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