting was near the cattle pens.

Later at Loch nam Feithean there were 54 Greenland White-fronted Geese, less Barnacle Geese in the area than the previous day including some 250 that were on the W side while at 11.40 hours a flock of some 250 Pale-bellied Brent Geese arrived from the W and joined the near Barnacles. Four of these were seen to be colour-ringed - details to be sent to the Re-sightings Co-ordinator. I also came across a small Canada Goose that looked like a good candidate for Cackling Goose. I will have to refresh my memory on identification features of this species.

 

[Paul Boyer]

Looks good for Cackling Goose to me and an excellent photo with a good mix of geese