Tuesday 4 August 2015

Skye 2015

Stunning scenery, incredible wilderness and haunting beauty are all superlatives that I would use to describe the Isle of Skye. 

I spend three days leading my client watching some great wildlife on this distinctly spooky island. Perhaps the word spooky is a bit strong but there is definitely something very spiritual about the place. You can can almost feel that a lot of things have happened over the last millennia. There is a ton of history here. Indeed, it has a far different character to neighbouring Mull. 
 The Cullins




 Flyby Great Skuas
 Nesting Red-throated Diver
A surprise find of an Iceland Gull
From a birding prospective I think I preferred birding on Skye to Mull purely because it seems to be less visited by the birding public than Mull. As a lover of a good challenge, I relished the thought of exploring a relatively underwatched island.

Mull & Skye bird list May 31st - June 6th 2015

Great Northern Diver
Black-throated Diver
Fulmar 
Gannet
Cormorant 
Shag 
Grey Heron
Osprey 
White-tailed Eagle
Golden Eagle
Buzzard
Hen Harrier
Kestrel 
Mute Swan 
Greylag
Canada Goose
Shelduck
Mallard
Teal 
Tufted Duck
Eider 
Goosander 
Red-breasted Merganser 
Pheasant 
Corncrake
Oystercatcher 
Ringed Plover
Golden Plover
Lapwing 
Turnstone 
Dunlin 
Common Sandpiper
Redshank 
Greenshank 
Curlew
Snipe 
Great Skua
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-back
Great Black-back
Iceland Gull
Kittiwake 
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Black Guillemot
Guillemot
Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Cuckoo
Short-eared Owl
Swift
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
Sand Martin
Swallow
House Martin
Meadow Pipit
Rock Pipit 
Grey Wagtail
White/Pied Wagtail
Dunnock 
Robin
Wheatear 
Whinchat 
Stonechat
Song Thrush 
Mistle Thrush
Blackbird
((Blackcap))
Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Willow Warbler
Wren
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Hooded Crow
Carrion Crow
Raven 
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Twite 
Lesser Redpoll
Greenfinch
Siskin 
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting
Yellowhammer 

 98 species
((heard))

Mammals highlights included:

Otter
Red Deer
Roe Deer
Red Squirrel

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