North Bay - South Uist
NF751464

Two Glaucous gulls at North Bay today. 
One 1^st yr and one 2^nd yr bird.

Terry's photographs of the 1st yr glaucous gull.

Almost 70 birds

Goldfinch

"2 goldfinches eating black sunflower seeds from the feeder in my garden near the castle grounds this afternoon , too dark for a picture, first time I have ever seen them here"

On the BTO web site is an article about Kestrels breeding in 2006:
"... Kestrel has continued to decline in Scotland, with numbers down by nearly two-thirds since the start of the survey in 1994. Kestrels were seen on only 12% of sites visited in 2006...". see full article

I asked BTO about how well the Kestrels produced in 2007
"With regards to Kestrels, although we don't have the majority of the data back from recorders yet, the general consensus was that they, like Barn Owls, had a good breeding season despite the rain due to the high vole densities experienced across the country. Afraid i can't put any figures on that as yet. Over the longer-term, NRS data suggest that brood sizes have declined, which may or may not be related to the population declines experienced in the north of the UK".

Dr Dave Leech
Head of Nest Record Scheme
British Trust for Ornithology

In Scotland the number of nest recorders has been declining at the highest rate.
To find out how to help visit www.bto.org/goto/nrs.htm

"Kestrel hovering above the marshland, it swooped down and landed on a fencepost. In the process I got a good look at it's back and upperwings, they were the colour of bright new copper, and shone on a very grey and dark afternoon.. "

• (Common) Kestrel
• AKA: Windhover, European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, Old World Kestrel, Stonegall, Stangilla, Stone Yeller, Standgale, Standgall, Stand Hawk, Steingale, Stanniel, Stanyel, Stannyel, Stannel Hawk, Stanchel, Tower Falcon, Church Falcon, Gaelic: Speireag-ruadh
• Falco tinnunculus
• AMBER LIST, UK 37,000 breeding pairs BTO
• Distribution: Europe, Asia, Africa
• Habitat: Prefers open country: grassland, heathland, moorland, farmland (also in urban areas & roadsides). Often chooses a high perch: trees, telephone post & wires etc watching for prey.
• Diet: Mostly small mammals - voles, birds, insects, earthworms, frogs
• Falcon. Head to tail 34 – 38cm (13 - 15in) Female usually largest. Mostly cinnamon-brown above with dark spots. Creamy below. Long tails have dark terminal band & narrow white rim. Pointed wings.
  Male: blue-grey head & uppertail (tail unbarred).
  Female: brown head & uppertail (tail fine black bars).
  Hovers facing wind 10 - 50m above ground, tail spread fan-like. Very little gliding. Prey in sight a kestrel makes a short & steep dive toward it.
• Max recorded age 15yrs 11mths
• Listen to a kestrel (RSPB site)
• Similar birds: sparrowhawk, merlin, hobby

Kestrels are often seen hovering beside major roads searching for food. To a small rodent (A Kestrel's favourite food), a busy road is a boundary, so the number of rodents increases. The undergrowth of verges is often taller than in nearby fields etc, creating a corridor with lots of voles...

Most of the Kestrel's names like Stannal are variations on Stone Yeller - bird that yells from the rocks.

Almost 120 birds

"Sparrowhawk near Luirbost garage ths morning, headed off toward Achmore....I see that Iceland has a ring-billed gull, do we get them here? are they easy to recognise? Thanks"

We get a few ring-billed gulls each year. Birds so far this year at at Loch Barvas, Lewis in March and Balranald, North Uist in April.

Most of the sightings here are in Jan - July. The most recent November ones that I could find were in 2005 in Peninerine South Uist, and Loch Barvas, Lewis (there may be other records)

This November in Scotland there have been singles in Orkney, Dingwall & Oban

Brian Rabbitts sent in pictures of a ring-billed gull earlier this year

• Ring-billed Gull
• Larus delawarensis
• Scarce UK visitor, 74 annual records BTO
  (Most common gull in North America)
• Breeds: North America, Canada (Colonies nest on ground by rivers, lakes & coast. Bird returns to same nest site each year)
• Winters: South to North America & the Great Lakes (wanderer to UK & West Europe)
• Habitat: Seacoasts, lakes, rivers, fields
• Diet: Forages, scavenges, steals. Omnivorous: Fish, insects, earthworms, small mammals, grain, eggs & rodents
• Slightly larger than common gull. White head, neck & below. Shortish, yellow bill has dark ring. Back & wings silver-grey. Yellow legs and eyes. Different immature plumage classes for first three years.
• Live to 15yrs

Research shows that at only two days old ring-billed gulls preferred the bearings of the direction for their fall migration!

Hunted almost to extinction in the early 1900's. It's feathers were used in hat-making. The population has recovered but not achieved previous levels.

Loch Eaval - North Uist

NF719720

Female bird has been at this location for a few weeks

Griminish Point - North Uist

NF751767

Kestrel
Merlin
Buzzard

"9am this morning Kestrel at Linshader, two merlin together at Callanish, and a buzzard 300yds away... all within 10 mins and a couple of miles by air...then the gale really got going"

"Saw an eagle being mobbed by 2 hoodiesover the beach today, thought they were starlings they looked so small then realised that they were really high and not starlings but hoodies!, realised just how big an eagle is!"

Andy sent in this photo of a golden eagle with hooded crows a while back, it gives a size comparison

• Hooded Crow
• AKA: Hoodie, Hoodiecrow, Militia Crow, Scotch Crow, Danish Crow, Denmarks, Norway Crow, Dun Crow, Grey-backed Crow, Winter Crow, Grey Crow, Corby, Corbie, Royston Crow, (Some of these are for the hooded or the carrion crow) Gaelic: Feannag, Starrag
• Corvus cornix
• Western Isles: Common Resident Breeder,
• UK summer 214,000 pairs BTO
• Distribution: (North & West) Scotland, Europe, Asia
  Mostly bulky stick nests in tall trees, also cliff ledges (then uses seaweed in nest), buildings, pylons. Preferred breeding habitat: boggy areas
• Diet: Omnivorous: Insects, grain, eggs (inc from puffin burrows), carrion, scraps (drops shellfish to break open)
• Black and glossy head, throat, wings, tail & thighs. Otherwise contrasting ash-grey. Bill & legs black. Male largest otherwise sexes similar. Flight: slow, heavy, straight. Fledglings much blacker than parents. Juveniles duller plumage
• listen to a hooded crow (RSPB site)
  

According to BTO there are only an annual average of 12 UK nest records for hoodies. I asked BTO if I had misunderstood something...

"probably not. Crows tend to breed at the tops of trees, so need real effort to record (and usually specialised equipment) and most breed in the north and west of scotland where we have few recorders, so I am not at all surprised it is so few. However, if you would like to contribute, I am sure we would be delighted to have more records ;-) If you would like furtherdetails, please get in touch with the nest records scheme nest.records@bto.org"

"A female chaffinch came into the garden with the males today, first female chaffinch in the garden this autumn"

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(just before Hebridean Jewellers park on left)

North Bay - South Uist

2 immatures
NF751464

Drimsdale - Nr Howmore - South Uist

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

Loch Mor - Nr Griminis - West Benbecula

NF77521

• Ardea alba
• AKA : White Heron, Common Egret
• Scarce visitor
• Just 6 UK annual records BTO
• Large, (approx as grey heron) all white, yellow bill, black legs & feet
• Distribution: Tropical & warmer temperate parts of the world
• Breeds: in colonies in trees
• Habitat: Marshy places shallow water, reedbed, lakes, rivers
• Diet: Insects, fish, frogs, small mammals

The Great White Egret develops a set of long showy feathers which spread like a very large fan. It uses them in courtship displays. In the late 19th and early 20th century the species was decimated by the requirements of the fashion trade as humans emulated the herons.

This Egret is shy and vigilant.

"Driving from Carloway to Bernera in the dark...once on Bernera started seeing snipe take flight in the headlights ...six birds, singles and two together. Have seen one or two snipe most nights since late October, but never six.. The two together stayed on the ground even when stopped the car ... they looked really disorientated. Those two were Jacks. Moved past the others too quickly for me to be sure.."

Photographs of Jack snipe on Stephen Round's web site

Common snipe are about the size of redshank, Jacks are starling-sized. Jacks have much shorter bills than common snipe.

When there is more than one bird it is called a wisp of snipe.

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(just before Hebridean Jewellers park on left)

"3 male chaffinch and a robin under my bird table - first chaffinches this autumn - lovely!"

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(In Hebridean Jewellers park)

Terry sent in photographs of a female reed bunting and a female reed bunting

"Kentish in roughly same area again, plus 7 Reed Bunting in Heb Jewel car park. Also 5 Chaffinch on my bird table."

7 reed buntings!
Have you ever seen that many together before?

"Only seen them singularly here, except today that is".

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(just before Hebridean Jewellers park on left)

"Kentish in roughly same area again, (plus 7 Reed Bunting in Heb Jewel car park.) ....

Terry sent in new photographs of the Kentish Plover

"Female hunting about 5 feet above the ground at dusk, shot past me almost quicker than I could turn my head to follow her...

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(just before Hebridean Jewellers park on left)

"Kentish still at same location all day."

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(just before Hebridean Jewellers park on left)

"Kentish is back in the same place late afternoon."

Terry F

"...didn't manage to get any more pics of the Gyr Falcon but did see it along with numerous buzzards and a kestrel in the steinish area..."

A young White tailed Eagle was seen on Monday near Carloway. It is marked with a white tag and the letter Z. this indicates it is one of the Lewis raised youngsters of this year that was tagged by the RSPB in July. It has now left its natal area and began to wander. Keep your eyes peeled for this one and others".

MSS
RSPB Conservation Officer (Western Isles)

"A male Hen harrier was phoned in from being around Kirkibost, Bernera

Rumour has it that pictures of the Gyr have been sent to the Icelandic Natural History Institute and that the bird is a typical first-winter Gyr Falcon...

"Love the photo. Probably Gyr/Saker, but difficult to rule out Gyr/Pere.
Pure Gyr, in my opinion, ruled out by wing tip/tail proportions. Not necessarily juvenile, as Gyrs can show blue ceres and feet for at least a couple of years before going yellow (some captive birds, however, do go yellow rather more quickly as a result of a diet of day old chicks). It could almost be pure Saker (also blue ceres and feet when comparatively young), but eye looks a bit big and forward and the forehead looks a bit flat, and it doesn't look a quite warm enough brown, but ...

Too brown, perhaps, for grey morph Gyr? It also just isn't bulky enough.

Over the years I have seen Gyr/Saker, Gyr/Pere, Gyr/Lanner, Gyr/Barbary, Gyr/Prairie and photos of Gyr/Merlin, though that last not in the flesh. I saw a Gyr/Pere only a few weeks ago that I could not tell wasn't a Gyr/Saker...Good luck"

Peter Wilkinson

Gyr Falcon

Stornoway - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides

Still being seen out near the airport (East of) has been in the same general area (Steinish - Aiginish) since Sunday

Frank Stark took a photograph of a Gyr / Saker hybrid in 2004. There is some speculation that this is a similar or the same bird

"Today at Balgarva (South Uist) approx 100 Snow Bunting".

Hi Terry was it like a blizzard of snowflakes, with all those flashes of white?

"It certainly was! Although there was probably less than a quarter males in the flock, so not as Snowy as it could have been.."

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(just before Hebridean Jewellers park on left)

"It is back in the same place this afternoon."

Terry sent in a new picture of the Kentish Plover

Terry F

Gyr Falcon

Stornoway - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides

"Just to say that the falcon at Sandwick is a juvenile and not an adult. This is told by the plumage fringing and the grey colour of the cere (bill base) and feet.

Jury is still out if it is the real deal. If it is it will be (one of) the first modern day grey morph birds in British history!"

Martin
RSPB Conservation Officer (Western Isles)

 

"...You will have seen the debate about the large falcon in last few days around Stornoway - it might possibly turn out to be a Gyr but I would guess it will remain unresolved unless more photos are obtained."

Brian Rabbits
County Bird Recorder

Mon 12th November, 2007

Gyr Falcon

Pic of the bird

Yesterday was at the rear of Sandwick Church between airport & the ferry terminal - today still in same general area - Steinish

Glaucous Gull

Sun 12th November, 2007

Gyr Falcon

Stornoway - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides

(at the rear of Sandwick Church between airport & the ferry terminal)

"...heres something a bit special it has to be confirmed and i have left pics with martin scott he is on the case but it appears to be a gyr falcon i took today on the outskirts of stornoway .It had just killed a young gull and was seen to be being mobbed by gulls and crows but due to its large size didn't seem at all bothered..."

Andy's picture of the gyr falcon

• Gyr Falcon
• AKA: Gerfalcon, Gyrfalcon, falcon hawk
• Falco rusticolus
• 3 UK records a year, only 126 records 1958 - 2004 BTO
• Breeds: Arctic coasts & islands, Europe, North America, Asia, Greenland to North Siberia, North Canada,
• Winter: South to North Europe, Central Asia, North USA
• Habitat: Tundra, open forest, coastal
• Diet: medium-sized birds (but will take on a swan!) some mammals, (usually as flies low across ground)
• Largest, heaviest falcon species.Very strong. Longer-tailed bird & pointed wings are stockier & broader Peregrine's. Coloration ranges from almost all-white to very dark birds.

The g is pronounced like the j in jar

The Latin for a circle is gyrus. Unlike other falcons the gyr falcon circles as it searches for it's prey.

Andy L

Kentish Plover

Lochdar - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

(just before Hebridean Jewellers park on left)

Terry's picture of the Kentish Plover

• Kentish Plover
• AKA: Snowy Plover
• Charadrius alexandrinus
• 34 annual UK records BTO
• UK Former Breeder, Scarce Visitor
• Breeds: "Locally" in Europe, Asia, (NOT KENT or rest of UK)
• Winters: South Europe - Central Africa, South-East Asia
• Habitat: Beaches, mudflats, rivers, lochs
• Small wader, like ringed plover, but smaller, paler, longer-legged & thinner-billed. Breast band never complete, & usually as dark lateral patches on sides of breast. Greyish-brown above, white below. Summer adults' breast markings black, otherwise brown. Legs black. Flight: Flight feathers blackish & strong white wingbar
• Diet: Inland: Insects. Coastal: Crustaceans, worms, molluscs (run & pause)

Unusual in that it buries it's eggs. A rather sensible act as it was almost hounded to extinction by eggers and taxidermists until it gained protected status.

The bird once had a UK breeding stronghold in Kent and Sussex. Then in the 19th Century the species was recognised as separate to the ringed plover and specimens became instantly sought after...(still declining in numbers)

Terry F

Ardivachar - 4 birds
Peninerine 8 birds

Glaucous Gull

1bird

1 bird

Terry sent in some pictures of the Leucistic common gull

(Leucistic: Simply put means it will have white patches or be "washed out" in colour)

Ivory gull? Terry photographed a leucistic common gull recorded in South Uist today, it has been about for a while. (See above)

Pictures of an ivory gull (external site)

8 birds

Little Auk

Bar-tailed Godwit

Ardivachair - North Uist

+ North Bay - South Uist

Terry's new picture of a bar-tailed godwit

200+ birds

30+ birds

Terry F

Glaucous Gull

1bird

2 birds

Terry F

"I had a small flock of Red wings... about 10 in all arrived in the garden for the first time this year..."

Arthur S

Merlin

Ex-Dunlin

"Noon, about 10 fieldfares, with redwings, even shyer than the redwings...they always come to the same place"

The name stormcock is apt as they seem to have blown in with the gale. Folklore says it is about to get a lot colder... (3 hours later horizontal, heavy snow showers! )

Frank sent in a photograph of a male siskin feeding on self-heal seeds, a digression from their usual diet

17 birds

North Bay - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

"Feeding on a dead seal"

Terry F

"Snowy owl, Bohemian waxwing, blackcaps, Eurasian siskins (lots), chaffinch, ring-billed gull, little egret, white morph Gyr Falcon, Eurasian curlews, grey heron, American wigeon ..."

More details at the Icelandic birding pages

(No sign of on Thursday 8th - Big gale)

Near end of track to Loch na Faoileige - Nr green barn. Grid Ref: NF802635 OS maps

• Mourning Dove (plaintive cooing)
• Zenaida macroura
• AKA: Carolina Pigeon, Carolina Turtledove
• Accidental
• Only 2 UK records 1958 - 2004 BTO
• Light grey & brown, muted colour. Males & females similar
• Distribution: North & Central America, Southern Canada & offshore islands (130 million in USA)
• Habitat: Open & semi-open areas, forest, farmland, urban
• Diet: Seeds, esp of cereals
• Winters: Areas where January temp above -12°C

Links to the blogs (pics too) of some of the birders who came up for the mourning dove twitch:

Lee drove up from Southampton
Ashley came up via Newbury
Garry from West Sussex

There was a report at the weekend of a sighting on the island of Innish Boffin in Galway, and another report today of a possible mourning dove in Arisaig (Scotland)

North Bay

+ Penerine - South Uist - Outer Hebrides

Terry F

American Wigeon

Hybrid?

"Strange looking widgeon among large flockof widgeon feeding in flooded field at Fivepenny, late Monday afternoon....
Looked exactly same shape as the other widgeon, same beak shape and colours, fewer white feathers under body, tail shape and feathers were very similar.
Main difference was in its head colours. White stripe down top of head, followed by dark greyish greenish area down under its eye which then curved down towards back of neck with quite a prominent band.
The neck feathers under this band was a light grey colour.
Went to a birder up the road who also saw same bird. Thought is it a hybrid. We looked in our books and American Widgeon stood out. Internet photos confirmed exactly same bird.
By now too dark to try for photos".

"Dove still at Carnach today with Ring Necked Duck and Scaup on nearby Loch na Faoileige."

Terry sent two new pictures - much better light today mourning dove & mourning dove

Near end of track to Loch na Faoileige - Nr green barn

Grid Ref: NF802635 OS maps

"Dove still at Carnach today with Ring Necked Duck and Scaup on nearby Loch na Faoileige.

"2 in the willow beds in the garden, only ever seen one at a time in the garden before...they were also in and out of the honeysuckle under the bird feeder....wonder if they like raisins"

Sunny

Near the ferry apparently - rather good one to leave with?

Near end of track to Loch na Faoileige

Grid Ref: NF802637

"Today I got to see a Mourning Dove found by Brian Rabbits this afternoon.(Baleshare Causeway) I have attached a couple of pics for your site. There was also a Blackcap there...Forgot to say the actual location is Carnach...It has been a very very exciting day, weather aside. "

Terry F

Many thanks John D!