The photograph of the Short-eared Owl was taken in Point, Lewis by Andy L on Tuesday

Please email sightings or photographs to: birding@thewesternisles.co.uk 
Text: 0762 480 0500

Our county Bird Recorder - Brian Rabbitts would also like to receive details of your rarity sightings

Bird Sightings photographs the collection is large enough now to help with ID

 

The species notes (about 400 pages) are now developed enough to be useful - so below are the links to the index pages. Some of the notes are as yet very sketchy - they are a work in progress (learning as I go - be aware there are errors)

A - Z Index

Taxonomic Index (with search function)

 

Corrections and gleanings to share are always welcome

 

• Arctic Redpoll (Hornemann's Arctic redpoll, Greenland Arctic redpoll)
• Carduelis hornemanni
• UK: Scarce vistor
• UK: 17 records annually BTO
• Diet: Forages for trees seeds (willow, birch, alder). (Summmer also eats invertebrates)
• Habitat: Tundra, birch scrubland
• Very pale large form of the redpoll, light grey with dark-sparce penciling, usually no streaking on rump

"... many Greenland's and Iceland's are impossible to separate as there is so much over lap. many birders now refer to Greenland?Iceland birds with the catch all name of 'North Western Redpoll' "

Thanks to Martin Scott

South Ford - South Uist

• Curlew Sandpiper
• Calidris ferruginea
• UK: Scarce passage migrant, mostly seen August & September.
• UK: 740 annual UK records BTO
• WI: Scarce sometimes uncommon passage visitor (very small numbers each year)
• Breeds: North Alaska, North Siberia
• Winters: West Europe, South Asia, South Africa, Australia
• Habitat: Tundra (migration boggy areas, mudflats, saltmarshes, shallow coastal lagoons)
• Diet: Small invertebrates, snails, worms, flies
• Like a dunlin. Differences: Slightly bigger. Feeds in slightly deeper water. In autumn looks paler, cleaner. Longer & more down-curved bill. Longer legs & neck. In flight bright white rump. Both birds have dark legs
  Winter: Pale grey above. White below. White eyestripe. Breeding: dark-grey below, deep chestnut above
  Juveniles: Grey & brown back. White belly. Peach-coloured breast. Gregarious, forms mixed species wader flocks (often with Dunlin)
• Similar birds: Dunlin, Stilt Sandpiper (very rare - legs much longer & paler, has wing bar)

• Snow Bunting (Snowflake, Snaa Fuhl)
• Plectrophenax nivalis
• Gaelic: Gealag-an-t-sneachd
• UK: Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
• AMBER LIST: UK 70 - 100 prs (Summer) 11,000 birds (Winter) RSPB
• Breeds: Tundra, treeless moorland (rock crevices). Arctic: (Circumpolar) Greenland, Iceland, North America, North Europe - A Few in North Scotland. (Has bred on St Kilda)
• Winter: Heads South: South Europe, Central Asia, South USA
• Diet: Ground feeder: Mostly seeds (summer insects for young), rocky shores (follows wrack-line), short & open vegetation, sand dunes
• Large buntings. Summer males: Heads & underparts all white with black back & wing tips. Females & juveniles pale ginger above, white below. In Autumn & winter the white has a sandy or buff wash & males' upperparts more mottled. Flight: large white wing patches. Not shy. Forms flocks
• Listen to a Snow Bunting (RSPB site)

The most Northerly breeding landbird, the Inuit equivalent of our House Sparrow.

Ardvule Point - South Uist

• Grey Phalarope
• Phalaropus fulicarius
• Gaelic: Liathag Tllt, Liathag Allt
• UK: Passage Visitor
• UK: 166 annual records BTO
• WI: Scarce (very small numbers recorded in most years, sometimes more in persistent gales) autumn passage visitor
• Breeds: Arctic regions: Iceland, Greenland, North Siberia, North America, North Europe
• Winters in the Southern oceans
• Diet: Invertebrates, (plus seeds etc when reaching breeding grounds)
• Habitat: coastal tundra (migration coasts)
• Small wader (21cm / 8 in length) . Winter mostly grey above & white below, with black eyepatch & straight black bill.
  Breeding female dark brown & black above, red below, white cheek patches & yellow black-tipped bill. Breeding male similar but duller. Young birds light grey & brown above, buff below & dark eye patch
• Similar birds: Red-necked Phalarope, Wilson's Phalarope

• American Golden Plover
• Pluvialis dominica
• UK: Just 5 annual records
• WI: Rare visitor (less than 30 records)
• Rare visitor (less than 30 records) BTO
• Breeds: North America
• Winters: South America
• Habitat: tundra (migration mudflats, grazing land)
• Diet: insects, seeds, leaves, berries
• Often when found is in the company of golden plover.
  Usually greyer, less yellow-brown than golden plovers, stonger head pattern
• Similar birds : Golden Plover

A quick visit to our neighbours at the Icelandic Birding Pages

Iceland's rarities in the last few days included:
"Eurasian Spoonbill, Lesser Whitethroat, European Robins, King Eider, Steller's Eider, Mute Swans, Osprey, Eurasian Siskins, Barred Warbler, Grey Herons..."

Thank-you Yann

The Spoonbill has occured in the Western Isles in the past - a rare visitor (November).
Over the last few days Spoonbills have been reported in Essex, Dorset and Devon.

Spoonbills used to be widespread breeders in the UK but their habitat (marshland) was drained for agricultural use and for several centuries the last UK breeding record remained one in East Anglia in 1650. In 1999 a pair of Spoonbills bred nested successfully in Lancashire. In 2008 a pair bred and fledged three young in Dumfries and Galloway. SCOTLAND

There are usually about 50 records of Spoonbills in the UK each year.

Purple Martin photograph by Martin Scott

Writing up the species notes I came across some fascinating articles about the Purple Martin that occured in Lewis on a Sunday afternoon in 2004...

On Sunday 5th September 2004 a juvenile Purple Martin was discovered in Ness on the Isle of Lewis. This was the first record in Europe.
The bird remained until Monday lunchtime before disappearing.

"...The martin was spotted on Sunday afternoon, and by yesterday morning the first twitchers were arriving on the island of Lewis by plane: all scheduled flights into Stornoway airport were full, and other birders arrived on chartered light aircraft. By midday, all hire cars had gone and the ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne was said to have been "inundated" with requests for tickets on its ferry services to Lewis from Uig in Skye and Ullapool on the mainland..."

Read full Independent article about the Purple Martin Twitch

Eric Meek, Chairman of British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee commented...
'the finding of the Purple Martin at the Butt of Lewis must rank as one of the outstanding birding moments of recent years..."

Suzanne

• Arctic Tern
• Sterna paradisaea
• Gaelic: Steàrnan
• UK: AMBER LIST. 553,000 pairs - summer BTO
• WI: Common migrant breeder (1000 -10,000 pairs) and fairly common passage visitor (occurs in small numbers)
• Breeds: Usually return to breed in area & colony, where they hatched to breed. UK - Europe, Arctic, North America
• Winters: Antarctic oceans
• Mostly grey & white. Red beak & feet. White forehead. Black nape & crown. White cheeks. Deeply forked whitish tail giving long "streamers"
• Habitat: Tundra, Seacoast, lochs, rivers. Winter - sea
• Diet: Fish, insects
• Lives to 20yrs.
• Listen to an Arctic Tern RSPB site
• Similar birds: Common Tern, Little Tern

• Sooty Shearwater
• Puffinus griseus
• WI: Fairly common passage visitor (occurs in small numbers) in late summer and autumn (rare in spring)
• Breeds: Nov - Feb. Colonies in burrows on offshore islands. Just one white egg laid. Nest visted only at night to avoid predators. Southernmost Atlantic & Pacific oceans.
  Winters: (During our summertime) at sea in Northern Atlantic
• Diet: Feeds mostly on small squid & fish at surface. (Good sense of smell). Dives to 68m
• Seabird - smaller than herring gull (40 - 50cm length). Dark chocolate-brown/blackish body. Long wings (bright silver band underneath) Flight shearing (dips from side to side with stiff wings & few wing beats, wingtips almost touch water). Powerful, direct flight wings straight & stiff, frequent gliding.
• Similar birds: Manx Shearwater (Also Cory's Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater but they are rare)

• Leach's Storm-petrel
• Oceanodroma leucorhoa
• UK: AMBER LIST, 51,000 pairs (summer) BTO
• WI: Common migrant breeder (1000 -10,000 breeding pairs)
• See from Westerly seawatching places when a gale blows to shore
• Breeds: Islands: UK (Western & Northern Isles) & North & West of Europe. Forms colonies. (UK May - September). (Nests: crevices & burrows, holes in stone walls. Visits the nest at night)
• Winters: Leaves September - October, British & Irish birds go to tropics (some stay in North Atlantic)
• Feeds in flocks: planktonic crustaceans & small fish (picked from surface - hovering: wings up in V shape, flutttering & bat-like) Follows ships (comes ashore only to feed at NIGHT)
• Starling sized seabird.. All black below, mostly black above, (upperwing pale band of mid-feathers), (underwing no white band) V-shaped white rump patch only reaches partway down the side, with centre dark line (storm petrel's go far down), Forked tail.
• Listen to a Leach's Storm-petrel ( RSPB site)
• Similar birds: Storm Petrel (NOT forked tail),

Gaelic name "Gobhan mara " means swallow of the sea

Ardvule Point - South Uist

Labost - Isle of lewis

• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Calididris melanotos
• UK: Passage migrant. 56 UK records a year (BTO)
• WI: Scarce visitor (very small numbers recorded in most years. Approx 40 previous records)
• Breeds: Arctic coast of East Siberia, North America, winters in South America
• Habitat: wet fields , freshwater pools, marsh or lochsides, boggy ground on (migration mudflats)
• Fat-bodied, small-headed , larger than Dunlin. ID amongst waders - sharp contrast between the dark-patterned chest and the white belly (pectoral line). Yellowish legs. Bill has pale base. 2 pairs of white lines down the back like a pair of braces. Males in breeding season have an inflatable throat sac - expands and contracts rhythmically during display flights and creates a series of hollow hoots

Eolaigearraidh - Barra

• Yellow-browed Warbler
• Phylloscopus inornatus
• UK: 320 annual records BTO
• WI: Scarce autumn visitor (Very small numbers each year)
• Breeds: North & Central Asia (UK is 3000km from it's breeding grounds!)
• Winters: South-East Asia
• Habitat: Mountain & lowland woodland, open forest, scrub, usually in tree canopy
• Diet: Mostly insects
• One of the smallest warblers. Greenish upperparts, off-white below, prominent double wing bars and long supercilia (eyebrow) . Highly active -constant motion, not shy

Ardmore - Barra

Thank-you to Brian Rabbits for letting me use the status summaries from the Outer Hebrides Birds Report in pages on this web site.

Brian says that the new Outer Hebrides Birds Report is probably going to be out by the end of the year -and there are a lot of changes!
The basic information is however much the same so the current details are still a good general guide.

Full details of the new report and how to get a copy are going to be posted when it becomes available

Shawbost - Isle of Lewis

Ardmore - Barra

Lesley's patch:

Our house is just by the sea in Lemreway and the binoculars are always at the ready.
there's a red throated diver at the moment and in May in a neighbours garden she had brief visits from a a citril finch - maybe the one that showed itself in the Orkneys and also a lesser grey shrike - unfortunately I didn't see these last two but I trust her judgement as she is very keen and knowledgeable.There's a family of stonechats,a couple of warblers in some willows by the stream - I'm not good on warblers so I don't know what sort they are! On the hills between Lemreway and Gravir we regularly see Merlin.
Then there are all the usual suspects -
starlings,tree sparrows,wrens, meadow pipits,twite,blackbirds,pigeons,buzzards,herons,mallard,shags,cormorants,regular black guillemots,a cuckoo - showed itself really well and not at all shy -- ;we get a lot of lesser black backed gulls and I'm learning to identify the different "seagulls"
We did a trip to the Shiants in June and saw some great seabirds as you can imagine and to crown a great birding day we saw a Minke whale.
I also found some otter poo on the coast near the fish farm - haven't been lucky enough to see the otter yet though.

I was thrilled to see the chough,I got a good view and it was unmistakeable.

Lesley

"2 flocks of Snow Buntings in Shawbost about 20 birds in each...

Four Canada Geese on Carloway Football Club pitch. The view was partially obstructed but it looked like one juvenile and three adults. They took briefly took flight but remained in the general area. A few miles away at Breasclete were still the pair of adults that have been there for at least since the end of August. (A pair bred and reared 3 goslings in Carloway this year).

Later at Dail Beag loch (Lewis) 11 Whooper Swans (including at least 1 juvenile), four of them flew around the loch honking. There was also a Manx Shearwater washed up on the beach, like most folk I have never seen one close. I took a few photo pics for ID if anyone is interested. One of the old names is 'Puffin' it looked just like a wee auk. "
Suzanne
Wednesday 8th October, 2008

Later...
"Just to say the pictures of a dead Manx shearwater on your site actually show a young Razorbill
Cheers
Martin "

So much for ID photos - As you can see my field skills need attention - fortunately the experts are keeping an eye me!

"You may have heard we had a Pechora Pipit on 4th/5th. This was at Knock-cuien, North Uist .... An extremely skulking species and another new bird for the Outer Hebrides"..
Brian Rabbitts

• Spotted Redshank
• Tringa erythropus
• UK: Passage/Winter Visitor. Southward migration July - August. Most birds go through UK in September. Wintering birds leave April - May
• UK: AMBER LIST (50%+ of UK wintering population found in just 10 sites). 420 passage records annually BTO , 80 - 400 wintering (RSPB).
• WI: Scarce passage Visitor (Very small numbers each year)
• Breeds: North Europe, North Asia, Northern Siberia
• Winters: Europe - Mediterranean to South-East Asia, China, Africa
• Habitat: Wetlands, marshy tundra. (Migration: coastal wet meadows & mudflats)
• Diet: Wades in deep water, swims, sometimes dabbling bottom-up like a duck. Insects- larvae, shrimps, worms.
• Bit larger than redshank. Summer adults almost all black, wings have some white spotting. Back has white wedge shape - noticeably in flight. Tail barred. Winter: grey back, paler below, & more prominent eye stripe than redshank. NO white wing bars.
• Listen to a Spotted Redshank (RSPB site)
• Similar birds: Redshank, Greenshank
  

South Ford - South UIst

• Short-eared owl
• Asio flammeus
• Gaelic: Comhachag chluasach
• WI: uncommon migrant breeder, scarce in winter
• UK AMBER LIST. 1000-3500 breeding pairs, winter 5000-50,000 birds RSPB
• WI: Uists: uncommon migrant breeder (10-99 breeding pairs), scarce in winter (Very small numbers each year). Lewis and Harris: scarce visitor (Very small numbers each year)
• Breeds: Nests on ground. Changes areas seeking voles. Europe (inc WI), Scandinavia, Russia, Iceland, Asia, North & South America, Caribbean, Hawaii, Galápagos Islands
• Winters: Heads south. Birds from Scandinavia, Russia, Iceland winter in UK (usually coasts) Also wanders seeking voles
• Habitat: Breeding: Open county: grassy moorland, marshes, sand dunes. Winter: grassy marshes, grazings, coastal marshland (& nearby fields, moorland) Roosts communally
• Diet: Mostly field voles, Other small mammals: mice, shrews, rats, young rabbits. Small birds. Large insects
• Medium sized owl. (37-39cm, 13-17in) Wingspan (95-103cm, 38-44in). Stocky. Big head & short neck. Mottled brown, Upper-parts barred & streaked. Under-parts bold dark streaks. Barred tail and wings. Throat & upper-breast black-brown streaks. Small ear tufts (not visible in field). Pale facial disc. Black rings around pale yellow-orange large eyes. Female is darkest.
  Flight: Broad long wings. Irregular wingbeats (moth-like). Under-wings pale, blackish tips & dark mark half-way up. Quarters ground low then swoops to prey feet-first. Often hovers. Circles over breeding territory. (wing-clapping part of display flight)
  Often sits on posts, rarely in trees. Usual owl seen hunting in daylight.
• Listen to a Short-eared Owl (RSPB site) (silent in winter)
• Similar birds: Long-eared Owl

4.20pm and a text from Andy L ...

"Hi im hidden watching a short eared owl as i text its wet but should have some pretty good pics considering poor light..."

Somewhere on Lewis
Tuesday 7th October, 2008

Good luck Andy!

• Black Tern
• Chlidonias niger
• UK: Former Breeder, Passage Visitor
• UK: BTO do not give a figure for UK numbers. RSPB figure for passage 'hundreds'
• WI: Rare visitor (30 or less records) TBC
• Breeding: Lays 3 eggs in nest on floating vegetation in inland waters. Europe, Asia, North America
• Winters: Tropical Africa, South America
• Habitat: Marshes, lakes, wet grassland, (migration seacoast & estuaries)
• Diet: Does not dive. Forages whilst flying, by dipping down to water's surface. Summer mostly insects, Winter, mostly small fish. Also chases insects in flight
• A small tern (25cm, 9-10in length). Summer adult: predominantly black plumage. Black head & body. Grey wings, back & tail. Dark legs & bill. Autumn adult grey upperparts, white below and distinctive black head markings.
• Listen to a Black Tern (RSPB site)
  Max recorded age 21yrs
• Similar birds: White-winged Black Tern

Snow buntings at Eoropie yesterday afternoon, Turnstones on Lionel machair
Julie S

Tuesday 7th October, 2008

• Chough
• Pyrrhhocorax pyrrhhocorax
• UK: Resident breeder
• UK: AMBER LIST. 462 pairs (summer) BTO
• WI: Rare visitor (30 or less records) TBC
• Breeding: Pairs for life. Lays 3 eggs. Wool-lined stick nest in cave or crevice in a cliff-face. High mountains & Coastal seacliffs. Resident in Europe, Asia, Ethiopia
• Habitat: Rocky coasts, ope n rocky country
• Diet: Feeds on short grassland or machair, foraging surface for insects, larvae, seeds, berries . Often feeds in flocks
• Glossy sooty-black Crow. Medium-sized (39-40cm, 15-16in length). Bill red, long & downward curved. Red legs. Sexes similar. Juvenile less glossy with dull-orange bill & pink legs until first autumn. Acrobatic aerial flying displays with folded wings plunging. Approachable
• Max recorded age 16yrs 8mths
• Listen to a Chough (RSPB site) Call loud, ringing
• Similar birds, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow

Ardmore - Barra

You may have seen the recent articles about the oiled birds that have been washed up on Caithness beaches.
(Cause thought to be a tanker washing out it's tanks).

The RSPCA is appealing for help to deal with the birds.
"Ninety-eight birds, mostly sea ducks, guillemots and razorbills, were found on the 70-mile stretch between Amble in Northumberland and Roker in Sunderland over the weekend, and more calls are coming in. 'Any help the public can offer is very welcome'"
Read more

NE Scotland is the main affected area but if you do find an oiled bird please report it to the RSPCA on 0300-1234-999 or SSPCA on 03000-999-999.


Some of the advice that has been given out :
If you find an oiled bird please do not take it home and start washing it. It is very important that it receives medication internally as soon as possible and only experienced people should do this. Please call the RSPCA,/SSPCA, local wildlife rescue centre or local wildlife friendly vet if you need help with an oiled bird.

Monday 6th October, 2008

"The Chaffinches and Greenfinches have returned to my garden - today was the first time I have seen them this autumn. (3 males and a female Chaffinch and 5 Greenfinches)
Ela

• Chaffinch
• Fringilla coelebs
• Gaelic: Breacan Beithe
• UK: Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
• UK: Summer 6 million pairs BTO
• WI: Uncommon resident breeder (10-99 breeding pairs) in Lewis. Otherwise uncommon passage visitor (low numbers) and winter visitor
• Breeding: Lays 4-5 blue-green purple-streaked eggs. Nests in tree-fork. Woodland. Europe, North Africa, North Asia (Introduced - South Africa, New Zealand)
• Winters: Northernmost birds migrate south. Asia, North Africa
• Habitat: Forest, deciduous woodland, scrub, arable & pasture farmland, villages, parks, gardens
• Diet: Mostly seeds (young mostly insects - rare in finches)
• Small plump finch. Brown back. Grey head. Brown tail with white edges. Olive-green rump (above tail).Pinkish-brown underparts. Flight the brownish-black wings show broad white wingbar & whitish 'shoulder' patches. Grey legs
  Breeding male has reddish underparts & blue-grey cap. Female much drabber & greener.
• Max recorded age: 11yrs 7mths
• Listen to a Chaffinch (RSPB site). Call a sharp "Pink". Song warbling
• Similar birds: Brambling
  

The Latin name of the Chaffinch is coelebs. This comes from the Latin for bachelor, and was given to the species by Linnaeus in 1758. In winter Linneaus saw only male Chaffinches in Sweden where he lived. (Females from the northern breeding grounds of the Chaffinch winter further south).

Developing a page of emergency contact numbers that may be useful to birders in our area.
Details to store in mobile phones etc

Oiled/ injured birds: SSPCA
03000-999-999

Worried about Egg thieves? (Contact Police)
Stornoway: 01851 702222
Barvas (Lewis) 01851 840222
Benbecula: 01870 602374
Barra: 01871 810276
Carloway (Lewis): 01851 643222
Lochboisedale (South Uist): 01878 700261
Lochmaddy (North Uist): 01876 500328
Ness (Lewis): 01851 810298
Tarbert (Harris): 01859 502002

Worried about egg thieves? (or found another Purple Martin!) RSPB:
Stornoway: Tel: 01851 703296 Mobile: 07775 502799
Balranald (North Uist): 01463 715000

Stornoway Coastguard:
01851 702688

Live stranded whales/dolphins/seals (24hr number) BDMLR:
01825 765 546

Dead strandings of sea mammals (Scottish Strandings Co-ordinator)
01463 243 030

Vets:
Stornoway: 01851 705900
Benbecula : 01870 602262
Lochmaddy (North Uist): 01876 580350

Mountain Rescue:
Dial 999


Please send your suggestions or amendments to this...

Bird sightings records for the rest of October 2008

Sources of information for the bird sightings section