Bird Sightings : Outer Hebrides : February 2010

This is an informal birder's page for sharing first bird sightings of the season, rare bird sightings, unusual birds to an area, and other birding interests in the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles) of Scotland.

Resources
Bird Photographs
Notes: A - Z Index
Notes: Taxonomic Index
Outer Hebrides Birds Checklist
Outer Hebrides Bird Report (Book)
Archived Sightings records
Bird ringing in Lewis
Useful contacts
Wildlife Garden
Birding web sites

Bird photographs
The collection is large enough now
to help with ID - all the birds were
photographed here in the
Western Isles of Scotland
See the bird photographs

Birds in your garden
Share with us news of the birds
you encouraged into your
garden by regular feeding
and developing the habitat
Wildlife Garden

Corrections and birding gleanings
to share are always welcome

Reports
Please send bird sightings, comments
& photographs to Suzanne
birding@thewesternisles.co.uk 

Our County Bird Recorder
Brian Rabbitts would also like to receive details of your rarity sightings, any counts or anything of interest e.g. first/last dates of migrants of our commoner birds.

rabbitts@hebrides.net

Weather forecast
BBC 5 day forecast
7 Day Tide Forecasts

Iceland & WI wind direction map NEW
Icelandic birding pages

Atlantic Jet Stream forecast map NEW
Surface pressure forecast NEW

Bird Feeding Advice RSPB
Severe weather, feed birds 2x daily
(morning & early afternoon)
What foods? (Porridge is dangerous!)

Hi all here are a few reports that have come in in recent times,
as you will see there are lots of great pics yet to be add to the collection
Apologies for the lengthy download time to dialup users (like myself),
I won't make a habit of it!

Suzanne

Last Friday I saw what to me was a very unusual gull on the beach at
Ardivachar on the NW corner of South Uist. My son and I watched it at
40 yards for several minutes.

At about 4.00 pm, it was with about 50 common gulls sitting at the edge
of the surf. I would say it was identical in size, but very pale, with light
green legs and beak, slight grey primaries, and buff coloured back.
When it flew it had the same sort
of colour as a barn owl. I had the impression its beak was a little shorter
than the common's.

Nothing matches in the book. Could it be a near albino? Has anyone else seen it?

Hi,

Earlier today a flock of maybe about a dozen birds appeared on a tree at the back
of the main Council building on Sandwick Road in Stornoway. They looked like
long-tailed tits to me but as I have never seen them before I'm not sure. I have
definitely never seen a flock like it in the two years of sitting at my current desk!

Donna Morrison
Stornoway

1st Feb 2010

To a Blackbird (for Auld Lang Syne )

Familiar, commonplace,
unnoticedbeneath the trees,
a blackbird works the leaves.

Searching, delving,Stops,
and through gold rings looks up at me,
then stirs the fallen leaves of fate
with golden beak.

Familiars,
since the wood’s birth,
our passing easy,
you working the leaves,
me tending the trees.

John Pendrey
Barra

Garden bird watchers wanted. Do you watch the birds in your garden?

The British Trust for Ornithology’s Garden Birdwatch is all about gathering useful
information by keeping a watch on the birds using your garden. How much time
you spend watching is up to you, as long as you’re consistent. The information is
recorded on paper forms and returned to BTO quarterly, or submitted weekly via
the internet. The online system records your observations, which you can
access and query whenever you like.

There are fewer than 1000 GBW volunteers in Scotland and the BTO desperately
wants more. By becoming a Garden Birdwatcher, you could help monitor bird
populations, spot sudden declines, compare garden usage by wildlife season
by season, and determine which garden features actively help wildlife - whilst
increasing your own interest, knowledge and enjoyment, individually or as a family.

In return for an annual membership of £15 you’ll receive survey forms, access
to the online system and a quarterly colour magazine; plus a free book on joining.

Contact: Garden BirdWatch, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU

E-mail: gbw@bto.org

Website: www.bto.org/gbw

Tel: 01842 750050

We get a lot of reports for other areas, will include a few from time to time
so folk see the County Recorder list ...

14th Jan 2010

Very sad to hear one of the local cats caught a Water Rail in Croir last week
Few places to hide in all that snow and ice

Have so enjoyed the rare appearances in the village once or twice a year over the last few years.

SK

The WTSE with white wing tags bearing a Black R did indeed flegde from the Uists
but in 2007 i believe, so not 4 years old quite yet.

Frank
Saturday, 16th January 2010

I had a sea eagle in front of the house today. He was having a barney with 6 herons.
I got record photos (not good enough for the collection).

He had a white tag with “R” on it , Martin tells me it’s a 4 yr old, 1 of a pair of twins
from the same nest in Uist as the
one I saw last year at Eishken. It’s the 1st sighting of this bird, his twin has been
seen on Mull.

Kim

Gisla
Isle of Lewis

13th Jan 2010

We get a lot of reports for other areas, will include a few from time to time
so folk see the County Recorder list ...

14th Jan 2010

I saw a solitary Goldeneye amongst a flock of Tufted ducks on the loch at Tiumpan Head.

Gary Sturgess

13th Jan 2010

Blackcaps are lovely, had one in my own garden a few weeks ago.

RSPB list only about 3000 in the UK in winter so there are not many about.
My friend in Devon had one recently so some do make it down to the South-West.

Enjoy! Very lovely against the snow.
What was it eating?

It was eating the fat balls that hang form the bushes and seems to be enjoying them.

Do you know of anyone that keeps data as to where birds are seen in the country so i can let them know?

There is an email address for you County Recorder here:
http://www.britishbirds.co.uk/countyrecorders.htm

We get a lot of reports for other areas, will include a few from time to time so folk see the County Recorder list ...

7th January, 2010

Lemreway

2nd Jan 2010

Male stonechat sighted twice this week at Knockaird, Port of Ness

Shona Morrison

13th December

Hi suzanne a couple of pics of a female kestrel hunting sheshader moor
point also seen a pr of sparrowhawks hunting over crofts at point.regardsAndyl

I have seen goldfinches on twice around Bayble now. Are these fairly common here ?

Gary

Western Isles Status: Uncommon (low numbers) passage and winter visitor.
There is a breeding record.

6th December 2010

Hi suzanne report from last couple days 4 goldfinches,8 greenfinches and a
dunnock feeding garrabost point.
A pr of golden eye loch nam faolleag lochs, single male goldeneye gravir,
large flock of golden plover on the
shoreline at the braigh mixed with turnstone and curlew.Andy l

4th December

Outer Hebrides Bird Report 2005/2006

The Outer Hebrides Bird Report has been redesigned by a team of local birders,
and this new style has 250 pages, and features several plates of colour photos.

The Bird Report is a fascinating read for anyone birding here, and very useful
when wanting to get an idea of how likely you are to see a bird in a particular area
when narrowing down the ID, from a beginner dubious about ducks to an expert
picking between pipits.

Read more about the Outer Hebrides Bird Report

Sources of information for the bird sightings section