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Friday 22 August 2014

Martyn's house and Howmore area, Saturday 16th August 2014

Hi, today was fairly stale compared to the past few days, the wind and rain were to blame...

Before leaving
 I had a long chat with my Mum & Dad giving them a drilling on every day up to that point! In the morning I had a choice between staying at the Hostel right at the southern end of South Uist or another Gatliff Trust one by the Howmore River, guess which one I picked! Yes the Gatliff Trust property!

We refueled the car on the way at North Uist then found our way to Martyn's house again! Another long chat with the master and a few tips and ID keys then we set off... The first place was Ardivachar, where we had a quick stop only managing 100 Sanderling...
Another "dry"spot was Lock Skipport with only a male Kestrel to show for itself. More and more Wheatears fired up from the road...
until we arrived at Howmore River...

I was very excited so went out for a walk around the bay. Several Sand Martins darted across the river, with only a few waders in sight. The freshly cut fields were filled with Lapwings, Golden Plovers and Curlew, with only 4 Black-Tailed Godwits around. After battling against the wind and rain I managed to get where the Waders were. The first being a Ringed Plover, who became my best mate...

Really like this photo...
 
My painting of it, shame about the eye...
He was a poser, and seemed to have a liking towards the paparazzi! 2 Redshanks, 50+Oystercatchers, 100+Sanderling and Ringed Plover, 10+ Ruddy Turnstone and a couple of Eiders lined the shore stretch of coastline.

The hostel had already proved successful with great sightings and views. While on the way back I spotted a Golden Plover that gave vibes of an American, because of prominent eyestripe and grey colouration...
PLEASE COMMENT WITH YOUR THOUGHTS!However, the people were just as good, maybe even better, all interesting and keen to hear me talk (for once)! A couple from Chelsea were very kind and considerate. Everyone else grew on me the following day especially...

Just over an hour after settling in one of the visitors told us there was a rainbow outside. It soon became apparent just how incredible it was...

To make matters even better this happened...

A huge flock of Lapwing had been disturbed and helped create a magnificent setting!
Thank God the snoring didn't follow...


Tuesday 19 August 2014

Annoying Granny! Friday 15th August 2014

Hi, I found this day brilliant with great views of Ruff!

When I woke up I said "fancy waking up and seeing Turnstones from your bed!" Yes, sure enough Turnstone were directly through the window. Also a Great-Northern Diver...
Find it!
Lots of Eiders were still out in the bay with tens of Arctic Terns! There was also a Pale Phase Arctic Skua
Pale Phase Arctic Skua
We were going to Balranald, a nature reserve on North Uist that you may have heard of because of the popular staying Harlequin Duck! Even before arriving on north Uist we had already seen 18 different species of birds. We had got up early so there was a chance of a Sea Otter, we din't find one but one of the visitors mentioned seeing one at 6:30, I'm not waking up at the time!

The first few birds on North Uist was a Kestrel and a few Meadow Pipits, quite decollate! However, after getting round a field just past the Lochmaddy turning we spotted some Lapwings and Golden Plovers. This had to hold something else I thought, and sure enough there was a Ruff standing directly in the middle of the field! Although I must confess that just before stopping I did see a bird similar to that land in the field...
 Juvenile I think!?

Then a few more fields after I luckily spotted yet another female Ringtail Hen Harrier! All this fuss about them in England, they're thriving up here, so much food!
We thought that going to Baile Mor, a farmland famed for its declining Corn Buntings. We were going down one of the grass tracks at Baile Mor beside some of the lush fields when one, then 2, then 3 turned up!
Singing

Posing
They seemed tamer than the ones we seem in Wiltshire, maybe because of the "Racing Skoda!" One day these guys will become extinct on the Western Isles, they need help as well! Unfortunately I couldn't take a photo of the yellow bottoms or rumps but them sitting up was good enough! Sand Dunes were at the bottom of the track, so we had a quick look on the map and found a nicely sized bay in front of it, we had to check it out...
They found me...

Mixed flock of Dunlin, Turnstone and Ringed Plover
So there was a nice mixed flock on the bay, and just shows how abundant and plentiful the islands are. You won't see this on many bays this often! While coming back we found a couple of Wheatears escorting us up the roads...



After a few more encounters with some Corn Buntings we were well on our way to Balranald. Only one wrong turning this time! We were hoping the visitors centre would have a warden but no, just a "wasted " building we said! I went on ahead leaving Granny behind with haste, excited to see what was over the machair filled ridge! Another Great-Northern Diver, still far away, ughhh! Come closer!!!
Yep, bad photo...
Just behind the GND there were some Arctic Terns that are supposedly the ones that breed on the headland. My Grandma had arrived by now and had seen the Diver. The next thing we know a huge flock of waders arrived with a dart like figure. Golden Plovers, around 100 of them along with a couple of Curlew and Greenshank. We had a look through the flock with no success of vagrants. However, Golden Plovers are on of my favourite birds so it is nice to see them in these sorts of numbers breeding up on the moors. Finally my Grandma picked out something of interest a short-billed Curlew. Called a Whimbrel, solitary this one...
My terrible attempt, I have got into art...
The real picture!
Another flock of waders flew in after, Redshank. After a look through it I picked out three Greenshanks. Now we had enough of that bay we decided to park by the other bay, we were dissapointed... An RSPB reserve  the last few letters meaning protection of birds with dogs running without leads on scaring Sanderling and Ringed Plover, not acceptable I think, what do you? Comment! Yeah so a few Sanderling and Ringed Plover, struggling to sit still wiht the dogs and people walking almost directly into the flock!!! So that was saddening to think that a reserve is worser for the birds that without it. I decided following this to escape so grabbed my scope, binoculars and camera and was off to the point. On the way more Wheatears pleased me while more Ringed Plover and Dunlin scurried along the seaweed.

I had a small sewatch that only produced Manx Shearwaters, still a fairly new bird for me though :) Another three Corn Buntings were along the path...

I wouldn't say this reserve is worth protecting as it would have done as well, maybe even better with less touristic activities... One more female Ringtail Hen Harrier pleased us on our drive...

Malacleit was just around the corner so we decided to have a look there, a few Greenshanks were close by. But a moments of unrest then suddenly a Sparrowhawk arrived hunting one of the Greenshank, wowowowowow!!! Although the sheep did cause us hassle with a local traffic jam!!!
So great day out but what was waiting by our "home" was even better in my opinion! So minutes after getting back to the hostel I believed that going on a walk would be a nice way to occupy myself, so binoculars and camera was enough. Only a few paces before leaving my house I encountered this...

No the boy isn't killing the Guillemot, he is feeding it! Although after giving the Guillemot an inspection it did seem to have a broken wing so was rather pointless feeding it. The boy found it on a beach so thought that it would be sensible to feed and care for it. Thoughtful! At the bottom of the bay there were 100s of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Sanderling all across this corner. A few Oystercatchers, turnstones and 1 Curlew was also there. So jam packed with beauty. I didn't have my scope on me at the time so walked back to pick it up then noticed at least 50 turnstones in the seaweed right in front of our room! So I took camp there for a couple of hours just watching them leave and come for ages. 10 Sanderling was also in the flock with a Knot! How fantastic 5M's away from a Knot, tell me if you have done that! I didn't bother getting the camera out again after leaving it so didn't get these close up shots but did get some of the Sanderling and Knot, oh I also forgot the Ringed Plover! Oh and the 100s of Golden plover that flew over my head twice, oh also the 5 Snipe flying around, can't forget the Arctic Terns feeding right in front of me ;)

Turnstone, Ringed Plover and Sanderling in this shot!
GREAT DAY!!!




Monday 18 August 2014

Knot again! Druidibeag, Ardivachar Point, Stinky Bay, Committee Rd and East Berneray. Thursday 14th August 2014

Hi, sorry for the late post! I'm in the Western Isles, not much connection up here due to Hosteling! Also because of it being so remote! Back to the birding...

Thankfully Granny managed to get to sleep sideways preventing any windpipe troubles... This gave a well earned rest, waking up at 10 "Not good" as my Grandma tells me! I fueled up with some Wheetos, had a drink of milk then was raring to go! Our first stop was Druidibeag, a nature reserve on the east side of the island. Just before arriving a few Wheatears caught our attention because of their bright white rumps. Amazingly "The Boys"(as my Grandma calls me) map reading skills payed off for once, we took the right turning! Then literally seconds after turning in my Grandma pointed out a "Merlin" sat in the water.I had a quick look at the now correctly identified Female Sparrowhawk, seemingly having a wash in the loch! Although I suspect it was sat there just after missing a kill. It was only about three metres away from us, I didn't get the camera out quick enough due to me looking at it in awe! That proved to be the highlight of the reserve, with "only" a couple of Wheatears further up. Inc. a juvenile.

Our next destinations was Ardivachar point, which is in the north-west of South Uist. While driving to Ardivachar we saw our first Male Ringtail Hen Harrier of the holiday...
Not in focus, but nice scenery...
The birds we were met with in Ardivachar were some Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Turnstone, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Wheatears and a few Meadow Pipits


The birds concentrated on some seaweed which allowed a few shots...



Not great photos! The bay also held our first big surprise of the day, it was a Ruff, a new bird! That was obviously on passage due to its flight behaviour, this also prevented a photograph. Granny finally persuaded me to move on however, just before we left that bay I noticed a flock of Black-Tailed Godwits (30). I gave it a quick scan which revealed a summer plumaged Bar-Tailed Godwit, can you spot it...

So there you go Amy! After a few more Wheatears we arrived at the other bay. Another Black-Tailed Godwit flock was stationed there with another summer Bar-Tailed Godwit! Again a look across the bay through my binoculars picked up a short-legged, stout wader. It was Knot, in a fresh winter plumage moult...
Ok photo.
Nothing else was of note and there was much of the same,which is still brilliant! but we still had to reach our Hostel  in Berneray, so swiftly arrived at Loch mor, near Griminish. Our aim, to find the Red-Necked Phalaropes. No luck there but we did have Stinky Bay their resting place. The first few birds were Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Oystercatcher. I was on the beach by now and got sight of what seemed to be a Red-Necked Phalarope, it looked directly at Turnstone... :( 
Ringed Plover juvenile

Sanderling and Ringed Plover

On the journey towards Berneray we spotted these on the side of the road...




Before arriving to the Western Isles (I may have mentioned in the other posts) my Grandma and I found the best places to go birdwatching here, and a Rd widely mentioned that runs through the middle of North Uist called the Committee Rd. Apparently you're guaranteed to see Eagles! Nothing, dirty liars ;) Only 1 Buzzard and 2 Ravens

Berneray was just around the corner and before we knew it we had arrived! Both of us were nervous about this one in case it had changed since my Grandma had been there in 1992. It hadn't, a beautiful collection of two white houses with a wonderful view! The first bird was a Black Guillemot, it was moulting into winter plumage...
Having a look!


Also a local colony of Arctic Terns were around, surprisingly a new bird for me! 




 They were beautiful, and did pose for me while warding off 1 Great Skua and 2 Pale Morph Arctic Skuas and 2 Dark Morph Arctic Skuas. Also 1 Great Northern Diver, loads of Turnstones and Starling...

 Also the Hostels visitors were really interesting easy to chat to. A German couple and 2 kids were great and we had a half an hour conversation! Great Day.