Birdwatching in the Melvich and Portskerra area (written by Graham Crittenden)
The crofting townships of Melvich and Portskerra border Melvich Bay where the Halladale river meets the sea. In the summer months the sea cliffs and beach areas have the best bird watching.
To the east of Melvich Bay are high cliffs which straddle the old county boundary between Sutherland and Caithness. These cliffs have colonies of Fulmar, Kittiwake, auk and Puffins and the best way to access these colonies is via a rough track which runs north from the A836 on the county border at NC920645. There’s a parking area on the north side of the road and it takes about 10 minutes to walk down the rough grassy footpath that leads to the Wester and Middle Cletts which hold large Puffin colonies which can be viewed easily from the cliff tops. Loch Hollistan can be viewed from the footpath and the area around the loch holds a colony of Common Gulls and Dunlin frequent the loch side. Teal, Wigeon and Mallard can be found in winter.
To the east of Melvich Bay are high cliffs which straddle the old county boundary between Sutherland and Caithness. These cliffs have colonies of Fulmar, Kittiwake, auk and Puffins and the best way to access these colonies is via a rough track which runs north from the A836 on the county border at NC920645. There’s a parking area on the north side of the road and it takes about 10 minutes to walk down the rough grassy footpath that leads to the Wester and Middle Cletts which hold large Puffin colonies which can be viewed easily from the cliff tops. Loch Hollistan can be viewed from the footpath and the area around the loch holds a colony of Common Gulls and Dunlin frequent the loch side. Teal, Wigeon and Mallard can be found in winter.
The beach at Melvich Bay is accessed via a marked track which leaves the A836 in the middle of Melvich at NC884643. This is signposted and leads to a car park which overlooks the dunes system and the river Halladale. The river can be crossed by means of a footbridge that leads to Bighouse Lodge and the moorlands that border Bighouse Head and the eastern cliffs. There are small breeding colonies of Arctic Terns on beach and the bend of the river near the river mouth. Ringed Plover breed on the beach area and Greenshank visit the river in the spring. The dune system above the beach is carpeted in flowering plants and July is the best time to see the daytime flying Six-spot Burnet moth and Dark Green Fritillary butterfly. The beach is sandy at the eastern side but rockier to the west and it’s possible to walk the entire length, along to the pier at Portskerra and then on via a marked footpath that leads to Portskerra harbour. The sea cliffs to the west of Portskerra can be accessed via an unmarked track that leaves the single track loop road that passes around the village. This track is on the eastern side of a row of stone cottages near the harbour at NC877663 and skirts the village sewage tanks. The track leads to a beautiful, secluded shingly beach which holds a colony of Scottish Primrose. At the western end of the beach, the rocky outcrops have a very large colony of Herring Gulls and further west, colonies of Greater Black backed Gulls and Shags. It’s quite a tough walk west from this beach but well worthwhile for the spectacular rocky beaches and sea arches and the bird life on the cliffs. Spring and autumn sea watching is worthwhile from these cliffs but Strathy Point, 3 miles to the west of Portskerra, is the best place for this.
There are rough walking tracks that lead inland to the hill lochs behind Melvich, where breeding Divers, Dunlin, Golden Plover and Greenshank can be found. These unmarked peat roads can be found off the A836 100m east of the Melvich hotel and further west at NC868650. They will take you around a mile inland before you have to bog hop.
The spring and in particular the autumn can be excellent for passerine migrants. The area doesn’t have much in the way of trees and scrub that can provide shelter but there is no doubt that regular watching in late May, June, late September, October and early November will yield scarce migrants. My garden in the centre of Melvich does provide such shelter and watching and netting has recorded many scarce migrants over the past 40 years including Barred, Icterine, and Yellow browed Warblers. Siberian Chiffchaff, Firecrest, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Hawfinch, Black-throated Thrush, Arctic Redpoll, Red breasted Flycatcher, Great Grey Shrike and Common Rosefinch have also been recorded. I’m sure that many other of the coastal townships along the north Sutherland coast would produce similar lists for anyone prepared to put in the hours. They may yet turn up a New World bird – an American Robin was seen in Reay 6 miles east of Melvich in autumn of 1975.
The spring and in particular the autumn can be excellent for passerine migrants. The area doesn’t have much in the way of trees and scrub that can provide shelter but there is no doubt that regular watching in late May, June, late September, October and early November will yield scarce migrants. My garden in the centre of Melvich does provide such shelter and watching and netting has recorded many scarce migrants over the past 40 years including Barred, Icterine, and Yellow browed Warblers. Siberian Chiffchaff, Firecrest, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Hawfinch, Black-throated Thrush, Arctic Redpoll, Red breasted Flycatcher, Great Grey Shrike and Common Rosefinch have also been recorded. I’m sure that many other of the coastal townships along the north Sutherland coast would produce similar lists for anyone prepared to put in the hours. They may yet turn up a New World bird – an American Robin was seen in Reay 6 miles east of Melvich in autumn of 1975.
