What was about at the end of July - beginning of August

The Bonaparte's Gull at Ardvule South Uist was around for most of July and early August. (Last reported Saturday 11th August).

A Slavonian Grebe has been visiting Coot loch on Benbecula Late July to Early August, (last sighting Sunday 12th August).

Lots of Pomarine and Arctic Skua , (plus a few long-tailed and great skua) sightings at sea-watching points during the second week of August .

A little Stint was at Ardivachar in South Uist on the 7th August.

Saturday the 4th August large numbers of Manx shearwater (400+) from Mangersta in Lewis.

Sooty shearwater (plus a few Baleric) and storm petrels sightings throughout July and early August

Long-tailed duck at loch Brannahuie, Stornoway in early August

A few whimbrel and green sandpiper about...

This is an immature bird

• Glaucous gull is large, see a photograph of a glaucous gull with a herring gull for comparison

Ardvule - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

A spotted crake has been heard singing in this area since the start of July
It has occasionally be heard from the bird hide singing in the evening

• Visit this page to hear what the song is like

Heard it yesterday and got some photos today. Not great photos but enlarged show both adult and chick.

Shiant Islands
+ Butt of Lewis - Outer Hebrides

Labost - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides

Ardvule - South Uist
+ Offshore Rodel (5) - Isle of Harris - Outer Hebrides

RSPB are offering evening watches of golden eagles and chick at a nest site. The chick is out of the nest, and will fledge soon, but be around for a while. These evening watches offer a great chance for viewing eagles...

North Uist A865 (Top left of the Island)
Small quarry opposite Griminis pier road

Thursday 12th, 19th July 7pm - 9pm
Telephone Jamie 01876 560 287

Heard by the visitor centre at the RSPB reserve

Received this...

"You might be interested to know that there is to be a DVD showing at Balallan Hall at 8pm on Friday 6th June.

There are two films. One from Derrybrien in Ireland about a peat slide that dramatically shows what happened there and is composed from original television news footage at the time. The other is from a project that the RSPB have been involved with and shows the experience of birds (particularly White tailed eagles) and people in relation to turbines in western Norway."

Martin Scott. RSPB Conservation Officer (Western Isles)

19 Seen off-shore

Hi,
I have just returned home to Arivruaich having sighted what I think is a little egret?
It was roosting on an island in Loch Strandavat alongside the south shore adjacent to the Tarbet road
I have checked the guides I have and have taken my wife out to confirm my sighting.
I saw it flying and thought immediately that it was not a gull but had a classic egret flight ( as seen in Australia Africa India etc)
Closer observation showed a smaller than normal size white bird with yellow/grey legs and a long extended neck when fishing with a white plume on the
head.
The colour was basically white with brownish on the back.
Am I correct in my observation?

Webmaster: There were a few little egrets about in the Western Isles May / mid-June last year.

Comments anyone?

"the description sounds like it could be a squacco heron. Little egrets have dark legs with yellow feet."

"I have not seen it since that evening and feel that it was only roosting overnight on the loch... I am sure that it was a egret not a squacco heron."

Hi,
Well it looks like this bird has now been positively been identified-- as announced in the Gazette and on here as a cattle egret-- what I initially thought, as I have seen many of them in east and west Africa India and Australia !!

(see 13th August 2007)

Chris B

Grahame T

Chris B

Chris B