tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76081517318483695082024-03-13T08:03:27.436-07:00Birds, Bees and Outer HebridesNotes and recent sighting of birds, otters and wildlife in the Outer Hebrides as well as further afield.Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-60398929400020449062013-12-30T12:04:00.001-08:002013-12-30T12:04:51.955-08:00Marsh Sandpiper on North Uist, 30th December 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On the afternoon of 30th December whilst out birding with John Kemp we came across an odd, medium sized wader in a flood pool on the machair near Kyles Paible. North Uist. It was probably around 60 feet away and as we took in the salient details we considered that the bird was a yellowlegs; although its legs were not visible as it was wading in deep water and there was no other waders alongside for comparison. Shortly after it was flushed by some nearby Redshanks and it left along with a small group of them. As it flew away we scrutinized the rump area to look for the square, white patch of a yellowlegs but the white wasn't restricted to the rump and extended in a white flash up the back towards the mantle. The legs were also very long, extending well beyond the tail producing a very characteristic look in flight. The group landed nearby and the small size and rather dainty appearance of this <i>tringa</i> sandpiper could only mean one thing - a Marsh Sandpiper. To say we were staggered is perhaps an understatement and we spent the next hour trying to obtain some decent images to allay any doubts that may arise about the birds identity. Luckily for us as we were leaving it flew down to the shore and allowed quite close approach as it fed along the seaweed on the rising tide in the last of the day's light. </div>
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More photos and details of today's sightings can be found on <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masquerading as a Wilson's Phalarope</td></tr>
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This is just the 11th record for Scotland and possibly the only one to have been found in the UK in winter. It's possible that the bird had been around for some time undetected but one thing is for sure we certainly weren't expecting to find this increasingly rare British straggler in mid-winter in North Uist.<br />
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<br />Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-20721616595907855372013-12-04T02:16:00.000-08:002013-12-04T02:16:19.142-08:00November is often thought to be the end of autumn and the start of a long winter but in reality the 11th month of the year has produced some great birds and the Outer Hebrides seem to come into their own during this time. Past years have produced such goodies as American Black Tern, Mourning Dove, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (unfortunately dead) to name but a few. 2013 was certainly not a let down as skipping through the recent sightings on <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a> show. It began fairly quietly with a juvenile Rose-coloured Starling remaining from October around gardens at Port of Ness and the odd Glaucous Gull. Then the Americans began arriving with a confiding White-rumped Sandpiper at Aird an Runair, Balranald on 3rd. <br />
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This lively individual had possibly just arrived as it was very vocal and quite flighty but soon settled down to feed amongst a mixed flock of waders allowing such close approach that I was too close with a 300mm lens at times. The bird had gone the following day but quite remarkably I bumped into it again; this time at Ardivachar, South Uist with a second individual. It took me a few days to figure out that it was the same bird from Balranald as the views weren't that good but eventually on the 9th I got close enough to photograph it at North Bay, South Uist.<br />
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The plumage looks spot on with the same arrangement of juvenile and winter plumage coverts, scapulars and tertials. The second bird that it was occasionally seen along side (shown in the last photo above) is quite probably a bird originally found by John Kemp at Ardivachar on 29th October. <br />
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The 9th November also saw a couple of other reports of new birds with an American Wigeon in the north-west corner of Loch Bee and a white Gyr Falcon seen briefly by Paul Boyer at Balemore, North Uist. Other birds in this early period included one or two Little Egrets touring the Uists, a couple of Waxwings here and there and the juvenile Surf Scoter (from later October) at Ardivachar.<br />
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The 11th was the last day that the Rosy Pastor was seen in Lewis but more incredibly was the day John Kemp picked up a female King Eider flying south past Rubha Ardvule, South Uist. He arrived early morning to seawatch from the point when he noticed an odd-looking Eider coming towards him. He rattled off a couple of images that although dark were sharp enough to recognise as a "Queen" Eider (see photo on <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a>). This is a very rare bird in the islands with only a handful of records with the most recent also being found by JK at Ardvule in early May, 2012 whilst looking for a small group of Stock Doves. They could be much more regular than we know as many Eiders are present off-shore although usually too far out to pick up much detail, especially if a female bird but the chances of picking up a migrating individual must be very slim indeed. <br />
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The following few days were fairly quiet although the Surf Scoter remained at Ardivachar; the Kingfisher (originally found by Rosie Quick in August and only the 8th record for the islands) was seen again, this time at Loch Druidibeg and about a mile from its original site on the Howmore River and 2 Red-necked Grebes were reported from the Sound of Barra. Other sightings included a few Glaucous Gulls, Common Scoters away from normal locations and a late Sooty Shearwater in the Minch between Ullapool and Stornoway.<br />
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The 17th saw the re-appearance of the white Gyr, this time at Craig Hastain; very close to the original sighting at Balemore. It put on a superb show for around 5 minutes, first surprising the observer (me) by heading straight for them and passing within around 30 feet before circling round and putting on a turn of speed in pursuit of something. Luckily it returned and allowed me to get a few shots before disappearing in the direction of Baleshare. At the time of writing it has not been seen again although with so few observers and such a large amount of space it's not really surprising.<br />
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It's probably more surprising the number of birds that are found in the islands and bumping into a goody involves a certain amount of luck which brings me to the American Robin. Originally seen in a garden at South Loch Eynort on the same day as the Gyr photos above but suppressed as the house holder didn't want crowds of binocular-wielding people hanging around their quiet neighbourhood. Luckily Ian Thompson happened to be out conducting a BTO thrush survey along the road at South Loch Eynort when this trans-Atlantic thrush popped out of a ditch. What a surprise that must have been for him; and the house owner as the cat was now well and truly out of the bag.<br />
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The robin spent most of its time in a recently dug over veggie plot where it was finding a plethora of worms but occasionally made a trip to the roadside where I was lucky enough to see it on the 23rd. On the way home on 23rd I stopped at a small roadside loch at the north side of South Uist to have a look at the wildfowl gathered here in the failing light. In amongst the Tufted Duck I spotted what appeared to be a female Lesser Scaup but with dusk fast approaching and all the birds taking to the air and flying off to Loch Bee I was undecided. Returning to Loch an Daill the following morning I was delighted and relieved to see that the ducks had returned and there it was, a female Lesser Scaup. It was showing all the requisite features with the square head shape, peaked rear crown, mottled flanks and some grey vermiculations on the upper mantle. Too far away for a photo I persuaded JK to come and have a look as I thought it looked like the genuine thing which he did and was also pleased to see a good, solid, no messing, female Lesser Scaup. JK managed to digi-scope a few images in the glaring light that show the small, black tip restricted to the nail (see <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a>) of the bill and even a poor shot of the open wing which rounded off the full suite of characters eliminating any doubt of a hybrid aythia.<br />
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The 24th also produced a report of a male Snowy Owl on St. Kilda which must be getting quite hungry by now unless it's enjoying the local mouse population and rounding off a very good month.<br />
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The scaup, robin and egret continued to entertain to the month end and with some luck might see it through to start a good New Years day bird list. <br />
Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-77321639987039490142013-06-26T13:24:00.000-07:002013-06-27T12:43:03.282-07:00Needletail Swift in Tarbet, HarrisI arrived in from a day tour yesterday only to find the crippling news that there was a White-throated Needletail in Tarbet, Harris. With only 10 previous occurrences and the often fleeting or far flung nature of the past records (the last 22 years ago) it seemed too good to be true to think that it would hang on another day but that it did.<br />
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It was first seen on 24th June, hawking over Loch Direcleit although not identified until the following day when Mark Cocker and Adam Gretton first spotted the bird whilst leaving a shop in Tarbet without their binos to hand. Adam later relocated the bird over at Direcleit and it showed throughout the evening either there or over Tarbet in the drizzle or rain; often hawking low over the trees in town.<br />
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The following day after an initial false report it was spotted once again over Loch Direcleit before a breif visit to town. It then relocated to the loch and showed superbly for around the next 1.5 - 2 hours as it frequently hawked over the admiring crowd. It promptly did a bunk just before the Stornoway ferry crowd arrived but was relocated later in the afternoon at Plocrapol a few miles south. In a horrible twist of fate the swift sadly collided with the only small wind turbine in the area and was killed. Although these small turbines are promoted as being no problem and need very little planning consent they obviously aren't totally bird friendly as I've also found 2 dead Common Gulls, incidently under ones in Uist in the last few months. A sad end to a truly mega bird.<br />
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For more sightings in the Outer Hebrides please visit: <b><a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a></b>Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-3087808677381426272013-06-25T13:03:00.000-07:002013-06-25T13:06:27.395-07:00Corncrake shows well in the road!We had a pretty decent selection of wildlife whilst taking our day trip today (<a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isle Wildlife)</a> in Uist and Benbecula with 2 Otters, Red Deer and both Grey and Common Seals. Flowering plants included Lesser Butterfly Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid (<i>hebridensis</i>), Heath Spotted Orchid, Early Marsh Orchid, Northern Marsh Orchid, Round-leaved Sundew, Common Butterwort and Marsh Cinquiefoil amongst others. Birds featured 3 Red-necked Phalaropes (2 females fighting over a male), Short-eared Owl, Hen Harrier, White-tailed Eagle, Red-throated Diver and perhaps most suprising of all 2 Corncrakes with one in flight followed by one holding territory in the road. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drying off in the road after a shower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">holding territory in the road</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">off he goes down the road!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-27812624208649969702013-05-11T13:22:00.001-07:002013-05-11T13:22:50.870-07:00Skua PassageThe 11th May dawned wet and calm in contrast to the forecast that had predicted north-westerly winds around force 5 - 6. In the light of this I got back in bed and took a rather relaxed approach to the day. Eventually I got on the road just after 9 am and headed out to Aird an Runair not expecting a great deal in the light winds. How wrong I was! As I arrived 2 Long-tailed Skuas scooted past the headland and before I could get out there 43 Pomarine Skuas in 2 flocks (20 and 23) past by. I could hardly believe that there was such a movement in such calm conditions but with the hope of securing some photos I positioned myself on the rocks at the south-west end of the headland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6kvxkeEygpeRroyiHbe4XyFrUqHBrRAbczweqTJIXmTZsjfRwL4klb_nvTxM0wNhqgBWD2itvgysBCHxG5DryiMI5zWHi_J9jXeKHApxKXNrVYpYMcgyTwn4d5XpRLQAc6uJqlKQjSg/s1600/arctic_skua_2013crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6kvxkeEygpeRroyiHbe4XyFrUqHBrRAbczweqTJIXmTZsjfRwL4klb_nvTxM0wNhqgBWD2itvgysBCHxG5DryiMI5zWHi_J9jXeKHApxKXNrVYpYMcgyTwn4d5XpRLQAc6uJqlKQjSg/s320/arctic_skua_2013crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Skua</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj843SAey24zEYBa_gzV3RzEHQ30BS9we4CyOJjML_Lugv85lQ6NhbuKqe-BOFrsWs-fjkJ1Ah6CPZJkyb5sBB6D3upVdrlrQtgk01_BYihEAVFv9c8Qj3dcYUmuSskspZyKgKDPT6aA0s/s1600/pomarine_flockcrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj843SAey24zEYBa_gzV3RzEHQ30BS9we4CyOJjML_Lugv85lQ6NhbuKqe-BOFrsWs-fjkJ1Ah6CPZJkyb5sBB6D3upVdrlrQtgk01_BYihEAVFv9c8Qj3dcYUmuSskspZyKgKDPT6aA0s/s320/pomarine_flockcrop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pomarine Skuas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYUfyIQ3a95BP0J5M4pfWz0028myeSK1axJRa8030RPJH-wAX6xKX9E1f-RwWV2Ac09qtjtCdyp2edV98A9qbL72_dpliqML1EHaFG1JieKavHqzyvXswERS9w4nLlydW2X56dnT-hkY/s1600/pomarine_skua_2013crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYUfyIQ3a95BP0J5M4pfWz0028myeSK1axJRa8030RPJH-wAX6xKX9E1f-RwWV2Ac09qtjtCdyp2edV98A9qbL72_dpliqML1EHaFG1JieKavHqzyvXswERS9w4nLlydW2X56dnT-hkY/s320/pomarine_skua_2013crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poms</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI9dZc5txrEkhlac3_-jL5jakZ_OzPZdbjh8vNxdu5N11sKLpd4eaZ2NfGHaZXDfk83sH0WI576x5TzeGtKdgqItfE0tuY8Lq70ZHYISSWwoY3rXzVUxzhbcz_BuQvSlMJ5IbuA7q5Ko/s1600/pomarine_skuas_northcrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI9dZc5txrEkhlac3_-jL5jakZ_OzPZdbjh8vNxdu5N11sKLpd4eaZ2NfGHaZXDfk83sH0WI576x5TzeGtKdgqItfE0tuY8Lq70ZHYISSWwoY3rXzVUxzhbcz_BuQvSlMJ5IbuA7q5Ko/s320/pomarine_skuas_northcrop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pom flock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9Ops1vQ8gcbJSUkuatT3aCeDusJo10O4-0-ZuiuUyOFOTd19mqIX7rc9oe7EXM7aKOk3TPNnZgtrYYuT6nzcceaY8hCj4xpRUB-o3uhsWjQiTT_pncy2gtSQZzOe4-P5OjwgoeM0UME/s1600/poms_2013crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9Ops1vQ8gcbJSUkuatT3aCeDusJo10O4-0-ZuiuUyOFOTd19mqIX7rc9oe7EXM7aKOk3TPNnZgtrYYuT6nzcceaY8hCj4xpRUB-o3uhsWjQiTT_pncy2gtSQZzOe4-P5OjwgoeM0UME/s320/poms_2013crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poms close in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNBQUPGHAD6d0iup0cqJyUzFEFjFW6qvgjTOVD1mdMOg7Ikaq6NSO_AsxZuPahsYo5ra6aQKzZwSuZurIAEQrYEcjix0D88j4AbOCdxdOtYmUcQ0Yj3r-KSMhkAN2coxKow2gkFGOow8/s1600/whimbrel_north_2013crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNBQUPGHAD6d0iup0cqJyUzFEFjFW6qvgjTOVD1mdMOg7Ikaq6NSO_AsxZuPahsYo5ra6aQKzZwSuZurIAEQrYEcjix0D88j4AbOCdxdOtYmUcQ0Yj3r-KSMhkAN2coxKow2gkFGOow8/s320/whimbrel_north_2013crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whimbrel</td></tr>
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Between 09:30 - 13:00 I managed to count 27 Long-tailed Skuas, 488 Pomarine Skuas (with a the largest flock being around 40), 25 Arctic Skuas, 21 Bonxies, 140 Whimbrel (in 4 flocks) and a drake Common Scoter heading north in the company of a drake Tufted Duck. All this in relativley light winds and comfort - if only all sea-watching could be so good! For more infomation on todays sightings in the Outer Hebrides please visit the website: <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a>Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-64971318837040234542013-05-05T14:28:00.000-07:002013-05-05T14:36:07.882-07:00The North Wind Shall BlowAt last we seem to be out the other side of winter and heading for some warmer weather in the Outer Hebrides. The last week of April and first day or two of May were very cold for the time of year. The 2nd May was notable for a good fall of snow in Lewis and Harris in the evening creating a lovely wintry scene on 3rd May with snow covered hills. This inclement, cold weather held up masses of northbound migrants and our guided tour of Lewis from 27th April - 3rd May witnessed some excellent numbers of waders and wildfowl as well as producing some classy surprises. <br />
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The tour started well with probably the bird of the trip (well at least for me) with the discovery of an adult Rough-legged Buzzard hovering at the side of the Pentland Road where the Breascleit and Carloway roads meet. Most Rough-legged Buzzards that occur in the UK are along the east coast or in the northern isles. Most are juveniles with adults being rare; so the occurence of one hovering over the desolate Lewis moors was really something special.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg658ocVlmeWBbdiYjuv8gAknlpapvfAwgZtQhpG3olSasWgQoqoqZHLQRIJ-ez_2FnVpiVFCdVR8Mn1afGHwz9n5PgmFqoYf249JsPVU6Nb5saJDSoO_FEiDFf71e5RT7qoSF3dE_PNMs/s1600/rough_leg_male13crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg658ocVlmeWBbdiYjuv8gAknlpapvfAwgZtQhpG3olSasWgQoqoqZHLQRIJ-ez_2FnVpiVFCdVR8Mn1afGHwz9n5PgmFqoYf249JsPVU6Nb5saJDSoO_FEiDFf71e5RT7qoSF3dE_PNMs/s320/rough_leg_male13crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">adult Rough-legged Buzzard</td></tr>
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The following day we encountered good numbers of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits, Golden Plover and Pink-footed Geese as well as a huge flock of around 600 Icelandic Redwing on the outskirts of Stornoway. The gale force westerly wind and wintry showers certainly made birding difficult and the forecast wasn't showing much in the way of improvement the following day. In fact on the 29th April we headed for the Butt of Lewis in north-west 8, gusting to severe gale 9. The tide was a big one and the swell wrapping around the top of Lewis was incredible making searching for divers rather difficult. Despite the weather and likely due to it we had a very interesting day.<br />
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The machair at Fivepenny and Eoropie was covered in summer plumage Golden Plovers with over a 1,000 present whilst a flooded pool close to the road held 65 stunning Black-tailed Godwits. It was whilst watching these that a flock of Redshanks dropped out of the sky to join the godwits. Shortly after we spotted the squat figure of a snipe-like wader. Further investigations revealed the bird to be a Long-billed Dowitcher moulting into summer plumage. This American wader is one of the more regular trans-Atlantic vagrants to turn up in the UK although spring records are much rarer than autumn ones. At least 2 Long-billed Dowitchers have been wintering in the UK this year so there's a fair chance that this bird was one that had successfully wintered on this side of the pond and then headed north as it would have done in its native America. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-billed Dowitcher with 2 Redshanks (Tony Marr)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Following all the excitement around the arrival of the dowitcher we moved up to the Butt where we found good numbers of migrant Meadow Pipits in amongst which was a fine, summer plumage, male Lapland Bunting.<br />
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Next stop was Loch Stiapabhat which held a decent variety of wildfowl and remarkably our second North American bird of the day, a drake Green-winged Teal that was intruigingly accompanied by a female (Green-winged?). Differentiating female Teal and Green-winged Teal is not for the faint hearted and we left with the pair of ducks slinking off into the emergent vegetation. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Plover at Eoropie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Northern Diver in Sound of Taransay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butt of Lewis</td></tr>
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Spring had indeed sprung with masses of migrants trying to battle north but who knows what would have been in Lewis to greet us if the weather hadn't stopped many of these northbound migrants. Thanks goodness the weather isn't wonderful all the time! For more information on tours and recent sightings please visit the website <b><a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a></b>Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-84354781697201163092013-03-25T13:56:00.000-07:002013-03-25T13:56:07.840-07:00Harlequin shows well in North Uist<br />
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Since the 1st winter male Harlequin was spotted bobbing about on the sea off Balranald on 18th February, I have made regular visits in an attempt to get a decent photo. The first visit left me with a dripping wet digiscoping camera after it shot out of my pocket and straight into a rock pool, thus limiting me to my SLR and 300mm lens. Every time I turned up this cracking duck was present although the resulting distant, dark blobs in a huge seascape left quite a lot to be desired and even more to the imagination. It was always just too far off-shore for me to produced anything of any use. Then I received some superb images from a visiting birder, Josh Jones which I gratefully posted on my site (<a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">www.western-isles-wildlife.com</a>) although I have to admit with a little envy of his obviously good views.<br />
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At last today the persistence paid off and we (John Kemp and I) had mega views; initially feeding a reasonable distance away at around 150 - 200ft I was firing off rounds of shots when this happened:<br />
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I was quite low to the water as the Harlequin alighted on the sea and could not actually see the bird at all although John was happily clicking away in his more elevated position. After a tortuous wait it eventually swam out and allowed me to take some more images although unfortunately against the light. Luckily for me it then came back around the rocky promontary I was on and clambered out of the water a mere 20 - 30 ft away.<br />
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It then continued to make up for all those distant views and slightly disappointing visits by swimming back and forth in front of us for the next 20 minutes whilst it fed quite contentedly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy blowing bubbles</td></tr>
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Add to that 3 Iceland Gulls (2 x 1st winter and an adult), a 1st winter Glaucous Gull, a female Ring-necked Duck and an immature White-tailed Eagle to make a good start to the week. <br />
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<span id="goog_1421296538"></span><span id="goog_1421296539"></span><br />Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-58291954698316928432013-03-10T13:15:00.001-07:002013-03-10T13:15:37.518-07:00Muirburn havoc in North UistOn returning home with a car load of trees and shrubs on the afternoon 10th March I noticed the south-east slope of Ben na Coille, North Uist ablaze. The wind was a south-east to easterly, force 7, gusting to force 8. Within the hour the whole western slope of hill was on fire and smoke was drifting over Carinish. By 17:30 all 3 fire crews from the Uists were out fighting the blaze; attempting to contain the fire and stop it from reaching the main road. At 19:30 it was still possible to see flames leaping into the air around the Carinish community woodland and further afield towards Loch Euphort. Why? because someone thought it was a good day to clear the heather from the hill of Ben na Coille for his sheep to have better grazing this year. <br />
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Below are the legal requirements for a muirburn:<br />
<ul>
<li>By law, burning is only allowed between: <strong>1st October - 15th April</strong>: extendable to 30th April by permission of the landowner.</li>
<li>Notice
of your intention to burn in the coming muirburn season must be given
in writing to the landowner, and occupiers of land within 1 <abbr>km</abbr> of the intended muirburn site, at least 7 days before burning.</li>
<li>Burning must not start between sunset and sunrise.</li>
<li>Sufficient people and equipment must be available to control the fire.</li>
<li>All reasonable precautions must be taken to prevent injury or damage.</li>
<li>The smoke from the fire must not cause a nuisance.</li>
<li>If
the fire will be within a Site of Special Scientific Interest or other
designated site, you must check whether consent for burning is required
from Scottish Natural Heritage. Do not burn without such consent.</li>
<li>An appropriate Health & Safety Risk Assessment must be carried out before burning.</li>
</ul>
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Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier and Merlin did nest in the area as well as Red Grouse and Stonechat, to name but a few. Greenshank could well have nested within the now burnt area in the past but it'll be a good few years before any of these birds nest here again.<br />
Whilst I was photographing the blaze I noticed someone walking back from Loch Carabhat and Ben na Coille. They didn't look unduly concerned but I wanted to know what they had seen and went to meet the crofter. I asked him if he'd been to the back of the hill and he said not. I mentioned the disastorous hill fire and he said that it was all leggy heather that was neither good for man nor beast. I informed the fella that Golden Eagle (could be on eggs now) and various other birds nest there but he just shrugged it off. He said it was how you managed the moorland. MANAGE! The fire was totally uncontrolled and has ripped through Carinish community woodland. It's amazing that people get away with this flagrant vandalism and disregard for people and wildlife.<br />
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Maybe it's time for some tighter controls on muirburn.Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-70894931039697349842013-02-25T16:02:00.000-08:002013-02-25T16:02:08.031-08:00From Desert to Glen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was school half term and Johanne had to renew her first aid certificate so as fate would have it we found ourselves on the mainland and staying at the Dolphin Bay Suites in Ardeseir for a few days. The views from the apartment around 15 miles east of Inverness were great with flocks of Common Scoter and Long-tailed Ducks to entertain (well me at least) but planning ahead I had in mind to set up a trip or two with <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a> to explore the Highlands. Therefore the draw of a Desert Wheatear wintering at Rattray Head seemed a very reasonable place to start an exploration of some of the Scottish Highlands I wasn't so familiar with. Under great duress I headed across country on 23rd February to try my luck with the wayward wheatear. I arrived at the carpark near the lighthouse at Rattray Head around 10 am. and wandered onto the beach in reasonably calm if somewhat cold conditions. The thermometre was reading around 1 degree C. but with a breeze off the sea it felt somewhat colder! I scanned the beach opposite the lightouse and saw nothing so I ventured around the dune to the south and was greeted with a sweeping, almost desolate looking stretch of sand which was pretty un-inspiring so I returned to spot the wee wheatear hopping amongst the seaweed and debris back where I'd started. I crouched down on the beach to find the wee bird heading straight towards me and within minutes I was floundering to sort out my camera settings as this lovely bird was hopping withing yards of me. Failing completely to secure anything of any use I watched the bird for a while and noted that it repeatedly returned to a particular perch. It was obviously not a shy individual so I popped myself down a few yards from the stick: within minutes it was hovering around my head and I was failing to get the shot but once I'd settled the bird returned time and time again allowing me to sort out a decent shot or two</div>
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Following on from this excellent encounter I headed to St. Combs where as luck would have it someone had reported a King Eider the day before. St. Combs is only a few miles north of Rattray Head and basically on my way home so it would have been insane not to try and have a brief look. I headed into the village and the first obvious view point over the sea. The immediate impression was of an almost bird-bereft sea-scape but a little patience showed that various seaduck species were present and bobbing off-shore; amongst which was a fine drake King Eider. The bird was distant and as I'd buggered my digi-camera after dropping it in a rock pool after photographing the Harlequin at Balranald I just enjoyed the bird through my scope.<br />
The following day was family day so what better thing to do (living on an almost tree-less island) than enjoy some mature Caledonian Pine Forest. We all headed for Aviemore and went for a stroll in the woods. OK I had a tip off but wasn't really expecting this:<br />
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Not only was I not expecting it but the rest of them weren't expecting a full on charge from a huge, turkey- sized, pumped up grouse either! Brillaint!!Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-29727300586894496952013-02-19T11:57:00.000-08:002013-02-19T11:57:02.631-08:00Harlequin Duck makes 100Some days you have good ones and some days not so good but Mr Rabbitts certainly hit the jackpot when he found a 1st winter male Harlequin Duck at Traigh Iar, Balranald yesterday. There are 11 previous records from Scotland and 6 from the rest of the UK which makes this bird the 18th to be found in the UK. There are 3 previous records from the Outer Herbides including the first for Scotland, a male north of Berneray, North Uist on 13th February 1931. A long gap then followed until the second for the Outer Hebrides, a female was found at Coll, Lewis in January 2004. The third record for this archipeligo was also a drake seen off St. Kilda in May 2007 by just a couple of lucky obersvers there on the day. <br />
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This 1st winter male is currently hanging around a series of rocky outcrops and a small rocky island south of the coastal car park at Aird an Runair, Balranald. The first photo was taken yesterday against the light in the late afternoon. Unfortunately on clambering back off the slippery rocks my digi camera fell into a rock pool and now, not suprisingly is buggered. The rest of the shots taken today were obtained by holding a digi camera to the eye-piece of my scope so please forgive the quality. The bird spends most of its time a good distance from the shore so securing a decent shot is somewhat challenging. Even so, what a belting bird.<br />
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This turned out to be my 100th species in the Outer Hebrides this year and my 282nd species in the Outer Hebrides since January 2005. They do get harder!Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-62463788435955920472013-02-11T12:26:00.000-08:002013-02-11T12:26:01.206-08:00A couple of hours on North Uist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The drizzle began to clear, the fence had been repaired and the requested agenda emailed off; so it seemed like a good time to go and look for the reported small Canada Goose at Balranald. 15 minutes later I turned into the access road towards Balranald stopping en route to scan Loch Scaraidh which had been home to an immature, female Ring-necked Duck. Originally being found on Loch Hosta in early November 2012 this stray from America moved to Loch Scaraidh sometime in January during a particularly cold spell that left Loch Hosta mostly frozen. Sure enough she was still present and bobbing around amongst a growing flock of Tufted Duck. Neighbouring Loch nam Feithean held plenty of wildfowl too with over 100 Teal present as well as 7 Shoveler, Wigeon, Mallard and Tufted Ducks although it was strangely bereft of geese. Scanning across the machair from the road didn't reveal many geese either so I headed to Hougharry, just around the corner. The bay was nice and sheltered today and so the calm conditions made locating the distant, immature, male Surf Scoter reasonably easy. This bird also arrived in November 2012 being found on the freshwater, Loch na Reivil at Hougharry. Even in juvenile plumage the large, bulbous bill appeared to show a faint hint that it might develop into something a lot more gaudy with time. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immature Surf Scoter, Loch na Reivil, December 2012</td></tr>
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It still doesn't have the colourful bill of an adult but there does appear to be some colour developing and the pale, face markings have now disappeared. The plumage is largely black and at one point today I did think I saw a goasting of a white nape patch although it was distant and even with the scope on 60x magnification it was difficult to pick out the bill pattern. <br />
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Now it was time to try my luck with the goose. I drove along the rough track leading to Aird an Runair and soon became aware that there were a lot of geese scattered over the machair. Mixed flocks of Barnacle and Greylag Geese could be seen all over the place. Just then an immature Peregrine came hurtling across, low to the ground. It landed on a fence post for a while before its excited head bobbing led to an unsuccessful dash at a large flock of Rock Doves. Twite, starlings and doves scattered everywhere, filling the sky with panicked birds before calm was restored and the Peregrine left the scene. I began concentrating on the geese once more but no amount of scanning was revealing the quarry. I could see that there were some Barnacles just over a rise not far away. I parked and walked carefully across to a gate to be greeted to my delight by a reasonably close Richardson's Canada Goose. Well at least that's what some people call them whilst others would say that there's so much interbreeding between them that you can't safely assign them to race.<br />
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It was certainly small with a short, stubby bill and sqaure-looking head. Birds resembling this individual in structure, appear most years in North Uist and are always seen associating with Greenland Barnacle Geese. Hybrids between Canada and Barncale Geese, showing mixed feature are also occasionally picked up in the islands. Descriptions are submitted to BBRC and there's quite a file of pending indiviuals of various races building up. Maybe a suite of characters may enable them to make decisions in the future but what-ever they decide these are pretty good looking for Canada Geese. <br />
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<br />Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-57224312027123775512013-01-04T10:32:00.001-08:002013-01-04T10:32:57.374-08:00Listing in 2013Happy New Year and here's to a good birding year.<br />
A bit of a late start being the 4th January and getting back to the Outer Hebrides around mid-day today in the drizzle wasn't particularly a promising prospect; whilst the demands of work meant I would have to spend the rest of the day in the office without a chance of exploring.<br />
As the ferry approached Lochmaddy a lone Guillemot flew past the bow and so became the first on my Outer Hebrides list this year. I like to keep track of just how many species I see in the islands during a year although it's not a serious list. It's not the sort of manic, hear-tearing obsession that's going to see me hurtling up and down the islands in an attempt to amass as many birds as I can whilst handing over all my hard earned cash to our beloved Calmac and fuel providers; it's more for posterity so that I can look back and say that was a good year. 2012 wasn't particularly brilliant number wise with my own list reaching a meagre 195 species although there was some quality birds with Semipalmated Plover and Great Sandplover being particularly notable. The most I've ever had during my 8 years in the Outer Hebrides was 212 species (well maybe 211) a few years ago which is going to take some beating.<br />
As the ferry slipped into the mouth of Lochmaddy Bay no less than 3 White-tailed Eagles hung in the strong southerly wind over the hills to the north. This in turn encouraged a mass of gulls that had been feeding around a fish farm to take to the air and allow me to add 2, 1st winter Iceland Gulls to my yearly tally which by the end of the day was teetering at a lofty 19 species. Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-75991956410551771922012-12-17T12:20:00.000-08:002012-12-17T12:26:28.576-08:00I'm dreaming of a white (Gyr) Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Any birder living in Uist at the moment would be forgiven for thinking that Christmas had come early with all the reports of white-Gyr's during the last month. The first sighting came on 18th November when one was seen at Bornish, South Uist. This was followed by one that hung around for a couple of hours on the morning 1st December at Balranald, North Uist. Initially it was presumed to have been the Bornish bird although when one was found dead at Eoligarry, Barra the same day the situation became more tricky. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyr at Balranald, December 1st (Brian Rabbitts)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Next came a sighting of a bird perched at Ardivachar, South Uist, 3rd December and it looked like this bird was on its way south until there was a sighting at Balranald and Loch Paible, 11th December. Again it was presumed that the bird of the 11th was the same as the bird of 1st and 3rd December although thanks to digital photography it would appear that this was not the case. The photo below shows the bird from the 11th December that is renewing its inner primaries although the bird above (1st December) does not show the inner primary moult. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyr near Loch Paible, 11th December (John Kemp)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There was another sighting from Loch Paible, North Uist yesterday, 16th December and then one today from Kipheder, South Uist. From the superb photos by John Kemp it's quite obvious that the Gyr on the 11th December is a different bird to the one photographed today from the south end of South Uist that shows a full set of fully grown primaries.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyr, 17th December (John Kemp)</td></tr>
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So I suppose the question remains, just how many Gyr's have there been? That's at least 3 in the last month and there's one thing for sure; I'm glad I'm not a medium sized gull or wader in Uist at the moment! More photos can be found at <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife. </a>Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-3055430473256110062012-12-11T10:02:00.000-08:002012-12-11T10:02:20.391-08:00Gyr Falcon on North Uist"Better have a look at that white blob on the fence post" I thought as I walked back towards the visitor centre at Balranald this morning and so glad I did. The probable plastic bag, that can often be found adorning various fence lines, shrubs and is widely distributed throughout the coutryside actually turned out to be a fantastic immature, white Gyr Falcon. Even at the great distance that this bird initially was the huge bulk was apparent. It actually appeared larger than a Common Buzzard and much more powerful. Unfortunately it didn't stay for long and a few flaps of the broad-based, pointed wings saw the bird disappearing low into the dunes to the south. <br />
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JK had been disappointed at his unsatisfactory veiws of (presumably) this bird 10 days ago at Balranald when he had distant flight views of it for seconds. He braved the omens from this new report of the bird last seen heading south and drove up from South Glendale, at the very bottom of South Uist. I headed to the very south end of Balranald first noting a Peregrine and Merlin before finally hearing the sound of alarming Herring Gulls which once more revealed the presence of this butey. It perched on a post over-looking the mouth of Loch Paible before again heading south. <br />
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It flew across to the dune ridge at Knockintorran and perched on a post apparently on top. JK by this time wasn't far away so I directed him to the where-abouts of the bird. I saw him arrive; I could see the bird still perched but our twitcher from the south couldn't, so he started walking towards the dunes. I looked down to tie my boot and woosh, it was gone! Not my boot but the falcon had, once I had looked up again. It hadn't come my way but the phone call to JK didn't lift his spirits much although he needn't have worried as a few mintues later he was watching it; this time quite close, perched on a fence post. You can find more photos of this bird on <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife </a><br />
It's hard to imagine how something so large, white and gernerally causing pandemonium can disappear so easily but Gyr's unlike Peregrines hunt mostly in level flight and so at least here they probably often stay quite low to the ground. They also travel at some lick too, with a couple of flaps covering large areas of ground. Hopefully this bird will have better luck than the one found dead at Eoligarry on Barra in early December which was presumably the individual seen on South Uist in November. Amazing to think that there have been 2 Gyr's in Uist in the last month.Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-30320874029845728322012-11-24T10:11:00.001-08:002012-11-24T10:11:10.227-08:00Eaval<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Eaval, lying on the south-east side of North Uist reaches only 347m above sea level so you might think that there's not much to it, but rising like a rocky pyramid straight out of the boggy moorland this hill provides some of the most stunning views in the Outer Hebrides.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eaval looking across Loch Obasaraigh</td></tr>
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Probably the easiest way to get there is to head to the end of the Loch Euphort road before striking out across the moor towards Burabhal. It's not long before you reach probably the trickiest part of the whole walk......a river crossing on stepping stones. If the levels of Loch Obasaraigh are high or there's a high tide then the rocks allowing you to skip across the river can be covered. Today with all the recent rain many were submerged and others very slippy; not helped by otters regularly using these rocks to spraint and pee on, so creating nice, green, slippy patches. I managed to make my way across without any mishaps and continued around the north-east side of the loch. Once around the east side you begin to climb Eaval. My only company on the way out (apart from Rowan the dog) was a heard of Red Deer and a few Rock Pipits. As I reached the upper slopes of Eaval a Golden Eagle came shooting over the summit heading in a stooping glide towards Burabhal and the Lees. Shortly after this I was on the top and what a view you get.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wafuw4ge1ZBBPIhyphenhyphen4w_rCsAm2-Wha-tnuwpS36Lj78cciocQxIJe5Fus1h5MpRoKxUMCbUU-F9J61KW2Jyn3umWvid0GAY2QTwZk92iLfbszYNa8Mm5AQ-EQytczPzxIm-0KL-Hw0uM/s1600/summit_aevalc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wafuw4ge1ZBBPIhyphenhyphen4w_rCsAm2-Wha-tnuwpS36Lj78cciocQxIJe5Fus1h5MpRoKxUMCbUU-F9J61KW2Jyn3umWvid0GAY2QTwZk92iLfbszYNa8Mm5AQ-EQytczPzxIm-0KL-Hw0uM/s320/summit_aevalc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eaval summit</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north from the summit</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLwyJkcD9Jshq-qyRKjYhkkRoYMfxmP_2RfLHtIdcMHpyKKWsBEDM7BdpRaKL7YmwUgcZdPkwYWJWzi6vNGjw7NeoQ68ZOATiftw8aZmwTeUJZFyiKKvx_WrZM_NGDoOjD3q2NNBp0V0/s1600/south_of_aevalc_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLwyJkcD9Jshq-qyRKjYhkkRoYMfxmP_2RfLHtIdcMHpyKKWsBEDM7BdpRaKL7YmwUgcZdPkwYWJWzi6vNGjw7NeoQ68ZOATiftw8aZmwTeUJZFyiKKvx_WrZM_NGDoOjD3q2NNBp0V0/s320/south_of_aevalc_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking south (Ruabhal is the highest point on Benbecula!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwUp8U-LjVPnEuPMqe0Q-G_5LBCTbx3SDBZCa5MxVm_S3xW2XdMO-iNJlKm86y1YYgj21nl0pcp4djQprySznFwhEkVtef74reo937JP-F6nu1mBjXzELTyhhiSGFVfagW0Yd8PC6VMY/s1600/the_minch_aevalc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwUp8U-LjVPnEuPMqe0Q-G_5LBCTbx3SDBZCa5MxVm_S3xW2XdMO-iNJlKm86y1YYgj21nl0pcp4djQprySznFwhEkVtef74reo937JP-F6nu1mBjXzELTyhhiSGFVfagW0Yd8PC6VMY/s320/the_minch_aevalc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Minch from the summit</td></tr>
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Two cheese rolls later and a cup of coffee I headed back the way I had come. A Raven was calling in the distance and a Rock Pipit was feeding on the grassy slopes but apart from a couple of Fox Moth larvae it was pretty quiet as it often is out here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVEJhVQnIHTUdGAgwBcFNT2cLCpkorMXzPS0BzrPLwhO_dCnKY2jZxnCY31Ard0S1mt04GACRPfduIhR3M0I9VtXqdLeSmQuiyROH_x57lOV4SotT8Kj1IxSsKU2wQdbsrmbHa4gecOk/s1600/fox_moth_larvac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVEJhVQnIHTUdGAgwBcFNT2cLCpkorMXzPS0BzrPLwhO_dCnKY2jZxnCY31Ard0S1mt04GACRPfduIhR3M0I9VtXqdLeSmQuiyROH_x57lOV4SotT8Kj1IxSsKU2wQdbsrmbHa4gecOk/s320/fox_moth_larvac.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox Moth caterpillar</td></tr>
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As I got to the east shore of Loch Obasaraigh I noticed some very fresh otter spraints along a small stream, not far from otter prints I'd seen on the sandy shore as I headed up. Rowan the dog went first as we circumnavigated the loch when I heard a "plop" in the loch waters. I noticed a small ripple leading away from me and wondered if I'd just missed an otter. I hung about for a while but nothing showed so continued around the next rocky headland. I glanced behind and there heading quickly through the water in the direction from which we'd come was a large, dog otter. I grabbed my camera and just in time noticed it heading up stream. Unfortunately the camera was on the wrong setting and the otter was wary of me so although I managed to take a couple of shots, he soon spotted me and disappeared once again.<br />
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A mile or so later we managed to slide our way back over the stepping stones once again without any mishaps, noting fresh otter spraints on a rock here too. A good walk with some stunning views and classic Hebridean wildlife.<br />
Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-1503377000337087732012-11-18T12:03:00.004-08:002012-11-18T12:03:47.629-08:00Over-looking SkyeFor too many years I've been whizzing through Skye on my way to or from the Outer Hebrides with occasional visits to the Black Cuillin for some superb mountaineering but very little in the way of birding. This weekend I went to Sabhal Mor Ostaig for a mini SOC conference arranged by Bob McMillan (of <a href="http://www.skye-birds.com/">Skye Birds</a>) and Jane Cleaver from the SOC. The line up of talks on Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, Corncrakes and Manx Shearwaters all sounded pretty interesting and very relevent to the immediate area and although Gaelic Bird Names by Tristan ap Rheinallt maybe relevent it didn't stir much in the way of exciting anticipcation in me.....how wrong I was! All the talks were excellent and fascinating but the delivery and dry wit of a Welsh man telling us about Gaelic bird names and their relevance to past bird distribution really was my first revelation of the weekend as to how interesting - (yes, that was the word I wanted to use), the subject actually is. The second revelation came the following day when we spent a couple of hours with Bob McMillan birding between Broadford and Portree. In the couple of hours we managed to pick up 8 Slavonian Grebe, Great Northern and Red-throated Divers, a couple of small groups of Whooper Swans (flying over), 6 White-fronted Geese, no less than 8 Golden Eagles and around 40 Waxwings; not forgetting 2 otters and numerous Fieldfare and Redwing. It really was a good morning out.<br />
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I'll certainly be heading back to Skye before too long and hope to start taking tours that include this fascinating isle in 2014. <br />
<br />Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-56685826993005459192012-11-01T13:11:00.001-07:002012-11-01T13:11:23.192-07:00Pipit conundrumOn the 31st October I photographed this pipit at the south-west end of Benbecula around Borve Point.<br />
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Having heard a slightly unusual pipit call in flight that was similar to Rock Pipit but "thinner" and less emphatic I began examining every bird that I came across as I walked around the south-west tip of Benbecula. As I rounded the headland I noticed this striking bird feeding amongst the Rock Pipits gathered on the seaweed and rocks. It immediately struck me due to its strong supercilium, generally pale upper parts (compared with Rock Pipit), very distinctive supercilium and rather pale under parts. The wings bars were well defined and the streaking more clear cut than in the Rock Pipits (around 10 in all) present. The legs were also rather pale and the outer tail feathers appeared white. I was hoping for Water Pipit but the bird really didn't strike me as such. After some time I thought that this indivual may be a Scandinavian Rock Pipit that hadn't attained full winter plumage or was a very well-marked individual.<br />
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To me the upper parts appeared too olive-grey for a Water Pipit; the wing bars rather grey (rather than white); the under parts although quite distinctly streaked didn't appear clean enough for Water Pipit and there was some yellow suffusion on the belly. <br />
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Below are a series of photo of a British Rock Pipit taken on the same day.<br />
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I found one or two websites that showed the variation within both Water Pipit and Scandinavian Rock Pipit although such a strongly marked bird with grey upper parts at this time of year appeared a little odd. If you have any comments please feel free to get in touch: <a href="mailto:steveduffield@mail.com">steveduffield@mail.com </a>Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-57231347365585996962012-10-22T14:24:00.000-07:002012-10-22T14:24:08.481-07:00Close encounters of the Otter kindWhilst out birding today I spotted an otter in the distance on an isolated rock quite close to the shore line of a tidal loch. I hoped that with a bit of luck I could get a reasonable view of it if I sneaked along the shore from the east and maybe rattle off a couple of photos; although the sun was going to make life difficult if I got the chance with the camera.<br />
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As I approached, low along the shore I saw 2 ottters, a mother and cub on the same rock I had seen from the distance. The female was just heading off on another fishing trip having dropped something off for junior. I took this as my chance to get past the youngster so that I might be able to photograph it from the west, looking east. As I crept along the rocky shore I could hear the youngster start to call and although I couldn't see it due to the bright glare of the sun to the south I figured the cub had seen me. I hurried along and over onto the shore edge, positioning myself at the base of a boulder with my legs draped over a smaller rock in front. It was a rather unusual position, almost like being in a reclining chair made of rock but pretty comfortable. Initially there was no sign of any otters and I began to wonder whether they'd detected my movements and left for a quieter location. After a few minutes I heard the squeak of a youngster, shortly followed by the adult appearing on the favoured rock, approximately 50 feet away. I froze in my reclining position with camera poised, firing off a couple of images. Mum then slid into the water and swam towards me, passing within 12 feet of where I was. I dared not move and anyway trying to photograph her in the glaring sunlight was going to be pointless so I just let her swim by.<br />
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She returned a little later with a cub although as she passed by she obviously noticed something odd on the rocks.........me! She gave a couple of snorted huff like notes as I sat motionless. She obviously wasn't quite sure what was on the rock and as I hadn't moved she came closer with a cub in tow. They both watched from the water for a while as I snapped a couple of images and then continued to approach.<br />
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Quite incredibly mum and cub both came out on the rocks, just 10 feet from where I was, mum shaking the water from her fur coat before looking straight at me and the camera. I continued to fire off shots not daring to move as she gave some of the best views I've ever had. Both mum and cub came so close at one stage the camera was having trouble focussing before they slipped back into the water.<br />
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I have seen otters many times but this was something else and really quite magical. Mum swam back to the original favoured rock with a cub, followed by a second and then a third. All clambered out, sniffed around, sprainted and then returned to the water before heading off out of view, hugging the shoreline. <br />
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If you happen to be visiting the Uists and would like to look for otters please take a look at the website: <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a>.<br />
Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-45844972520253719152012-10-17T12:45:00.002-07:002012-10-17T12:45:26.426-07:00How many AGP's?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7OjkWFJmpBKlMuXzl13N74b7eb9gkiktDyAuX7ysdewdrAvVrxC1Bu82zNBoRlYUhcwuheYOCZ8ghbmgjQMdq19bX6iDEjQm5sijXFpzcVY8QBBF6quYPcXtM__MLMEtb7-JeNCiKJU/s1600/AGP+baleshare+2010+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7OjkWFJmpBKlMuXzl13N74b7eb9gkiktDyAuX7ysdewdrAvVrxC1Bu82zNBoRlYUhcwuheYOCZ8ghbmgjQMdq19bX6iDEjQm5sijXFpzcVY8QBBF6quYPcXtM__MLMEtb7-JeNCiKJU/s320/AGP+baleshare+2010+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">juvenile American Golden Plover, Baleshare, Sept. 2010</td></tr>
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The autumn of 2012 is likely to be long remembered for the 3rd British record of Semipalmated Plover which was found by John Kemp at South Glendale on the 7th September. This individual followed hot on the heels of 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers and a Spotted Sandpiper as well as several Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers and American Golden Plovers. In total (so far), this autumn has produced 7 species of American waders in the Outer Hebrides compared with 9 species in 2011; just 4 species in 2010; 6 species in 2009 and 8 species in 2008.<br />
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It therefore hasn't stood out for variety and indeed hasn't stood out for numbers in particular, apart from American Golden Plover that is. In 3 out the past 4 years (2011, 2009 and 2008) around 6 American Golden Plovers have been found throughout the Outer Hebrides during the autumn although just 4 were reported in the relatively poor autumn for American waders in 2010. In 2012 a minimum of 15 American Golden Plovers have been logged including 6 adults (for more details please visit the recent sightings on: <a href="http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com/">Western Isles Wildlife</a>) <br />
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Why 2012 has been so good for American Golden Plover is a bit of a mystery although it could purely be the year when lots were blown off track as has happened with other species in the past e.g. Semipalmated Sandpiper in 2004 and White-rumped Sandpiper in 2006. What is for certain is that there has been an upsurge in records during the last 30 years with annual totals in Scotland peaking at 12 in the 1980's, 31 in 1990's and 22 from 2000 - 2004 (Birds of Scotland). It was removed from the list of species requiring descriptions by the BBRC in 2006 and from SBRC in 2010. Observer awareness and better understanding of identification criteria have almost certainly led to the increase in records. Coverage in the Outer Hebrides is also increasing during the autumn and the county almost certainly now leads on records of American Golden Plover in Scotland if not the UK.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7dmcKiDagZy7HlT6ZGYk-HVl90FP3muAFJ5N7OOwcgTQ8x5yYSpDgKOpgDvwFRcWlJKDZvE23ccaH6yqcbGg_k5ClD5zJu6O1Mn1kZIR1zPXVU7B6CJ26biLBWB52yjHzegR8HXJ90U/s1600/AGP+juvenile+21st+Sept+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7dmcKiDagZy7HlT6ZGYk-HVl90FP3muAFJ5N7OOwcgTQ8x5yYSpDgKOpgDvwFRcWlJKDZvE23ccaH6yqcbGg_k5ClD5zJu6O1Mn1kZIR1zPXVU7B6CJ26biLBWB52yjHzegR8HXJ90U/s320/AGP+juvenile+21st+Sept+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">juvenile American Golden Plover, Kilpheder, Sept 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-ichNU06pzDnPy-_RSeC7yR9jRCZ54y6GKXd4nhgAXEKKZK191g1ngTTIAe-kiOj9fJJ-ix0aRFPST6zQXIu-IiJGvi6cqjt3Orxa5oyBp32mVvjs9JCE45lGXObG3iTArHha4slADE/s1600/American+goldie+ad+1+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-ichNU06pzDnPy-_RSeC7yR9jRCZ54y6GKXd4nhgAXEKKZK191g1ngTTIAe-kiOj9fJJ-ix0aRFPST6zQXIu-IiJGvi6cqjt3Orxa5oyBp32mVvjs9JCE45lGXObG3iTArHha4slADE/s320/American+goldie+ad+1+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">adult American Golden Plover, West Gerinish, Sept 2010</td></tr>
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<br />Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-47309218150304297402012-09-08T12:30:00.000-07:002012-09-08T12:30:00.732-07:00Semipalmated Plover in South Uist!!Lucky for me Johanne agreed to take Friday 7th September off work and look after the youngest, Freya. This freed me up so that I could try my luck at finding some stray birds in North Uist as the weather was set to be calm and sunny following the remnants of the hurricane and westerly winds from the past few days. Lapland Bunting over the house at Carinish brought the garden list to 94 species (since January 2012) and bode well for a good day out. I ventured north to Berneray and although there was plenty of stuff about it was all common. I spent some time scrutinising Ringed Plover and at one point even thought I heard a Spotted Redshank-like call although my dreams of finding a Semipalmated Plover were just that and I moved on checking various wader sites and stand of tress until I got a call from John Kemp saying that he'd located Andrew Stevenson's sandpiper from the night before, at Ardvule and it was a Spotted. This was enough to persuade me to give up the ghost and head for Ardvule in South Uist.<br />
An hour later I arrived at the headland to be met with plenty of waders but no Spotted Sandpiper. A couple of other people turned up including Andrew and after some searching the mood became relaxed and there was far more chat than searching going on - that is until my phone went. John Kemp was on the line " You need to be down here"<br />
"Where's that then John" (me)<br />
"South Glendale"<br />
"What have you got?" (me)<br />
"A Semipalmated Plover"<br />
I was expecting Sandpiper to follow Semipalmated so much, that it took a short while for this to register although "showing well" got the gears in motion and once sharing the news with the somewhat stunned audience present I hurtled off south.<br />
John was on the scene to direct me and before long we were at the site scanning through the plovers. A few maybes were flagged up when I noticed a small, dark plover heading straight for us - and it was the bird! I don't know how John felt but I was pretty much on cloud nine and couldn't help but admire John's composure and analytical approach at nailing this bird. What a belter. OK not particularly stunning to look at but a 3rd for Britain and a difficult species to identify to boot; plus this one was showing well! It wadered towards us and probably came within 15 yards of where we were stood allowing all the relevent features to be seen and indeed photographed. MEGA.<br />
Over the next couple of hours we got great views of the bird and heard it call a couple of times once it took to the air with a very distinctive "Chu-eett".<br />
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The fours shots above show the relevent features distinguishing this bird from Ringed Plover:<br />
Pale area at base of bill where the white from below the mask extends above the gape line of the bill; plus distinct webs between the toes, especially the outer and middle toe.<br />
It was generally darker and slightly smaller than the other Ringed Plover although some Ringed Plover (presumably Arctic ones) also were equally dark above. The breast band was dark and narrow and one of the easiest features used to pick this bird out at a distance amongst Ringed Plover. The white reaching above the gape line was visible through the scope on 30 - 40 magnification at around 60 feet and possibly more although initially it was a difficult bird to pick out from the Ringed Plover. The beak was also rather stubby and although the latter two photos show a paler base to the lower mandible this was very difficult to see. Even more difficult to see and not actually noted in the field, although visible in the digi-scoped photos was a narrow, dull yellow eye-ring.<br />
The most distinctive feature was the loud "Chu-eett" call. This was heard on just three or four occasions but drew attention and was why it was found in the first place. Jk recalls that he had been walking near the bay with Sue, his wife the night before when he heard the call and asked what was that. Sue obviously replied that's a Semipalmated Plover! He returned the next afternoon and the rest is history. Well done John a real birder's bird. <br />
Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-6548147072501336152012-09-03T06:01:00.003-07:002012-09-08T11:41:44.490-07:00The Moth Man that Wanted to be a BeaverThe lure of a day looking at difficult to identify macro moths at the Aigas Field Centre in Beauly accompanied by our very own Hebridean Moth Man was hard to resist; and so on a wet and windy Friday 31st August I found myself with Moth Man heading across the Minch on a rocky ferry. Birds and cetaceans were in short supply although perhaps the force 7 and poor visibilty didn't help much although Moth Man did manage to catch a breaching Minke Whale at the moment I turned to scan the white water on the other side of the ferry. Apparently it almost cleared the sea surface and made one hell of a splash as I'm sure you can imagine (as I had to) a 30 foot whale would do!<br />
We drove through the highlands and got to our wild camp ground on the edge of the River Beauly not far from the field centre in plenty of time for me to hammer the pegs for the tent into the rocky ground well before darkness descended upon us. We enjoyed the local birdlife including Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch and Long-taild Tits (all rare birds in the Outer Hebrides) before setting our respective moth traps and retiring to the two-man tent. The next day started well with Moth Man out before dawn checking the traps to make sure no moth would escape or be eaten before we had chance to examine them, whilst I reclined on a rock that lay underneath the tent and my back. I was just about drifting off when a large clatter brought me round. This was shortly followed by a few choice words and I imagined that Moth Man had dropped his trap that he had apparently decided to move in the dark. Happy with this scenario I drifted off to sleep. As it turned out Moth Man had discovered a rather deep hole and stuck his foot in it. This resulted in a rather nasty fall and loss of skin to the hand and knee area. He put on a brave face and drunk some of his cold coffee from the day before although he did seem happier after I made him a bacon butty and a fresh cuppa. The traps were fairly quiet although mine held 2 Anomalous and Moth Man had his first Barred Chestnuts as well as various micros that he warbled on about for a while. We arrived at the field centre early and enjoyed poking our noses into the pre-set traps with one sheltering a superb Angle-striped Sallow. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of this beauty but will try and include one, once I get one from Moth Man. Some of the other delights can be seen below:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dgn9kYyEaCKWwye6m63p8mDwb7Ll2vpJ_7DRnjLowsM0JSHDErNB27BZpteZm6Jxn_9gKXkC5kpvMJXYZbFLxoTSyeuGQZU8mwM4OOfTKsvWdCdN1m3BV1RihC30UIRFIiDNfLQpsog/s1600/Barred+Chestnut+Aigas+2012+male+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dgn9kYyEaCKWwye6m63p8mDwb7Ll2vpJ_7DRnjLowsM0JSHDErNB27BZpteZm6Jxn_9gKXkC5kpvMJXYZbFLxoTSyeuGQZU8mwM4OOfTKsvWdCdN1m3BV1RihC30UIRFIiDNfLQpsog/s320/Barred+Chestnut+Aigas+2012+male+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barred Chestnut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYFhae9iTnkF2Rap7wWmpqLzPI9XnU88Lm6euFLIiYj7yjrplVehnB9ESQiyx6jO8eNYMwBNjgNwjDuv4z1r94ukrvKa-ioHlVETsUClIHGJtuTgv9cdxXrJzA5OziTG9yKjZlBsEfp8/s1600/Barred+Chestnut+Aigas+area+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYFhae9iTnkF2Rap7wWmpqLzPI9XnU88Lm6euFLIiYj7yjrplVehnB9ESQiyx6jO8eNYMwBNjgNwjDuv4z1r94ukrvKa-ioHlVETsUClIHGJtuTgv9cdxXrJzA5OziTG9yKjZlBsEfp8/s320/Barred+Chestnut+Aigas+area+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barred Chestnut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJt7CvN1eQu0Ba-UIfR30VabNq9dS9A4G_zCJEHZbnqbuDLg0Xn9jU3zTCHIMN4izVmoHKzTEPXBOLFHsU69zxYkA5WDaDFqXHj0kkMaNu-cGXrtjxKbUbIOr3TADyK6d-6InLhPpr8KA/s1600/Blue-bordered+Carpet+Sept+Aigas+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJt7CvN1eQu0Ba-UIfR30VabNq9dS9A4G_zCJEHZbnqbuDLg0Xn9jU3zTCHIMN4izVmoHKzTEPXBOLFHsU69zxYkA5WDaDFqXHj0kkMaNu-cGXrtjxKbUbIOr3TADyK6d-6InLhPpr8KA/s320/Blue-bordered+Carpet+Sept+Aigas+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue-bordered Carpet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFanTB1hOEvDVAy00AY0Amaf15PfG2N4DTW0026zfEOfaoQsoJ-Vf36djJcbXKiSK0GlYbxfg9cDrlpLZl66V6LCKcikMKIOi7ODUSJOfjtvAX6wereMFxNl_vAfduNakCx5t5k8k4dE/s1600/Dotted+Carpet+Sept+Aigas+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFanTB1hOEvDVAy00AY0Amaf15PfG2N4DTW0026zfEOfaoQsoJ-Vf36djJcbXKiSK0GlYbxfg9cDrlpLZl66V6LCKcikMKIOi7ODUSJOfjtvAX6wereMFxNl_vAfduNakCx5t5k8k4dE/s320/Dotted+Carpet+Sept+Aigas+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dotted Carpet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZNFGMhQ-iTHqQaABf72bcD7uaLUua6qTYvEp6L8wzC7heMfTS-9fOOEn-dgAXqs0mxLQ5w8_NjHCcbauqzyZF83P77ct1B3XDWDR_ge-v1hpJ3MALqb9h6cJ0DOwDKSRaPge1GFbos8/s1600/Rosy+Minor+Sept+Aigas+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZNFGMhQ-iTHqQaABf72bcD7uaLUua6qTYvEp6L8wzC7heMfTS-9fOOEn-dgAXqs0mxLQ5w8_NjHCcbauqzyZF83P77ct1B3XDWDR_ge-v1hpJ3MALqb9h6cJ0DOwDKSRaPge1GFbos8/s320/Rosy+Minor+Sept+Aigas+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosy Minor</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There were many others that I failed to photograph which were very nice but I couldn't resist capturing a few micros which were well worth a look and unfamiliar to us from the islands. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GKuKbeuFGOI6pgX_TZI2D_InUZpbTED37IfPkaq9PWCXc-4_NuuLMThyEjo-evwz_xBop4fINJSzfUrOqnPRJGtxJvHwYnmDjMOnX7CFRdcJeMmO8Lo_-m6T9jtueGLvIEIB-R5YgYI/s1600/Epinotia+tringonella+Aigas+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GKuKbeuFGOI6pgX_TZI2D_InUZpbTED37IfPkaq9PWCXc-4_NuuLMThyEjo-evwz_xBop4fINJSzfUrOqnPRJGtxJvHwYnmDjMOnX7CFRdcJeMmO8Lo_-m6T9jtueGLvIEIB-R5YgYI/s320/Epinotia+tringonella+Aigas+2012+c.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Epinotia tringonella</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5D2cUNQ57iLwUh-VF8FRmbSqt0WDlDY87IJgiQ2yVkQ_2RHe4O0HAdnOF8oNKAjNfocg3o8Jj-AR7wHuRIGIxEe9yS9dg9Tz1Swz0uhK9Fd90Cmd-Wf0SU2sKyYCtLh541wYPYD8W04/s1600/Epinotia+tringonella+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5D2cUNQ57iLwUh-VF8FRmbSqt0WDlDY87IJgiQ2yVkQ_2RHe4O0HAdnOF8oNKAjNfocg3o8Jj-AR7wHuRIGIxEe9yS9dg9Tz1Swz0uhK9Fd90Cmd-Wf0SU2sKyYCtLh541wYPYD8W04/s320/Epinotia+tringonella+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Epinotia tringonella</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRKK4A6nvLgz3YQXpltzZ3k0q5HT3gVi3m1zr6xG5H6k7GJfMhC7B1Ny5PQPnLpcxw0DzwnTd9GiF19GtNNaLqwn9vxq2u-XjzfgilOSTli4__i0JFpEZou42I_2qqpkMueA8Ya0B8XI/s1600/Eudonia+truncicolella+Aigas+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRKK4A6nvLgz3YQXpltzZ3k0q5HT3gVi3m1zr6xG5H6k7GJfMhC7B1Ny5PQPnLpcxw0DzwnTd9GiF19GtNNaLqwn9vxq2u-XjzfgilOSTli4__i0JFpEZou42I_2qqpkMueA8Ya0B8XI/s320/Eudonia+truncicolella+Aigas+2012+c.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eudonia truncicolella</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQia10GTQRdL9dy1KLUsygDyvqBa7v77EAxHhhC6-HJElrRQpF9Gt7yMYgOY_i1_B-_f1zhzAIu-1mnMrtgkaConQWqYCRJ8Sh3YVD36cOHVfcvAVB_dP7h0uMmenuZNYpDWkB6q0kkg/s1600/Ypsolopha+parenthesella+Aigas+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQia10GTQRdL9dy1KLUsygDyvqBa7v77EAxHhhC6-HJElrRQpF9Gt7yMYgOY_i1_B-_f1zhzAIu-1mnMrtgkaConQWqYCRJ8Sh3YVD36cOHVfcvAVB_dP7h0uMmenuZNYpDWkB6q0kkg/s320/Ypsolopha+parenthesella+Aigas+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ypsolopha parethasella</i></td></tr>
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After lunch we had a talk about Pine-tree Lappet which is very rare and was trapped at Aigas on my last visit here in 2010. They actually caught two of these massive moths at the time and as fortune would have it, one laid eggs. These had been reared over the intervening years and lovingly cared for revealing an unexpected life cycle. The catterpillar basically takes two years as a larva and then pupates to become an adult moth in its third year whilst it's closest relations genetically can apparently manage three generations in one year. It is described as a pest of conifers in some parts of Europe and how it came to be in Scotland is very much a mystery. At the moment it occurs at such low density that it is no threat although once the Forestry Commision got wind of its existence they weren't keen on admiring it for its beauty and are to be convinced to its harmlessness; quite understanably.<br />
Anyhow following a couple of short talks we headed off for a walk around part of Aigas estate which is when Moth Man realised that actually deep in his heart he wanted to be a beaver. Before I could mutter <i>Ypsolopha</i> he was down on his knees gnawing away avidly at the base of a tree close to a beaver's lodge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQdfwZyKz7wDLn7hFWJImwrXHO1JlCa-EmHxzaEb7F0m-lWxfTksVWseo-nZupb-ASNDgQDIuPFMbHZ6EELCzYKkK5T0HZoUik0czoWXxBxavgBoQ0Lle0buRzvzH2MZCzNHWqdqCMrw/s1600/JK+Beaver+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQdfwZyKz7wDLn7hFWJImwrXHO1JlCa-EmHxzaEb7F0m-lWxfTksVWseo-nZupb-ASNDgQDIuPFMbHZ6EELCzYKkK5T0HZoUik0czoWXxBxavgBoQ0Lle0buRzvzH2MZCzNHWqdqCMrw/s320/JK+Beaver+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moth Man turned Beaver</td></tr>
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Eventually I managed to prize him away from his new found lust with the mention of leaf-mining micros and news of an <i>Acleris laterana. </i>This seemed to do the trick and we quickly returned to base where we were rewarded with close, if somewhat brief views of a Hobby.<br />
The course came to an end with discussion on the separation of Lempke's Gold Spot and Gold Spot and Mark Young promising to show some genitlia to Moth Man if he'd like to visit. The rain then started and we drove through Glen Shiel and Skye in awe at the most dramatic flash floods, as the water cascading down the mountain sides. Amazingly as we approached Uig the clouds parted and the sun peaked out just before dusk; behind was Armagedon! <br />
Our second and final night was spent in Uig Woodland where I camped and Moth Man mooched. The morning brought us decent catches in our moth traps with pride of place going to <i>Ypsolopha vittella</i> which neither of us had seen before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY7xzTUbeItsPqKK9vcZAq2EFrfxOir6CFsrIhuksnMx2LM-eshgdUkyalynRCKuCTt3AFsMK2YF_jaOXdyfYfuDQ6sfiYMPzS-Trlefypn-jE5lTrgrPy40sM4yeqD0iXd3G6SDHpro/s1600/Ypsolopha+vittella+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY7xzTUbeItsPqKK9vcZAq2EFrfxOir6CFsrIhuksnMx2LM-eshgdUkyalynRCKuCTt3AFsMK2YF_jaOXdyfYfuDQ6sfiYMPzS-Trlefypn-jE5lTrgrPy40sM4yeqD0iXd3G6SDHpro/s320/Ypsolopha+vittella+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ypsolopha vittella</i></td></tr>
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We caught the morning ferry to Lochmaddy in somewhat drier and less windy conditions than we had come across in. Lots of Kittiwakes were seen around Skye along with reasonable numbers of Manx Shearwaters and auks. The mid-Minch itself was pretty quiet until we were just over half way across when a small flock of 6 Storm Petrels were seen dancing above the waves to the north of the ferry. These were followed by another 2 singles before a brief sighting of a close Risso's Dolphin. Finally as we entered the outer harbour an adult White-tailed Eagle was watched to the north, hanging on the wind before casuing pandemonium amongst the gulls feeding around the fish farm. A fine end to great couple of days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angle-striped Sallow</td></tr>
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Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-19136916318226360902012-08-15T12:53:00.002-07:002012-08-15T12:53:22.037-07:00Eagles and Otters - a fine day out in North UistA warm, breezy day in North Uist with the car thermometer reading up to 23 degrees - not sure how accurate it is but it was certainly warm despite the strong wind from the east. Adrian Lee, <a href="http://www.wildlifenorthwest.co.uk/">Wildlife North West</a> had requested a tour of the island with the hope of connecting with otters and birds of prey. As it happens his top request was Hen Harrier as he'd not seen one before and no sooner had we started than our first Hen Harrier of the day was spotted along the road to Loch Euphort. The female showed well, if briefly as it crossed the road in front of us. Numerous Red Deer were picked up here as at many other spots around the island. We headed back to the main road and whilst scanning the moorland to the north-west we spotted a Golden Eagle being mobbed by a Buzzard. A quick spin up the main road put us more or less under the encounter and gave us great views of the pair as they headed east.<br />
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The Committee Road was quiet and our ottter site produced little although very fresh spraints outside a holt revealed that they were in the area and a Red-throated Diver bobbed on the sea. We headed around the north-west corner of the island and as we rounded the corner at Scolpaig came across our second harrier of the day, this time a fine adult male. We watched the bird as it flew low across the loch and towards the valley leading back the way we came so we reversed our route and watched the bird hunt low over the moor. Unfortunately it never came close again although we did spot a juvenile Ruff in flight over Loch Olobhat.<br />
Heading back towards Scolpaig our attention was drawn to a commotion over the hillside where 3 Kestrels were chasing a Merlin that was carrying prey. They soon disappeared over the hill and we carried on to Clettreval. More Kestrels were on view but little else so we popped into Loch Sandary where 3 Whooper Swans remained. Our next stop saw us at Aird an Runair, Balranald. The beach held a small number of waders including a juvenile Little Stint whilst a Corn Bunting sang from a nearby fence.<br />
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The afternoon was ticking away so we returned to our otter site but not before having a close encounter with another male Hen Harrier en route. It showed well although again all to brief before it had vanished low over the corn fields. Once back at our otter site we almost immediately found one feeding. In total we watched it for around 50 minutes, in which time it came tantalisingly close as if it was going to come ashore just below our position but alas it never did although it did show well bringing its larger catches out on a rocky island to eat in full view.<br />
Finally we headed back south and called in at Baleshare in search of more harriers. We paused to look at a flock of alarmed Lapwings to discover an immature Golden Eagle perched on a fence post. It appeared enormous and allowed us to approach within150 feet before deciding it was time to move to another post further away; flushing masses of Greylag Geese as it went. We turned back to the car and a Merlin came hurtling past in hot pursuit of a small passerine that managed to take shelter in a small garden nearby. The Merlin perched on the edge of the beach before heading off once again flushing 5 knot as it went; \ fine end to the day.<br />
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<br />Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-50791942238684018942012-08-14T12:33:00.000-07:002012-08-14T12:33:56.644-07:00Mountains, Moths and other BeastiesWe (Finlay, Freya, Johanne and I) just got back from a few days on the mainland staying one night at Braefield, on the road to Cannich and two nights in Drumnadrochit. It was another of our short holiday come shopping trips to Inverness; we were beginning to look a bit thread bare and the kids' feet needed measuring again. We also managed a day in Glen Affric as well as notching up a couple of mountains for my pittyful Munro list.<br />
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Thursday 9th: The early ferry from Lochmaddy to Uig, Skye was quite productive with 3 sightings of Common Dolphins (at least 10 in the closest group); a Minke Whale just off Skye and around 8 Storm Petrels amongst other seabirds. The rest of the day was taken up by a nice drive through Skye and Glen Shiel before an afternoon shopping in Inverness - what fun! Well actually it turned out to the best shopping trip I've ever had as Tizos in the centre of town was having a closing down sale which was unfortunate for the staff but fantastic for us with everything reduced by 50%.<br />
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Friday 10th: First stop was emptying my moth trap (a small Heath trap) that I set in a area of birch and coniferous plantation near to Braefield. The day had been nice and hot but the early morning was cool with low-lying mist and temperatures down to 5 degrees but there was still plenty in the trap including numerous Mottled Beauties, Barred Red and a single Welsh Wave amongst others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barred Red</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welsh Wave</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Returning to the hostel were we knocked together a breakfast, re-packed the car and rounded up the kids before spending the rest of the day in Glen Affric. Johanne kindly volunteered to look after sprogs no. 1 and 2 whilst I headed to the hills. It was hot, I was hung-over and I soon had a sweat on. The aim was to climb two peaks, Toll Creagach followed by Tom a'Chonich in roughly a circular route. What I hadn't done is consulted the book properly and made my own route up the first peak, Toll Creagach which although not much more than a large, rounded lump was actually very interesting wildlife wise. The stoney southerly slopes had lots of berry plants including Cloud Berry and Cow Berry whilst on the upper reaches I came across a few diminutuve examples of Common Cow-wheat growing on very exposed ground just to the south of the summit. The summit itself afforded superb views in the t-shirt weather and as I headed over to the next mountain I flushed two adult Dotterel from the western slope close to the top.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Cow-wheat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toll Creagach</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The haul up to the next peak was even more enjoyable, clambering up the rocky ridge. The views from the summit of Tom a'Chonich were superb and the fine ridge running away towards Carn Eighe very tempting although perhaps another 3 hours in the mountains and 3 hours late for my lift might not have been appreciated so I headed down the south-east ridge and had great views of a family party of Ptarmigan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqrE4_OW1XNYUVgGkey-es8Zs8UcaCbRBlKKB0siT81XncUnliexGIeFlw8xE1hIe6Q-3ZgR1dWm4GNXfV504aDPxI7UUS1rAWJ-vk8OOmyFgBR7Kw27VbI5AVcybBng05hJccR-oh_s/s1600/Mam+Sodhail+from+Tom+a%27Choinich+aug+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqrE4_OW1XNYUVgGkey-es8Zs8UcaCbRBlKKB0siT81XncUnliexGIeFlw8xE1hIe6Q-3ZgR1dWm4GNXfV504aDPxI7UUS1rAWJ-vk8OOmyFgBR7Kw27VbI5AVcybBng05hJccR-oh_s/s320/Mam+Sodhail+from+Tom+a%27Choinich+aug+2012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mam Sodhail from Tom a'Chonich</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeMTlfax42ZZOqhWxblc_rxsamTPXl_LMWTlWzaQHQgM1aXdSPgYsuItgqjBdZJCDJteMyRt9qb-BfejkHyeuRCBMN0nE60HLoR9ZhAkL0y3vopWNgXjCtSEMUPfGumtyZULmCoDh9TM/s1600/Ptarmigan+on+Tom+a%27+Chonich+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeMTlfax42ZZOqhWxblc_rxsamTPXl_LMWTlWzaQHQgM1aXdSPgYsuItgqjBdZJCDJteMyRt9qb-BfejkHyeuRCBMN0nE60HLoR9ZhAkL0y3vopWNgXjCtSEMUPfGumtyZULmCoDh9TM/s320/Ptarmigan+on+Tom+a%27+Chonich+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ptarmigan</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEtFqxmcF_xKEixmwgH-7PY0ca0pdrrCWIudvfO64ZRc74JsEV_4Lfi2wuCeIch3HYlDkBuCwkhFSpZLcQvFacDBvYJN5fvC8CmvkbwHKEMzyG5ii4EqC64VWSNu-CpVN3jWdxuSHjws/s1600/Ptarmigan+August+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEtFqxmcF_xKEixmwgH-7PY0ca0pdrrCWIudvfO64ZRc74JsEV_4Lfi2wuCeIch3HYlDkBuCwkhFSpZLcQvFacDBvYJN5fvC8CmvkbwHKEMzyG5ii4EqC64VWSNu-CpVN3jWdxuSHjws/s320/Ptarmigan+August+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The valley bottom was alive with insects with hordes of Scotch Argus butterflies as well as Dark Green Fritillaries and Large Heath. Dragonflies hawked along the path and both Golden-ringed Dragonfly and Common Hawker posed for photos on the way back to our meeting point.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFJ_1_iETfK9wZZgZJmdcq_andZeqZN6lBc83tJIkSQkX9DQS3m0hEpiTOoyK3I5O0QsC1iYr4OWjHOmN0_R-F-br8JdbKH48U_B47HZo51JK9MVVt06S_d3LZlg8e3U8D1O7v7DSBL4/s1600/Tom+a%27Chonich+Aug+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFJ_1_iETfK9wZZgZJmdcq_andZeqZN6lBc83tJIkSQkX9DQS3m0hEpiTOoyK3I5O0QsC1iYr4OWjHOmN0_R-F-br8JdbKH48U_B47HZo51JK9MVVt06S_d3LZlg8e3U8D1O7v7DSBL4/s320/Tom+a%27Chonich+Aug+2012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom a'Chonich</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhr8guREx28VI3rvnsYwMvSmBD22uQRPimh8hd9cdmyekVFehk1gsOKtkrPwOWPB2RWN2sMpQ1kX6pNDoNBDi3g7PVzykrCltjYwe_GEsBOxsz6YE0HVUkQgdwRZ7Yn3VYZ_dBa0BhrI/s1600/Common+Hawker+female+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhr8guREx28VI3rvnsYwMvSmBD22uQRPimh8hd9cdmyekVFehk1gsOKtkrPwOWPB2RWN2sMpQ1kX6pNDoNBDi3g7PVzykrCltjYwe_GEsBOxsz6YE0HVUkQgdwRZ7Yn3VYZ_dBa0BhrI/s320/Common+Hawker+female+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Hawker (female)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZm0_NNxnkOtNvr1aNR2x5nHLFxalzVBe5ml9t1nkVxw-NBbb06Po8X7vzkEhT0o8i_CNuo9rNAGmag8A-0o6NwE3liJQvGqrdxQy1kgKRjfHHWzs49ljCWTVVU2Van4Az8DIMyjKzto/s1600/Golden-ringed+Dragonfly+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZm0_NNxnkOtNvr1aNR2x5nHLFxalzVBe5ml9t1nkVxw-NBbb06Po8X7vzkEhT0o8i_CNuo9rNAGmag8A-0o6NwE3liJQvGqrdxQy1kgKRjfHHWzs49ljCWTVVU2Van4Az8DIMyjKzto/s320/Golden-ringed+Dragonfly+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden-ringed Dragonfly </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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As I got back to the road a Tree Pipit flew up from the Bracken into the nearby trees and I passed away the next few minutes awaiting Johanne's return by enjoying the spectacle of two guys trying to extricate their landrover from where they'd got it stuck close to the loch edge.<br />
Finally a quick jaunt to a small loch near Dog Falls produced a couple of cracking Emerald Damselflies and Black Darters.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXT-Iqq3PhXRGZuVC_Ofk_o-q8iSLJo-4urMxhPFkmQ0zSVAhZhkddS1PUE4FFKmoA4yYN2VrJlgbgyCQOp7EC16tYqHVwSaJr88KbXyJE9bjepf-z72QO233rHq0jG61i7g9TGWu1NBI/s1600/Black+Darter+Glen+Affric+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXT-Iqq3PhXRGZuVC_Ofk_o-q8iSLJo-4urMxhPFkmQ0zSVAhZhkddS1PUE4FFKmoA4yYN2VrJlgbgyCQOp7EC16tYqHVwSaJr88KbXyJE9bjepf-z72QO233rHq0jG61i7g9TGWu1NBI/s320/Black+Darter+Glen+Affric+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Darter</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWuN3Cc-mdz4AzzkXk4Y1tpWZQGmrrr7wLGNhT6y77DFYkgSnl1j2xKxJ9tiOu_vd8f-dv3klVGmjoYt4Pmsz89ebfpFG0Ixzgqm6teaQcp__b0myUaMAWeGiu8AyBMzfa8WcNg8_B7M/s1600/Emerald+damselfly+Glen+affric+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWuN3Cc-mdz4AzzkXk4Y1tpWZQGmrrr7wLGNhT6y77DFYkgSnl1j2xKxJ9tiOu_vd8f-dv3klVGmjoYt4Pmsz89ebfpFG0Ixzgqm6teaQcp__b0myUaMAWeGiu8AyBMzfa8WcNg8_B7M/s320/Emerald+damselfly+Glen+affric+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emerald Damselfly</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Saturday 11th: Another day enjoying the pleasures of Inverness with more clothes shopping and a spell in the local park and on the minature railway. We rounded off the day with a trip around the Nessy Exhibition in Drumnadrochit which I was not looking forward to but turned out to be excellent and even kept the kids quiet for a few minutes.<br />
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Sunday 12th: The moth trap (set in the woodland by Loch Ness at Drumnadrochit) had a few goodies in it this morning - well at least a couple of beasties that I'd not seen before including Plain Clay and Square-spotted Clay amongst others.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzc5pU4B7zT9muFEnrmPHUgtkH1d7QcKCURZN_AezCGy03-ORzFv2dmngOEVuo3Tgm26wTnVKmtXMIZDZjUvCTnN87_HBMDnU1HLAjmYdFfOcuR3nh-2XSLYoolgpQl9L9DYmFLb_nhg/s1600/Riband+Wave+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzc5pU4B7zT9muFEnrmPHUgtkH1d7QcKCURZN_AezCGy03-ORzFv2dmngOEVuo3Tgm26wTnVKmtXMIZDZjUvCTnN87_HBMDnU1HLAjmYdFfOcuR3nh-2XSLYoolgpQl9L9DYmFLb_nhg/s320/Riband+Wave+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riband Wave</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDD_GiwhHJz32sBwsw3hF_ca3MRhiEKXjmqfeAt5HZUW8fr7ZlNQwL3okQ0FnBBQD2YmDt3dbZjE5l5-jVTtybWfxW4fg7UHLnrPUga39CJJ691_GfA2KyJOCdNK0jL5cJSh3SNW-Ly0/s1600/Small+Rivulet+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDD_GiwhHJz32sBwsw3hF_ca3MRhiEKXjmqfeAt5HZUW8fr7ZlNQwL3okQ0FnBBQD2YmDt3dbZjE5l5-jVTtybWfxW4fg7UHLnrPUga39CJJ691_GfA2KyJOCdNK0jL5cJSh3SNW-Ly0/s320/Small+Rivulet+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small Rivulet</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_Mnn2lMdp6nFwfrfjBbQcPli7wmCYKUzfvyQ7fJAqlsQVoZtGtIEVb3AUrPQ2XMeIR9vOmB6DOXrE7r87b27rk4Z2T25QMyn2GJ4xpvchDQ9QVHs7puc9NkaAldvfHfiQeUMJL1a1qc/s1600/Plain+Clay+nr+Drumnadrochit+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_Mnn2lMdp6nFwfrfjBbQcPli7wmCYKUzfvyQ7fJAqlsQVoZtGtIEVb3AUrPQ2XMeIR9vOmB6DOXrE7r87b27rk4Z2T25QMyn2GJ4xpvchDQ9QVHs7puc9NkaAldvfHfiQeUMJL1a1qc/s320/Plain+Clay+nr+Drumnadrochit+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plain Clay</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YrQugOXmQ1RjCqZjHhyphenhyphenfA7HtaV8WFkugTNYS6aGIMGSjWKOaDg2X07wGoutbJddHeVhLHhQep1MNcjhexmNOANMX_Hv3P3dFpJCY9lwpnKacXbvOiaM8mt7vE6CXChCDaFSJ2X3EoeA/s1600/Twin+spot+carpet+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YrQugOXmQ1RjCqZjHhyphenhyphenfA7HtaV8WFkugTNYS6aGIMGSjWKOaDg2X07wGoutbJddHeVhLHhQep1MNcjhexmNOANMX_Hv3P3dFpJCY9lwpnKacXbvOiaM8mt7vE6CXChCDaFSJ2X3EoeA/s320/Twin+spot+carpet+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin-spot Carpet</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Bd6D6_nQFDh-zJ2LfJCWSi1C2_MykW4piyrcE-zGmAnk-jo0oBGGWoB7ckHQrWjh9AdJtZ9NzTZqIRF7AtvBXsfidyJkwEOlNBTd58DNpqLXZKbtzZXRis1eUYm4sjckPVmsEQagADc/s1600/Square-spotted+Clay+Aug+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Bd6D6_nQFDh-zJ2LfJCWSi1C2_MykW4piyrcE-zGmAnk-jo0oBGGWoB7ckHQrWjh9AdJtZ9NzTZqIRF7AtvBXsfidyJkwEOlNBTd58DNpqLXZKbtzZXRis1eUYm4sjckPVmsEQagADc/s320/Square-spotted+Clay+Aug+2012+c.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Square-spotted Clay</td></tr>
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The car was re-packed, well more like everything was thrown in and breakfast consumed so we could get to Glen Shiel in plenty of time for my final ascent along Am Bathach to Ciste Dhubh. It was a bit cloudier today which was great as hiking up the steep ridge in the baking heat wouldn't have been much fun. Still the cloud was high enough to allow some excellent views and I was quietly patting myself on the back for reaching the summit of Ciste Dhubh in just over 2 hours when a couple of young(ish) girls turned up; one of which had just done the Cuillin Ridge over two days and only had 6 Munros left to complete the set. Ah well, I only have another 226 to go!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5cMfrTYe4IXUFnSNjSZWx48WpaSIFNlkWbHdLEcFijLbU5qwJeeAMAqNBhxyv2QCAOZs6vX3e7gL2n1Z3SRdyQ_7Au7ABXKFG0MBxWZ7KsZlFzfnc7-8j-YPFgcCoY1nsA-fnPUi1HA/s1600/Ciste+Dhubh+Aug+12th+2012+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5cMfrTYe4IXUFnSNjSZWx48WpaSIFNlkWbHdLEcFijLbU5qwJeeAMAqNBhxyv2QCAOZs6vX3e7gL2n1Z3SRdyQ_7Au7ABXKFG0MBxWZ7KsZlFzfnc7-8j-YPFgcCoY1nsA-fnPUi1HA/s320/Ciste+Dhubh+Aug+12th+2012+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ciste Dhubh</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig94DGP5BzNQ1khRkLI7w5hZnSt5L9eQAkv9fRuLC-C3nKeh-feb6XAb55ycRECV_JaQpHZxHW6ywyxVI95msDOJGRqkHDUjJNdZ0lZTOAUfguarv6fxEqEYVsYprgjKIAFys9qJeUQTE/s1600/Ciste+Dhubh+summit+looking+down.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig94DGP5BzNQ1khRkLI7w5hZnSt5L9eQAkv9fRuLC-C3nKeh-feb6XAb55ycRECV_JaQpHZxHW6ywyxVI95msDOJGRqkHDUjJNdZ0lZTOAUfguarv6fxEqEYVsYprgjKIAFys9qJeUQTE/s320/Ciste+Dhubh+summit+looking+down.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down from summit of Ciste Dhubh (one of them in red has only 6 Munros to do)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-t970x-Lwj_avAd42p4dp_HiRUw_sG83nLjOW03VWcIRefiAbKxVDKQvSg836LiM3__WNOi7nalazWxw2rvxaIED_zskVktioY6aJhWWrwV2PEha1YkpkXsSRq3-IStBRUgtxw-LUlJE/s1600/Ciste+Dhubh+looking+west.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-t970x-Lwj_avAd42p4dp_HiRUw_sG83nLjOW03VWcIRefiAbKxVDKQvSg836LiM3__WNOi7nalazWxw2rvxaIED_zskVktioY6aJhWWrwV2PEha1YkpkXsSRq3-IStBRUgtxw-LUlJE/s320/Ciste+Dhubh+looking+west.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west from Ciste Dhubh</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The ferry home, Uig - Lochmaddy produced another (possibly the same) Minke Whale just off Skye and a couple of Storm Petrels rounding off a very nice few days and some great bargains in the outdoor shop.Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-26270035795036210472012-08-05T05:07:00.000-07:002012-08-05T05:07:09.023-07:00Black-winged Pratincole in Outer HebridesOn the 2nd August 2012, Tony Marr found a Black-winged Pratincole as it dropped onto the machair adjacent to Loch Stiapabhat, just 1.5 miles south of the Butt of Lewis. This is only the 4th record for Scotland following birds on Fair Isle in 1927; Aberdeenshire, 1976 and Angus 1996.<br />
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Despite its extreme rarity and obvious appeal very few birders have made much attempt to see this superb and unsual wader. This probably reflects the difficulties and cost of getting to the site but also perhaps reflects just how rare a bird has to be before many people make the effort to twitch the off-shore islands.<br />
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Lucky for me I was already booked on the late ferry between Berneray and Harris on 3rd August as I had an early start the following morning at Siadar to survey birds for the renewable energy project here. An anxious wait followed to see if the bird was present that morning with the initial news at 9am being negative that there was no sign of the wee cracker despite searching since 6 am. I needn't have worried as around 10:30 am Tony found the bird once again hawking over Loch Stiapabhat and kindly kept an eye on it throughout the day. On my arrival just after 8 pm Tony was also there to meet me (what a good man he is) and we eventually located the bird in fading light as it flew around with a flock of Lapwings in fields adjacent to Loch Stiapabhat. We even managed to watch the bird running around in the grass in a courser-like fashion before the fact that passing vehicles had their main lights on persuaded us it was time to leave. <br />
I revisited Loch Stiapabhat on the 4th where the throng of admirers (Tony and Andrew Stevenson) were already watching it as it hawked low over the loch for around 45 minutes. I managed to obtain a few images (above) that morning before having to leave to continue the survey work.<br />
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At the time of writing the bird is still present and up to 12 people have been to see it! <br />
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If you're keen on finding your own rarities the Butt of Lewis / Loch Stiapabhat area is an obvious choice, lying at the northern tip of the Outer Hebrides; although it has been woefully neglected due to its isolation. It has gone through long periods with sparse and irregular coverage; that is until Tony moved in at Port of Ness a few years ago. Since he became a regular in the area he has found: Killdeer, Blue-winged Teal, Gyr Falcon (more than once), Baird's Sandpiper, Red-rumped Swallow, Alpine Swift and numerous scarce waders such as American Golden Plover, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, White-rumped Sandpiper and Pecs. Add to that the success of past visitors with Europe's first Purple Martin; Least Sandpiper wandering around the car park at the Butt; Scotland's highest count of Great Shearwaters; plus the regular early spring gathering of White-billed Divers off Port of Ness / Skigersta you can begin to see what potential this site has. It's just a shame it's at the a**e end of anywhere, unless you like crowd free birding!Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608151731848369508.post-8871077898657860382012-07-24T09:02:00.000-07:002012-07-24T09:02:05.565-07:00Otter on BenbeculaIt's not always easy to find otters in the Outer Hebrides although you regularly bump into them when you're least expecting to. Today was one of those days and although the light was poor and my two small sprogs, Finlay (age 6) and Freya (age 3) were there to help, it did show very well; well enough to get a couple of shots. <br />
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Finlay also enjoyed the site of the otter rolling in a rock pool, getting quite excited as it tackled various crabs and eels. Freya on the other hand was more interested in the tennis ball we'd found and took to splashing in a puddle. I took the opportunity to creep a little closer as the otter devoured a catch on a rock. It appeared completely oblivious to my approach as it munched away although once finished it became alert and obviously knew something wasn't quite right as when it returned to feed, it took a route away from my crouched position. <br />
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We managed to watch it for a total of around 20 minutes just after mid-day and typically a couple of hours after high tide. This isn't always the case and activity varies with tide height and from day to day at different feeding grounds. Slowly but surely the notes taken on regular observations throughout the last few years and from surveys to identify hot spots of otter activity to avoid disturbance during developments; are helping build a picture of where best to find them and at what time.Steve Duffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01260951281362518583noreply@blogger.com0