Outer Hebrides for Oriole Birding - The Journey - 10th -11th May 2025

10^th May

The long drive up from Great Ryburgh took in the now usual roadside sights of Red Kites and Buzzards but we failed to glean any Red Grouse and only a few Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatchers and a bonus Black-tailed Godwit on the scenic A66 route across the moors.

The most surprising thing was the bug splatter across the wind screen and bonnet and by the time we stopped at Bellhills, south east of Glasgow for the night I had to scrape and scrub the windows to get them clean.  None of the crew or I could remember the last time this had happened.  Not that we were suddenly optimistic that ‘a corner had been turned’ but the sudden explosive death of so many flying inverts did bring a smile.

Such a lot of invert insides

11^th May

The next phase of the journey was to take us to Oban and over to Lochboisdale on South Uist where we would be based for the next week.  A Bullfinch in the Travel Lodge car park got things off to a good start and by the time we were skirting Loch Lomond the sun was trying to shine and we were desperately trying to hear Wood Warblers from the moving van. 

A short stop of Firkin gave us northerly Nuthatches and a good suite of Warblers with many Willows out singing almost anything but there was also a Garden Warbler and a brief Wood Warbler trill.  Two degrees of Hooded x Carrion Crow hopped around the car park and a Cuckoo sung up the slope.

By lunchtime we were wiggling through a bustling Oban and joining the queue for our CMcB ferry.  As hoped there were Black Guillemots paddling around on the smooth waters and Swifts zoomed in and out of the roof tops and despite being in town there was bird song all around with various Warblers and Finches as well as Robins, Wrens and Dunnocks.

McCaig's Tower

Black Guillemot

A smart Hooded Crow came to see us off.  This was all new to me and I preyed for a smooth 5.5 hour crossing.  We spent an inordinate amount of time travelling the Mull sound between the island and rugged mainland.  There were a few Guillemots and Tysties bobbing around and the odd Great Northern Diver and small groups of Eider while scanning of both sides gave us two poor White-tailed Eagles and a pair of soaring Golden Eagles that were harassed by the Ravens.

Hooded Crow

Guillemots

Red Deer

Tobermory

Golden Eagles and a Raven

Black Guillemot - Chris Darby

Harbour Porpoises were our constant companions and I suspect we logged over 50 animals in slow feeding pods.  As we moved into the Hebridean Sea the bird life changed with many more Auks with a sprinkling of Puffins and Razorbills amongst the Guillemots as well as several small groups of Manx Shearwaters.

Harbour Porpoises 

Harbour Porpoise

Soon larger rafts were encountered and you could hear them foot pattering along the surface to go from paddling to graceful low level arching.  A few Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes and Fulmars were found but Gannets were quite scarce but I suppose it is still quite a long way to get to the colonies up towards St Kilda.   There were other cetaceans with a couple of Bottle-nosed and Common Dolphins but no big whale blows despite the near perfect conditions.

Manx Shearwater

Manx Shearwaters

Manx Shearwaters & Kittiwakes

Manx Shearwaters & Kittiwakes

Puffins

Manx Shearwater - Chris Darby

Manx Shearwater - Chris Darby

It was quite chilly and breezy up on deck but we nearly all stuck it out and got our rewards with two fly by Red-necked Phalaropes and a very close bonus Sooty Shearwater that was with the only feeding party of Gannets, Gulls and Manxies that we saw.  That bird should have been a long way south of the Outer Hebs!

Sooty Shearwater - Chris Darby

We docked and made the short drive to the Borrodale Hotel in Daliburgh our base for the trip but veered past it in the hunt for three mobile Bee-eaters in the darkening skies but they had moved on.

However we did see three floaty Short-eared Owls and our first male Hen Harrier to send us back to the hotel wanting more.  The expected rain followed on shortly afterwards and we prepared ourselves for a wet first day ahead.