Outer Hebrides Birds

2018 Outer Hebrides Bird Report is back from the printer 😃and available for sale on the website, A5 size, 210 pages, full colour, £10 + £2.50 P&P tinyurl.com/44cjmwha edited by @_YvonneB_ Thanks for all who submitted records, photos and art!

Record shot birding today from afar. Alpine swift that’s been knocking around Loch an t-Siumpain and a sparrowhawk looking for a snack!

Proper autumnal weather on Barra today with frequent heavy showers driven on by a force 9 south-westerly. Another heavy passage of Manxies offshore and a sample count of 134 Sooty Shearwaters past Borve in an hour this evening.

Awesome views of the #StKilda American Cliff Swallow continue today 😍 Flying around a localised patch near the Manse in gale force winds, often settling for a rest on the grass or on rocks. @HebridesBirds @BirdGuides @rbnUK

Our minds have been blown this evening by this American Cliff Swallow in front of the Manse on #StKilda! Epic find with biosecurity volunteer Tim Wallis, a first for Western Isles and only the second Scottish record- what a beauty! @HebridesBirds @BirdGuides @rbnUK @N_T_S

Our bird of the day was this unusually showy Grasshopper Warbler behind our house. Also today, an obvious influx of Pied/White Wagtails and at least 7 migrant Kestrels around the island (they don't breed on Barra).

Juvenile Cuckoo beside the road to Vatersay today, feasting on caterpillars like they're going out of fashion.

A short-eared owl fledgling learning to hunt #SouthUist 💚

A distinct movement of Lesser Black-backed Gulls over Barra today, most probably Icelandic breeders heading south to spend the winter eating sardines in the sunshine on a Portuguese beach, or failing that they may just hang out on a pig slurry field in southern England!

Port Nis Some bird movements through this morning Common Swift, 11 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Chaffinch and a Mute Swan (in from NE)

Statistically speaking, the best place to see Cory's Shearwater from Barra is the armchair in front of our lounge window! Single bird flew south at 7.31am. The fourth consecutive year I've recorded the species from here.

Just one leg to stand on. Not quite true, this Redshank was choosing to only stand on one leg on North Uist. #nature #wildlife #BirdsOfTwitter @HebridesBirds #scotland @Natures_Voice #birdphotography

#MarineMiles day 88 We were treated to an epic encounter with a White Tailed Eagle hunting Greylag Geese! The Geese kept ducking underwater to evade & it worked as after the 5mins of trying, the eagle gave up. Amazing thing to watch just 100m off the main road ~ South Uist

A couple of Golden Plovers had been behaving shiftily in July, so it was no surprise to receive a report from a visiting contractor this week of 2 chicks up the hill. Irregular breeders on #StKilda, with chicks only located 4 times prior to 2000. @HebridesBirds @ScottishBirding

Port Nis 3 Sooty Shearwater NW this morning A Common Swift over with Chiffchaff and 2 Lesser Redpoll in the garden

@barrabirder Let's hope it hangs around long enough to read the ring

@HebridesBirds Thanks. This bird has been tormenting me for some time!☹️

Birding from our house today in the spirit of #BWKM0 and #gardenbirdrace as I get over Covid. 49 species including my first Sooty Shearwater and Kestrel of autumn and a lovely male Hen Harrier that stayed just too far away to read the code on its black darvic ring.

A great evening sea watching at the Butt 3 Great , 140 Sooty Shearwater, 1000’s of Manx. Back home and more Manx and Sooty feeding off Port Nis

@ChrisCachiaZamm Great record,the first to be recorded on the island

When I started birding 45 years ago I was surprised to learn Grey Herons nest in trees. Having got used to that fact, moving to Barra 9 years ago I was further surprised to find they also nest on the ground among boulders! Today's late nest is a 2nd attempt after the 1st failed.