Outer Hebrides for Oriole Birding - 17th-19th May 2025

17th May

Today was our Brucey Bonus Day as we were originally meant to be on the early ferry home but instead had the opportunity to head to the most southerly islands in the chain.  As usual the day began with three Short-eared Owls and an adult White-tailed Eagle and there was a Moorhen on the loch again.  We checked Pollachara Beach first but there were very few Sanderling and six Great Northern Divers offshore.  I wonder when they head back to Iceland?

Short-eared Owl - Chris Darby

There was a large flock of 300 Sanderling at Rubha Ardvale there were still many Great Northerns but the pod of active Bottle Nosed Dolphins were the stars.  It always surprises people just how big these cetaceans are.    I took some more pictures of the flowering Machair and found two more Blue-tailed Damselflies before we moved once again this time to a new beach near Boisedale. 

Redshank family

Ringed Plovers on the Machair

Sanderlings

Daisies and Storksbill

Sand Pansies

Silverleaf

There were Waders to check but to be honest most of us just chills and listened to the lapping of the waves and watched the breeding Ringed Plovers and Oystercatchers on the beaches. It was peaceful and we were all quite happy chilling.  This was certainly not your usual guided tour.

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher

Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Sea Mayweed - Tripleurospermum maritimum amongst Silverweed - Argentina anserina 

Danish Scurvygrass - Cochlearia danica

A seriously shouty Corncrake was giving it large on the way back out but it was so good at throwing its voice that we never did track it down and we conceded it the win. 

It was time for the ferry so we moved on passing a male Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl on the way and were soon driving over the causeway to Eriskay to await our boat.  A pair of Wheatears were nesting around the terminal, tucked under a boulder near the car park.

Short-eared Owl

It was a smooth crossing with just a few Auks and GNDs for our troubles although a pair pf Common Scoter were new for the list and we added both Seals and Harbour Porpoise to the day mammal tally.

Grey Seals

Grey Seals

Grey Seals

Barra already looked imposing before we ever reached it and I rather ungraciously described it as a great big barren lump with a flatter bit around the edge – sorry Angie! However you could already see more mature trees that on the Uists and one gully actually looked properly forested.

We were soon on the island and driving past Angie’s new house (she was still down south at that point) before stopping at a couple of roadside wooded areas including the one we had seen from the boat.  There were Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Wren and Robins in song and a female Sparrowhawk blatted through.  I could immediately see how these areas draw in vagrants from all directions.

Lunch was taken by the road beyond Castlebay overlooking the sound to Vatersay.  The was a carpet of Bird’s Foot Trefoil but just the two now regular Bumblebees but I did find Lousewort, Milkwort and some stunted Common Spotted Orchids.  A pair of Starlings were busy feeding young in a crack in the folded and banded Gneiss.

Bird’s Foot Trefoil

Common Spotted Orchids & Milkwort

Lousewort

Common Spotted Orchid

Bird’s Foot Trefoil

Off shore a strange shimmering platform came into view way out beyond the the Uidh headland on Vatersay looking like a Bespin Cloud City with a huge white rocket ready to take off against its towering cradle. All was not as it seemed and Chris explained the phenomena of the Fata Morgana stacked and inverted mirage.  Somewhere over the horizon was a lighthouse on a headland that was doubled, flipped and projected again.

We drove over onto Vatersay just that we could say we visited and marvelled at yet more pristine silver sand bays before coming back to Barra and around the island the other way.  

A White-tailed Eagle tracked along the ridge and the Atlantic facing bays held more Great Northern Divers and Tysties.  Primroses were still flowering and the Thrift and Kidney Vetch looked wonderful. 

Primroses

Thrift

With time pushing we looped back round to the wood at Brevig and found our way in for a look. There were Redpolls displaying and the other usual finches along with Goldcrest, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps.  Two male Cuckoos were playing a noisy game of chase when Nick shouted Bee-eater.

Cuckoo - Chris Darby

We were in two groups at this point but we had clear sky and thankfully it circled into view.  Unusually it never called once.  We got the crew onto it and it flew up towards the road where it reappeared shortly afterwards before drifting over the ridge.

Bee-eater

The woods near the Castlebay Co-Op were subsequently checked but we could not relocate it and with a ferry to catch made our way back to the harbour.  Amazingly we found out later that the very same Bee-eater (notch in right primaries) was on Fair Isle from the 11th-13th May before heading over the top and back down the west coast! Two calling Corncrakes were heard along the way.

The return leg added nothing different but the group had certainly enjoyed their day out on these most southern of islands.

Black Guillemot - I presume a 2cy with the black bar in the white

Black Guillemot 

Eider

Eider

18th-19th May

An early start precluded breakfast but not Short-eared Owls.  It was cloudy for the first time as we made our way down to the ferry.  The five or hours past quickly in calm conditions with an almost identical spread of seabirds to our journey over.  The Manx Shearwaters were particularly spectacular in big sweeping flocks that the ship disturbed. 

Manx Shearwaters

Manx Shearwaters

Manx Shearwaters

Hyskeir Lighthouse - Nice basalt columns

Rum

Flying Dutchman

Gannet

We saw a few Harbour Porpoises but Common Dolphins were the most numerous species with several large pods seen actively feeding.  There were raptors too once we got to the Mull Sound with a Golden Eagle, Buzzards and two White-tailed Eagles which included one adult perched up in some pines overlooking the sea.  A fine bird to round up the ferry crossing with.

Mingary Castle - a posh restaurant within the castle walls 

Rhododendrons 

White-tailed Eagle - surprisingly obvious even at long range

Duart Castle

Duart Castle

Lismore Lighthouse

From here we drove south through stunning Scottish scenery avoiding Loch Lomond and cutting through the Trossachs before dropping Gillian at Bellshill and continuing onto Carlisle for the night leaving us with one final push to get back to Great Ryburgh the following afternoon.

I dropped Bonnie and Tom off at Briarfields as they were on another Oriole tour from that evening notionally adding Marsh Harrier, Little Egret, Red-legged Partridges and… Egyptian Goose to the trip list. I was pleased to let Chris D drive the last leg home from the van drop to Lowestoft after an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable trip.