New from yesterday at Stornaway :- Black Guillemots with the Guillemots, Blackcap, Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler unsure which, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Hebridean Wren.
Trumpan Head area :- Red-throated Diver (6) Gannet Fulmar Shag Greylag Mallard Wigeon Tufted Duck Red-breasted Merganser Guillemot Black Guillemot Razorbill Great Skua (two together) Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Buzzard Meadow Pipit Rock Pipit Stonechat Curlew Rock Dove Hooded Crow Starling Snow Bunting
Ferry to Ullapool :- As we waited for the ferry to sail we saw a juvenile White-tailed Eagle fly in along the coast before it was chased by two Ravens over Stornaway Castle. Gannet Fulmar Storm Petrel Manx Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Guillemot Black Guillemot Cormorant Shag Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Gull Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail. One or the other flying over the boat out in open sea Harbour Porpoise Common Dolphin Risso's Dolphin
Very windy day making birding difficult, especially sea watching at Butt of Lewis, but no rain until late afternoon. All sightings from Lewis.
Little Grebe (family of three on loch by the standing stones) Fulmar (Butt of Lewis) Sooty Shearwater (Butt) Gannet Cormorant Grey Heron Greylag Mallard Buzzard Ringed Plover Golden Plover (plenty of these but no American one which left a few days ago with Semipalmated & Pectoral Sandpipers, all three of which would have been lifers. Still no lifers for me this week) Grey Plover Lapwing Sanderling Turnstone Curlew Great Skua (Butt of Lewis) Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Gull Kittiwake Guillemot (two in Stornoway Harbour) Rock Dove Woodpigeon Collared Dove Skylark Swallow (still a few about) Rock Pipit Meadow Pipit Pied Wagtail Wren (no Hebridean ones) Robin Wheatear Blackbird Song Thrush Goldcrest Coal Tit Blue Tit A tit which would be a first for the islands if we could have positively identified it. Either Willow or Marsh but the three of us who saw it flitting about low down near Stornoway Castle could not see all the needed features. The black cap on meant it was one or the other, unless it was an even rarer American vagrant, Blackcap Chickadee. I think that was pushing it too far ! If the bird had called it would have helped. I have never heard of the last one, but someone suggested that. Going back there tomorrow morning hoping to find it again. Rook Carrion Crow Hooded Crow Raven Starling House Sparrow Goldfinch
To finish a long day, with the weather still fine, we checked the Sound of Taransay on Harris. Good job we got the earlier ferry as after it's return to Uig services were suspended due to the strong winds forecast for overnight and tomorrow.
Red-throated Diver Great Northern Diver Slavonian Grebe Shag Grey Heron Greylag Common Scoter Oystercatcher Curlew Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Kittiwake
Leaving the boat we saw a couple of Black Guillemots in the harbour
I am considering having a birding holiday on Lewis and Harris, going over on the ferry with the car from Ullapool. Has anyone been here birding and if so could they recommend anywhere to stay and general thoughts on the place. What are the roads like and is Stornaway a good base? General thoughts or experiences would be very welcome.
