8th April 2018

[Hawkeye]

Outer Hebrides / Western Isles bird sightings for today, 8th April 2018

Rubha Ardvule, South Uist
Seawatch this morning 06:55 to 10:50 Wind S f2 backing ESE f2, 8/8 cloud very murky and dull. Temp 6.9 - 8C

Greylag Geese 39N out to sea, Barnacle Geese 86N, Teal 2N out to sea, Eider 4S, Long-tailed Duck 2S, Red-breasted merganser 4N, Red-throated diver 2S, Fulmar 3S 1N, Gannet 13S 72N, Shag 3S 31N, Cormorant 1S 1N, Oystercatcher 11N, Kittiwake 11N, Black-headed Gull 12N, Razorbill 2S.

An unusual sight of a single Rook which was flying north and which arrived off the sea, moved east inland for a while. 240 Redwings flying north came in off the sea and moved slowly east while feeding.

Also present: Wigeon 9, Eider 86, Long-tailed Duck 23, Red-breasted Merganser 8, Great Northern Diver 16, Shag 14, Cormorant 17, Snipe 1, Black-headed Gull 16, Glaucous Gull 1 (2cy), Skylark 1, Wheatear 1, Pied Wagtail 2, Meadow Pipit 6

 

[Bruce]

Light southerly winds combined with fog and light rain during the night grounded a lot of migrants on Barra. Redwings were everywhere at first light. It's hard to be sure of numbers, but easily 6000, very possibly more. Wheatears arrived in force too, probably numbering several dozen. At least 6 chiffchaffs were scattered around the island along with a male blackcap at Glen and a sand martin feeding over the machair near Vatersay township. A skein of about 150 pink-footed geese flew high north over Vatersay this afternoon and a flock of 70 golden plovers were new in there. The white-billed diver was still off Eoligarry just before high tide plus at least 4 slavonian grebes. A juvenile glaucous gull was at Ardveenish.

 

[BrianR]

At Rubh' Arnal, North Uist in the late morning there were 15 Whooper Swans on the beach (later flew N), 26 Iceland and 10 Glaucous Gulls.