23rd April 2017

[Chris Johnson]

Ardivachar Headland
1 Arctic Skua and 50 Barnacle Geese moving north.

Ardivachar Bay
Black-tailed Godwit - 18
Shelduck - 10
Eider - 10
Turnstone - 200+
Redshank - 15
Ringed Plover - 14
White Wagtail - 2

Range
Golden Plover - 1900 in 4 distinct flocks. The largest group of 1000 was flighting along the western edge of Loch Bee. The other 3 groups were grounded

South Loch Bee
Black-tailed Godwit - 2
Shoveler - pair

Loch Bee from the road
Tufted Duck - 94
Red-breasted Merganser - 2

 

[Hawkeye]

Baleshare, North Uist
Circa 70 Black-tailed Godwits present on Baleshare while a Juvenile Iceland Gull and an Arctic Skua were seen flying along the beach. 4 Whimbrel were at Claddach Baleshare.

Stornoway, Lewis
A juvenile Iceland Gull present in the inner harbour.

Kilaulay, South Uist
17 Whimbrel, 4 Lapland Buntings, 36 Pink-footed Geese and 4 Barnacle Geese present. 2,500 Golden Plover and 34 Whimbrel seen nearby while 260 Black-tailed Godwits, a male Pintail and a Swallow were seen at the north end of Loch Bee.

Bornish. South Uist
A single Brent Goose reported along with 2 Black-tailed Godwits and 3 Sand Martins

Ness area, Isle of Lewis
News from Tony Marr:-
"A quieter day in the near gale-force westerly wind."

Butt of Lewis

• Glaucous Gull - an adult and a juvenile
• Barnacle Geese – 2
• Whimbrel – 2
• Black-tailed Godwit – 16 (pm)

Loch Stiapavat

• Whooper Swan – 2
• Pintail – a drake (new arrival)
• Moorhen – a pair mating and a third bird now present (breeds in most years)

Lionel/Eoropie machair

• Golden Plover – 800+

 

[MisterT]

2 singing Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, 3 Redwings and 3 Lesser Redpoll are still to be found here in Askernish while the Golden Plover numbers on the machair have also remained constant at around 350. 54 Black-tailed Godwits are to be found at Loch Hallan as well as 5 Shoveller (3 male, 2 female), 4 White Wagtails and a single Wheatear. The are now 37 Whimbrel along the beach and on the golf course.


Lesser Redpoll with a ring - possibly one of my returnees

 

[BrianR]

Apart from a flock of some 25 Puffins there was not much else moving N In half an hour off Aird an Rùnair this morning. There were 170 Barnacle Geese on the headland, a lone pale-breasted Brent Goose was seen and at least eight White Wagtails were present. Between Loch nam Feithean and Tràigh lar there were another 150 Barnacles with a lone Pink-footed Goose (doubtless same bird as noted a couple of days ago) and 435 Golden Plover. A Corncrake was heard and seen by a visitor near the RSPB centre (Tiree had their first birds on the 2nd). A Glaucous Gull was at Loch na Reivil.

The only skua that I saw today was a Great that drifted S over Carinish early this morning. Hopefully this year we will get suitable on-shore winds to witness the passage of Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas. A tweet from Niall Keogh on a Transatlantic survey aboard RV Celtic Explorer mentions 524 Long-tailed, 276 Pomarine, eight Great and one Arctic over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge yesterday.