• When here in the Outer Hebrides and looking at a bird, have you ever wondered how rare it is? The status of all species can vary enormously from island to island. How rare is Shoveler on Barra, has Stock Dove been seen on Harris, does Dotterel occur on Benbecula in the autumn, and how common is Blue Tit on North Uist? Well, fret no longer! The Status and Distribution of birds here on the Outer Hebrides has been completely updated and summarised for every species and each of the main islands and outliers. Available as an online resource at https://status.outerhebrides-birdreports.org/ or via our shop

    New - now available as an ebook

Hawkeye

Eyes and Ears Everywhere
Outer Hebrides / Western Isles bird sightings for today, 22nd April 2018. Updated throughout the day

Loch Branahuie, Isle of Lewis
A juvenile Glaucous Gull seen there today

Carinish North Uist
2 Common Terns were seen there today

Ruhba Ardvule, South Uist
Counting period: 06:20 - 09:25
Weather: Wind SSW F3, dull and gloomy with drizzle throughout period. Temp 8.4C.

A three hour seawatch this morning produced 10 Tufted Duck (S), 7 Scaup (S), 2 Eider (N), 4 Long-tailed Duck (S), 1 Red-throated Diver (N), 5 Fulmar (S), 2 Manx Shearwaters (S), 64 Gannets (56S 8N), 7 Shag (1S 6N), 3 Cormorants (1S 2N), 3 Kittiwakes (S), 2 Great Skuas (S), 5 Razorbills (S), 1 Black Guillemot (S) and 1 Puffin (S).
Also present in the area were Wigeon 7, Tufted Duck 9, Eider 35, Red-breasted Merganser 4, Great Northern Diver 6, Golden Eagle 1, Whimbrel 6, Purple Sandpiper 1, Wheatear 1, Pied Wagtail 2

South Glendale, South Uist
A Siskin was seen in a garden there
 

MisterT

Always Birding
Plenty of black-tailed Godwits on Benbecula today with circa 240 at Aird and another 150+ at Coot Loch where there were also 3 Swallows and 4 pair of Gadwall. At Stinky Bay, 4 long-tailed Ducks were close in and 42 Pale-bellied Brent Geese flew north just offshore. 13 Wheatears, 7 Whimbrel and 2 Barnacle Geese were on The Range.

Here at Askernish, Bill had an old acquaintance visiting his garden in the form of G29, one of our colour ringed House Sparrows. G29 (a male) was ringed on 11th June 2013 as a newly fledged bird and stayed here in Askernish until 13th August. He reappeared on 24th April 2014 and was then seen regularly throughout the breeding season but then again “disappeared” on the 8th September 2014. He has not been seen since that date, until today. For a sedentary species, this is unusual behaviour and just begs the question – where has he been all this time?

Bla-wits.jpg barnacles.jpg
Some of the Black-tailed Godwits & Barnacle Geese
 
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