Sightings
This page acts as a news site of more notable reports and may contain errors and omissions. The official record is published as the annual Highland Bird Report (HBR) which details records which have been formally submitted and accepted. All records submitted via Birdtrack or directly to the Local Recorder, even if not mentioned on this page, do go into compilation of the HBR. Photographs are copyright of the named photographer and may not be used without explicit permission of the named photographer. Photographs of schedule 1 species will not be displayed on this page during the breeding season, unless accompanied by a valid SNH licence. Similarly any photographs showing obviously tape-lured or distressed birds will not be displayed, please refer to the Bird photography - a new code of practice article from Scottish Birds. To send in your photos for the website please email highlandsocwebmaster@gmail.com.
Highland Records Committee (HRC) species are in green, Scottish Birds Rarities Committee (SBRC) species are in blue and British Bird Rarities Committee (BBRC) species are in red.
This page acts as a news site of more notable reports and may contain errors and omissions. The official record is published as the annual Highland Bird Report (HBR) which details records which have been formally submitted and accepted. All records submitted via Birdtrack or directly to the Local Recorder, even if not mentioned on this page, do go into compilation of the HBR. Photographs are copyright of the named photographer and may not be used without explicit permission of the named photographer. Photographs of schedule 1 species will not be displayed on this page during the breeding season, unless accompanied by a valid SNH licence. Similarly any photographs showing obviously tape-lured or distressed birds will not be displayed, please refer to the Bird photography - a new code of practice article from Scottish Birds. To send in your photos for the website please email highlandsocwebmaster@gmail.com.
Highland Records Committee (HRC) species are in green, Scottish Birds Rarities Committee (SBRC) species are in blue and British Bird Rarities Committee (BBRC) species are in red.
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31st July
Easter Ross: Summer-plumaged Grey Plover at Udale in front of hide plus one Black tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper. Grey Plover still there at 1300pm but moving back to sea edge as tide receded. Inverness-shire: 11 Coot, 10 Whimbrel and 250 Knot at Whiteness Head. 4 Velvet Scoter off Easter Delnies. 30th July
Inverness-shire: Still 2 Black-tailed Godwits and a Common Sandpiper this morning at Muirtown Pools. 5 Black-tailed Godwit at Castle Stuart. Lochaber: Sooty Shearwater off Rum from the ferry. Wester Ross: 27 'alba' wagtails at Achnahaird, 22 Twite and a White-tailed Eagle. 29th July
Easter Ross: 2 adult Little Stints and a Little Gull at Brora. Badenoch and Strathspey: Male Marsh Harrier again from the lookout, above the hide at Loch Insh RSPB. Inverness-shire: 4 Black-tailed Godwits and five Common Sandpipers at Muirtown Pools. Two Common Sandpipers at Alturlie Pools. 255 Knot at Whiteness Bay. Lochaber: Grasshopper Warbler at Kilchoan. 28th July
Inverness-shire: 2 Black-tailed Godwits at Muirtown Pools this morning, also 4 Common Sandpipers and a Kingfisher. Water Rail squealing at Alturlie Pools. Badenoch and Strathspey: Migrant Icterine Warbler trapped and ringed at a garden in Nethybridge. Marsh Harrier at Insh Marshes from Ruthven Barracks at 0900 this morning. Lochaber: Wholly unconfirmed report for Marsh Tit (Bjorn-Tore-Rekve-Seim) from Rubh' a' Chairn Mhoire (NM6778). 27th July
Inverness-shire: 135 Curlew at Milton of Culloden. Easter Ross: 200 Manx Shearwater past Tarbat Ness. Female Redstart in Wester links, Fortrose. Lochaber: Whooper Swan on Canna. 26th July
Inverness-shire: 2 Black-tailed Godwits at Muirtown Pools this morning. 32 Dunlin, Whimbrel and a Pochard at Whiteness. Badenoch and Strathspey: Adult male Marsh Harrier at Insh Marshes at 2pm this afternoon from the visitor centre hide. Late news of a Ruddy Duck on the 18th July from Milton Loch, Boat of Garten, no sign today. Easter Ross: High tide count at Munlochy bay was 84 Curlew and 17 Redshank. Udale bay had 60 Redshank, 140 Curlew, 3 Greenshank, Knot, 16 Dunlin, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Common Tern, 8 Arctic Tern and 230 Canada Geese. Flock of 40 Swifts feeding over Dingwall. 1 Knot and a Whimbrel at Tarbat Ness. Wester Ross: First summer Glaucous Gull in Ullapool at the harbour at 1515pm. Skye and Lochalsh: Four Whooper Swans still at Loch Mealt. 25th July
Inverness-shire: 274 Curlew, 28 Common Tern and 5 Bar-tailed Godwit at Castle Stuart. 4 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Common Sandpipers at Muirtown Pools. Skye and Lochalsh: Storm Petrel rescued from a cat at Dun Studio, Roskill, Dunvegan, and safely released. 460 Herring Gull at Loch Kishorn. Sutherland: 2 Redwings at the Stoer. 24th July
Badenoch and Strathspey: Green Woodpecker at Inshriach near Feshiebridge. Skye and Lochalsh: Single Whimbrel at Dunan. Three Whooper Swan at Loch Mealt. 74 Black-tailed Godwits at Breakish Obbe, and 23 at Waterloo. 23rd July
Inverness-shire: Hobby hunting Swifts over Smithton, Inverness. Easter Ross: 58 Manx Shearwater past Tarbat Ness. Sutherland: Single White Wagtail at Bay of Culkein. 22nd July
Inverness-shire: 100 Bar-Tailed Godwit at Whiteness Head. Easter Ross: Three Little Gulls at Brora at the river mouth. 21st July
Easter Ross: Quail still singing from barley fields to the south of Tain today. 100 Manx Shearwater feeding in tight group to east of Tarbat Ness. Badenoch and Strathspey: Marsh Harrier seen at RSPB Insh Marshes from the visitor centre hide. 20th July
Easter Ross: Quail singing again just to the south of Tain. Adult Little Stint flew north but the beach carpark at Brora today, also a Little Gull flew south. Wester Ross: Grasshopper Warbler singing at Auchindrean, Lochbroom 2.45pm today. 19th July
Wester Ross: 16 Bonxies and 150 Gannets around a bait ball in Annat bay, Ullapool. Easter Ross: Quail singing near Tain. Inverness-shire: 6 Whimbrel at Fort George. 18th July
Wester Ross: 12 Bonxies and an Arctic Skua in Annat bay, Ullapool. Skye and Lochalsh: 41 Sanderling at Staffin Bay. Badenoch and Strathspey: Ruddy Duck on Milton Loch, Boat of Garten. 17th July
Lochaber: Pomarine Skua circled a boat about 2 miles of Arisaig at 1645pm. Inverness-shire: 215 Bar-tailed Godwit and 300 Knot at Whiteness head. Easter Ross: 2nd summer Little Gull in gull roost from beach carpark at Brora. Quail singing in Strathglass. 16th July
Inverness-shire: Juvenile Little Gull over the Muirtown Pools today, mid-morning. 8 Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel at Castle Stuart. Easter Ross: 600 Canada Geese at Alness Point. 15th July
Easter Ross: Single Grasshopper Warbler, in song,Fortress at Ness Road, below Deans Rd at 1000am today (NH733567). Skye and Lochalsh: 16 Black-tailed Godwit in Broadford Bay. 14th July
Inverness-shire: Honey Buzzard (Sam and Debbie Borthwick) photographed being mobbed by Red Kite over Inverness at 1410pm. Skye and Lochalsh: Three Whimbrel in Broadford Bay. 13th July
Skye and Lochalsh: Leucistic Swallow at Uig today. Lochaber: 103 Canada Geese at Caol, Fort William. Sutherland: 4 Arctic Skua at Stoerhead light. 12th July
No reports. 11th July
Wester Ross: Hobby (Dean MacAskill) at Dornoch, flying south towards the Struie golf course. 53 Curlew at Dundonnel, 14 Arctic Terns and 2 Great Northern Divers at Gruinard Bay. First summer Glaucous Gull still at the harbour in Ullapool late evening. Easter Ross: Single Arctic Skua passed Chanonry Point today 1300 heading down Great Glen, also Sandwich Tern. Skye and Lochalsh: Single Black-tailed Godwit in Broadford Bay and a single summer plumage Knot. Inverness-shire: Adult male Hawfinch still present at a garden in Drumnadrochit. 4 Common Sandpipers and 25 Redshanks on the Muirtown Pools, Common Tern at South Kessock. 10th July
Inverness-shire: Adult male Hawfinch in garden at Drumnadrochit. Two Whimbrel at Whiteness Head, also 5 juvenile Sandwich Terns amongst the roosting tern flock and 450 Knot. Easter Ross: First summer Glaucous gull again at river mouth at Brora, also second summer Little Gull. Wester Ross: First summer Glaucous Gull still at the pier in Ullapool. 9th July
Easter Ross: 82 Canada Geese at Redcastle. 11 Common Scoter past Tarbat Ness. 23 Manx Shearwater past the Three Kings buoy off Balintore at 1130am, also 27 past Tarbat Ness and 67 past Brora. Skye and Lochalsh: 6 Black-tailed Godwit at Waterloo, Broadford Bay. Grasshopper Warbler still reeling at Earlish. 8th July
Easter Ross: 400 Canada Geese at Alness Point. Skye and Lochalsh: Four Whooper Swan at Loch Mealt. 8 Black-tailed Godwit flew south from Broadford Bay in the morning, then two in the bay later and two at Loch Portree. 7th July
Inverness-shire: Corn Bunting at Ballagan. Easter Ross: Whimbrel at Tarbat Ness. Skye and Lochalsh: Black-tailed Godwit in Broadford Bay. 6th July
Badenoch and Strathspey: Previously reported Mediterranean Gull was ringed in Norway in April 2016 by Carsten Lome, see photo and map showing movements below (Thanks to Dave Pullan for the info). 5th July
Easter Ross: Sooty Shearwater past Tarbat Ness at 05.50am this morning. Sutherland: 30 Common Scoter flying north past Stoerhead Light. Badenoch and Strathspey: Marsh Harrier again at Insh Marshes RSPB reserve from the hide. 4th July
Badenoch and Strathspey: Marsh Harrier at Insh marshes, view from the RSPB reserve main hide. Sutherland: Single Whooper Swan at Skerray. Wester Ross: Glaucous Gull still at the pier in Ullapool at 4pm. 3rd July
Inverness-shire: Redwing with four fledged young at a site in Inverness-shire (Please submit any other breeding records of Redwing to the Highland Recorder). Easter Ross: First summer Glaucous Gull at Brora late afternoon then flew south. Badenoch and Strathspey: Male Marsh Harrier reported at Insh Marshes RSPB, viewed from the main hide. 2nd July
Wester Ross: First summer Glaucous Gull still in the harbour at Ullapool. 2 Arctic Skuas at Achnahaird beach. Skye and Lochalsh: At least four reeling Grasshopper Warblers in forty acre patch at Tote. Badenoch and Strathspey: Immature White-tailed Eagle at Insh Marshes RSPB, viewed from main hide. 1st July
Badenoch and Strathspey: Again no sign of Mediterranean Gull around Speyside despite searching. Easter Ross: Three adult Black-throated Divers flew southwest past Tarbat Ness. |
