4th April 2017

[BrianR]

The following N during a 2 hour sea-watch at Aird an Runair this morning (09.00-11.00 hours). Brief showers and sunny intervals and a W wind F4-5: 19 Fulmars; 152 Gannets; 11 Great Skuas (one after the 2 hours); at least 70 Kittiwakes; 27 Puffins; two Red-breasted Mergansers; a single Great Northern Diver.



At Loch nam Feithean there were at least 27 Greenland White-fronted Geese (two had neck-collars but I was too far away to be able to make out any letters) and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits. Another nine Greenland White-fronts were seen by Mike Bell at Clachan Sands earlier this morning.

 

[Bruce]

On Barra the number of brent geese increased to 90 on Traigh Mhor. Also a marked increase in black-headed gulls and 3 great skuas over the Sound of Barra. The Siberian chiffchaff is still at Morghan, calling frequently and occasionally showing well.

 

[Hawkeye]

Reports from elsewhere around the Hebrides:-

Askernish, South Uist
14 Greenland White-fronts were seen early this morning


Photo courtesy of Bill Neill

Rubha Ardvule, South Uist
20 Greenland White-fronts flew north. A 2CY Iceland Gull was also seen.

Butt of Lewis (and elsewhere around the Ness area)

• Greenland White-fronted Geese – A flock of 24 came in at the Butt in the early morning and headed south, but no sign of them later. At (1335) a flock of 14 came in from the east over Knockaird and dropped down on to the machair by Loch Stiapavat (attached photo shows part of that flock).
• Pinkfooted Geese – two flocks in fields near Port of Ness totalling 115.
• Barnacle Geese – 10 in fields near Port of Ness (considered not to be the wintering birds, which were not seen today).
• Whooper Swan – Two at Fivepenny in early morning (three there yesterday) had gone by mid-morning.
• Golden Plover – only 50 on the machair today.
• Iceland Gull – two at Port of Ness (early am) and 9 (evening).
• The white-morph ***Gyr Falcon*** is still in the area. Pete Cooper saw what sounded like the bird seen on 18 March, flying over the machair near Loch Stiapavat on Sunday evening 2 April. It was a large very pale falcon carrying prey, and headed north at great speed towards the Butt. This morning during a bracing walk out on the Butt, I found a huge pile of mainly white feathers on a wide ledge in one of the gullies west of the lighthouse which looked like the remains of an adult Herring Gull (see attached photo). This was the prey of the first Gyr I saw in Ness, on 21 March 2011 by Loch Stiapavat.

Photo courtesy of Tony Marr


Photo courtesy of Tony Marr