LATE DECEMBER - EARLY JANUARY 2013

Much of this period was spent birding my local patch at Hynish along with Whiskey, our new Beaglador (Beagle x Labrador cross). There have been daily sightings of  Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, and a lovely and very obliging flock of 20+ Purple Sandpipers. In addition there have been 3-5 Great Northern Divers offshore along with variable numbers of Shag, Cormorant, Gannet and Fulmar. Raven and Buzzard are seen daily and there have been regular small groups of Twite. Merlin and Hen Harrier have been regular and in addition to both Grey & Common Seals there have been almost daily sightings of Otter.

An interesting sighting over the weekend was a Buzzard eating the remains of a 1m long Conger Eel ain the seaweed at Hynish. Very strange indeed!

Elsewhere on the island the RSPB's John Bowler counted 3424 Barnacle Geese, 662 Greenland White-fronts, 149 Whooper Swans, 4130 Golden Plovers and 3640 Lapwing.

'Whiskey' the Beaglador in one of her less manic moments

Purple Sandpiper

Great Northern Diver

Merlin

Hen Harrier



Otter

Crossapol sunrise

Early morning mist

AUTUMN 2012

Citrine Wagtail (Jim Dickson)

Buff-bellied Pipit (Jim Dickson)

It was a strange autumn for birding on Tiree in 2012. At times it seemed fairly quiet, but when you look at the list of rare and scarce birds seen, it looks pretty darn good. Many thanks as ever to John Bowler (RSPB Tiree Officer) for providing much of this data.

The best birds of September were found on 27^th and were both county firsts. They were a 1st-winter Citrine Wagtail at Loch a’ Phuill and a Buff-bellied Pipit at Ruaig. Sadly the pipit didn’t linger but the Citrine Wagtail remained near the Loch a’ Phuill hide until the 29th.

Scarce passerines in September included a Common Rosefinch at Hynish (5^th-7th) followed by two more at Balephuil (7th-8th), Lesser Whitethroats at Balephuil (8th, 12th-13th and 19th) and Carnan Mor (9th), 2 Mealy Redpolls, 7 NW Redpolls, and 10+ Lapland Buntings.

The annual autumn influx of American waders included a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper at Gott Bay (2nd-7th), juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpipers at Sandaig (10th-12th) and Loch a’ Phuill (19th) and groups of 3 juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers at Kirkapol (2nd) and Loch a’ Phuill (8^th-9th), followed by singles at Vaul (11^th) and The Reef (20th).

October once again produced some superb birding on the island. The best birds were the 1st-winter Red-breasted Flycatchers at Balephuil (13th) and Balinoe (20th) – the first records for Tiree. Other good birds included a juvenile American Golden Plover at Barrapol and Sandaig (1st-10th), two Yellow-browed Warblers at Balephuil (3rd-6th and 13th-19th), up to 2 Siberian Chiffchaffs at Balephuil (15th-23rd), a female Ring-necked Duck at Loch a’ Phuill (19th), a Red Kite at Balemartine (24th) and a Tree Sparrow again at Hynish (24th). Easterly winds brought a good selection of scarce passerines including 25 NW Redpolls (5th), Lesser Whitethroats at Balephuil (13th-14th and 16th), 2 Garden Warblers at Balephuil (13th-14th), 3 Ring Ouzels at Carnan Mor (13th), 8 Mealy Redpolls (18th-20th), a Coal Tit at Loch a’ Phuill (20th), a very late Spotted Flycatcher at Balinoe (24th-25th), 4 Waxwings around West Tiree (28th-31st) and a record influx of 38 Long-tailed Tits (14th). More regular fare included 22 Lapland Buntings, 6 Snow Buntings, and 20 Chiffchaffs including at least 4 abietinus-type birds. There was a peak count of 326 Whooper Swans at Loch a’ Phuill (18th) whilst an all-island count (23rd-24th) found 2758 Barnacle Geese, 459 Greenland White-fronts, 2724 Greylags, 4050 Golden Plovers and 2765 Lapwing.

In November the best birds were a drake Green-winged Teal at Loch a’ Phuill (18th-21st), and a very late Barred Warbler at Balephuil (16th). Other late migrants included at least 17 Waxwings and a tristis Chiffchaff at Balephuil. An all-island count (19^th-21^st) found 2914 Barnacle Geese, 2409 Greylags and 532 Greenland White-fronts with 207 Whooper Swans, 5390 Golden Plovers and 3380 Lapwings.

Yellow-browed Warbler

NW Common Redpoll

 

Citrine Wagtail (Jim Dickson)



Lapland Bunting

Lesser Whitethroat

A BIT OF NEWS

Coll Of The Wild is no more and Wild Tiree is born. To reflect our relocation to Tiree we have decided finally to rebrand the business. The new name, Wild Tiree, whilst not quite so catchy, does exactly as it says on the tin, so to speak. We will still be offering the same quality of tours and the same outstanding wildlife experiences, just that we are now entirely focused on Tiree and its amazing machair and sealife.

There has been a noticeable absence of blogs of late - mostly down to time constraints - but that is all about to change. Look out for regular updates which will hoefully show the beauty of the island and its amazing wildlife. Below are a few recent images from just on our doorstep at Hynish.



Otter at Hynish



Otter at Hynish



Purple Sandpipers at Hynish

Hynish winter sunrise