2022 Hebridean Adventures, Pt. 4 - 27th to 29th May

This is my fourth, and final, post of my account of our visit to The Outer Hebrides in May this year. If you missed them you can find my previous posts on my visit here:- 

https://peglerbirding.blogspot.com/2022/06/2022-hebridean-adventures-pt-1-19th-to.html

https://peglerbirding.blogspot.com/2022/07/2022-hebridean-adventures-pt-2-23rd-may.html

https://peglerbirding.blogspot.com/2022/07/2022-hebridean-adventures-pt-3-24th-to.html

Friday, 27th May                Clachan Sands ; Loch Portain ; Balranald ; Clachan Sands

This was, effectively, our last day in the Outer Hebrides, as we would be leaving early the next morning. In anticipation of a relatively arduous day as we set off homeward, we decided not to wander too far from base.

The day started very windy, but calmed considerably later, ending up at 22-28 mph (35-45 kph). It was a day of sunshine and showers with temperatures of around 11°c with the wind chill making it feel more like 8°c (according to my weather app.).

A wander up the lane after breakfast produced a Short-eared Owl which, I suspect, was after nestlings, and a confiding Oystercatcher.

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - Clachan Sands, North Uist

Oystercatcher  (Haematopus ostralegus) - Clachan Sands

The dead-end road to Loch Portain is quite close to where we stay, and we have only visited there once before, so we reckoned it was worth checking out again. We were not disappointed.

We soon found an obliging Meadow Pipit that was probably feeding young.

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) - road to Loch Portain, North Uist

Lindsay spoted two Red Deer on the hillside on her side of the car and, fortunately, there was a place where we could pull in without blocking the road. I was amused by the 'eight-legged deer' in the second shot below!

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) (female) - from road to Loch Portain

I was distracted by a Wheatear that flew in. It didn't stay long and didn't present itself in a very photogenic manner, but I'd seen so few of them in this year's visit to the Outer Hebrides that it warrants an inclusion.

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) (female) - road to Loch Portain

When I turned round again, the deer had become one four-legged one!

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) (female) - from road to Loch Portain

Having travelled each of the three 'forks' at the end of this road, we set off westward, stopping at The Wee Cottage Kitchen for a light lunch, and then heading south-west down the Committee Road. Maybe it was the windy weather that was keeping the birds down, but the Committee Road had been far less productive during our stay this year than on previous years, and the only thing I found to photograph on this day was a Stonechat.

Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (male) - Committee Road, North Uist

Lindsay fancied a walk on the beach near the RSPB reserve at Balranald and, as this was also a place with good propects for observing waders, I was more than happy to oblige.

As we set off along the track across the machair, I spotted a very confiding Corn Bunting, on my side of the car. This is a species that I rarely see, and Balranald is a good place to seek them. This one was proudly calling, showing that amazing bill that is a feature of this species.

Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra) - RSPB Balranald, North Uist

Lindsay set off for her walk along the beach and headed southward, away from the area frequented by birds. I descended  to the nearby rocks and found myself a spot where I could sit and wait for the birds to come to me. I didn't have to wait long.

Just four species of wader (the usual suspects :- Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone) were noted. Sometimes they came really close.

Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) - beach by Balranald

Sanderling (Calidris alba) - beach by Balranald

Dunlin (Calidris alpina) - beach by Balranald

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) - beach by Balranald

I did get a shot of Dunlin and Turnstone together. Although the Turnstone is very much out of focus, I show the shot here as it gives an understanding of the difference in size between these two species.

 

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) + Dunlin (Calidris alpina) - beach by Balranald

It was now time to head back to base. 

 

As we approached our lane, I noted that one of the pair of Mute Swans that hed young nearby was near to the road, with two young cygnets in attendance.

 

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) (adult + young) - from B893, North Uist

After tea, and some basic packing in preparation for our early departure in the moning, I decided to have a last session sitting in my car up the lane from the cottage. This turned out to be my best session, by far, of this whole Outer Hebrides break, purely because of my love of Short-eared Owls.

 

Within minutes of me parking in my chosen location, an owl appeared. It stayed distant at first, but then started getting closer. I got a shot of it sitting on a post, not too far away.

 

Short-eared Owl (Asius flammeus) - Clachan Sands

At one point in time it came really close and, frustratingly, hovered behind a gate before dropping to the ground and then zooming off. I did get a shot, and it would have been a very satisfying one - if the gate had not been in the way!

 

Short-eared Owl (Asius flammeus) - Clachan Sands

After a while, the owl flew up the road towards me, on my side of the road, and on a course which would have it passing my open car window at a distance of about 5 metres. When it got to around 10 metres away it veered across the front of my car, looking at me through the windscreen as it did so, and passed on the opposite side!

 

About fifteen minutes later, it did exactly the same thing - very frustrating!

 

After another ten minutes or so, it looked as if it was going to repeat the action for the third time. To my delight, this time it passed on my side of the car at close range and I'd managed to wind the lens back to 170mm and got three frames in before it was too far behind me to follow further.

 

Short-eared Owl (Asius flammeus) - Clachan Sands

After this, it stayed more distant. I feel sure that it had been checking me out and, having satisfied its curiosity, continued to carry on with business. I did take many more photos that session and here are a few.

 

Short-eared Owl (Asius flammeus) - Clachan Sands

The session ended as it had started - with the owl on its favourite post!

 

Saturday, 28th May                Lochmaddy, North Uist to Kinross, Perth and Kinross 

We were pleased to note that the forecast was for a much calmer day, with sunny spells and temperatures reaching 13°c. The alarm was set to wake us at 04.45 to ensure that we were at the ferry port for last check-in at 6.45 Having finished packing and sorting out round the cottage, we departed and arrived at the terminal in good time.

The ferry departed on time and, as usual, I spent the whole of the one and three quarter hour crossing out on deck looking for birds and cetaceans. No cetaceans were seen but I was pleased to see more birds than I did on our outward crossing. Here are a few.

Gannet (Morus bassanus) - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

Guillemot (Uria aalge) - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

A few Guillemots, more common in the north of their range, have 'white spectacles' and these are referred to as Bridled Guillemots. This is such an individual.

Guillemot (Uria aalge) - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)  - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

Razorbill (Alca torda) - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

Puffins are delightful birds, with rather short wings, and so it takes some effort for them to take to the air when on water. I have seen on several occasions that, when they are approached by a ferry, they tend to flap furiously and splash across the surface of the water before coming to a halt with a splash when they feel that they are at a safe distance.

Puffin (Fratercula arctica) - from Lochmaddy to Uig ferry

From Uig, we had an easy run across the Isle of Skye followed by a lunch stop at the GlenCoe Mountain Resort. and the another stop for tea and cake at the Artisan Cafe and Deli, south-east of Tyndrum. By the time we got to Kinross Travelodge, a snack purchased from the M&S Food shop in the service area was all that we required.

Sunday, 29th May         Kinross to Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire

Lindsay had had a disturbed night, and was somewhat under the weather in the morning, which we subsequently found was due to her having caught Covid.

I remember little of the last leg of our journey home, except that it passed without major incident. We had a very enjoyable lunch at Harts Coffee House & Deli in Boston Spa that we had found on our outward journey, and arived home in time for tea.

Thus ended a very enjoyable stay on the Outer Hebrides, in spite of having the worst weather week that we've had there so far, and returning with the dreaded virus. 

I will take this opportunity to thank Ian and Heather for another splendid stay in the comfort and magic of Tigh na Boireach. It is absolutely perfect for our requirements and we look forward to returning in 2023!

 

My next blog post will almost certainly feature some local observations and, as a consequence, be somewhat shorter than my recent blog posts!

In the meantime, thank you for dropping by. Please take good care of yourselves and Nature - - - Richard.

2022 Hebridean Adventures, Pt. 1 - 19th to 22nd May

Well, here I am, back again!  Before I get stuck into my account of our adventures, I feel that I ought to put a few things in perspective. The holiday, although extremely enjoyable, was not without its problems.

Throughout the break, I was having significant problems with my eyesight. At first I put it down to tired eyes after long periods of driving but, after a few days, I realised something more sinister was going on. I was having great difficulty in seeing things through my camera viewfinder, and also in viewing things on the lcd screen and adjusting settings. Part way through, I found that my right eye - which is the one that I put to the viewfinder - was in really bad shape. If I looked at a fence with just my right eye open, it looked as if the fence was falling over, and I was peering through a fog. The results of my photographic efforts are way below par because of this. I did, however, start getting used to holding the viewfinder to my other eye. A call to the opticians on my return had them asking me to come in urgently, and I was diagnosed as having rapid onset of wet macular degeneration - a condition that also affects the ability to see details in the centre of one's vison. I was given an urgent (rather than 'emergency') referral to hospital and am currently undergoing a thorough investigation prior to surgical treatment.

On our way home, Lindsay started feeling unwell and the following day, when at home, she tested positive for Covid. I followed suite five days later. Neither of us suffered badly, and Lindsay are almost fully recovered apart from ongoing fatigue.

With all the above, it has taken a long while to sort out the photos I took while away and, because of my eyesight, I may have not done a good job of processing them - I struggle to see detail.

So here we go:-

Thursday, 19th May                         Ashby de la Zouch (Leicestershire) to Kinross (Scotland)

I managed to see three Large Red Damselfly successfully emerge from our garden mini-pond before we departed for our Hebridean adventure at 10.00. 

We diverted to Boston Spa en route in the hope of having lunch at our favoured location there. When we visited last year, it was still the 'Deli-Cafe', but we had subsequently learned that it had become 'Da Carlo' and had gone 'up-market'. Nevertheless,  we had decided to give it a try. We were, therefore, disappointed to find on arrival at 12.00 that it was closed, despite the sign on the door declaring its opening hours that day were from 11.30. The day was not lost, however, as we found 'Harts Coffee House & Deli', where we had a splendid lunch and enjoyed friendly service. This will be our venue of choice in future.

Several comfort stops were required as we continued our travels northward but, other than adding 20 minutes to our journey time because of heavy traffic in the Edinburgh area, it was an uneventful journey, and we arrived at the Travelodge Kinross Services at 18.00.

Having had an excellent lunch, a light evening meal was all that was required, and so food was purchased in the M&S shop in the service area, and eaten in our room.

After a fairly tiring journey,  we turned in for an early night at 21.00.

 

Friday, 20th May                          Kinross to Uig (Isle of Skye)

We both slept relatively well, but were awake from around 05.30, so had an earlier start than expected. A missed turn just before Perth landed us on a slower but picturesque route.  It also gave us the delightful sighting of a Red Squirrel carrying a youngster across the road in its mouth.

 

A stop on the A95 in a lay-by with 'public conveniences' beside Loch Earn gave us views of the loch and the unusual sight of a drake Mallard waddling along the grass verge of a main road.

 

 Loch Earn from A95

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) (male) - A95 by Loch Earn

Various stops were made en route, including at Ardelve where we had a good view of Eilean Donan castle - in the rain! Here we enjoyed coffee and cake, followed by a visit to a craft fair. Lindsay found some items of jewelry to purchase!

 

Eilean Donan Castle - Dornie

Having crossed over the sea to Skye (not by bonnie boat but by the Skye Bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh)  we saw, to our dismay a large illuminated sign declaring that the next ferry crossing to North Uist was cancelled. To the best of our knowledge,  we were booked on the next scheduled ferry. To cut a long story short, we found that the booked ferry had been holed the day before, and we were now booked on a later smaller ferry on the Saturday. This would have the unfortunate result that we'd arrive on North Uist after the Co-op shop had closed, and with shops closed the following day (a Sunday), as we were in self-catering accommodation, food would be in short supply! 

Having arrived at Uig, we checked into our B&B, "5 Glenconon", for the night, where the proprietor, Shirley, very kindly offered a change of room to a ground floor one, to save Lindsay coping with the stairs. We then set off for fish and chips (table booked for us by Shirley) at the Uig Hotel - and very good it was too! 

After tea we took a ride out on a highly scenic road from Uig to Brogaig that we hadn't travelled on before and Lindsay spotted a distant White-tailed Eagle. I only managed a distant record shot.

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) - from road from Uig to Brogaig

On returning to base we had a mug of coffee while I wrote up my notes, and then turned in shortly after 21.00.

 

Saturday, 21st May                     Uig to Lochmaddy (North Uist), to Clachan Sands

 

Lindsay and I were both awake quite early, and wished we had booked a breakfast for a little earlier than the 08.00 that we had booked. We had both had a rough night, purely because of concerns about the knock-on effects of our delayed sailing.

While waiting in our room, we watched the action at the garden feeders which was boosted when Shirley, the proprietor,  chucked out some old bread under the feeders. I was quite surprised to see a couple of rabbits tucking into the bread.

 

Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) - Uig, Isle of Skye

Breakfast was excellent, even if it was interrupted by me needing to return to our room to get my camera when a couple of Hooded Crow decided that they too wanted some of the bread. I think it's safe to say that this was a 'garden lifer' for me.

 

Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) - Uig, Isle of Skye

We left our B&B at 08.50 and I suggested to Lindsay we should go to the ferry terminal, just over a mile away, to enquire about arrangements for our modified departure. This turned out to be one of my best decisions because, on approaching the people organising the boarding, they asked if I had my vehicle and tickets to hand (which I  had), and they then told me that if I fetched my car and parked in the reserve lane they were pretty confident that we could be on our way in half an hour! We were, and this meant that we would arrive on North Uist 10 hours before the time that they had rescheduled us to.

 

 a showery morning as we set off leaving Uig, Skye

It was a cool, grey and showery morning as we set off. The crossing was uneventful and much less in the way of wildlife was seen than we have found in the past. I stayed outside for the duration and got quite damp and chilled. Lindsay stayed inside for the first half of the journey but had to spend the second half outside because there was a bit of a sea swell going on and the motion was getting to her. Here are some of the few birds that I managed distant shots of.

 

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) - from Uig to Lochmaddy ferry

Razorbill (Alca torda) - from Uig to Lochmaddy ferry

Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) - from Uig to Lochmaddy ferry

On arrival at 11.30 we made haste directly to the Wee Cottage Kitchen (a mobile cafe at the water's edge beyond Solas that we found to be excellent last year), and had an extremely enjoyable light lunch. A drake Eider treated us to a stretching session while we were there.

 

Eider (Somateria mollissima) (male) - near Malacleit, North Uist

Also nearby, an Oystercatcher was relaxing on its temporary island. I say 'temporary' as, when the tide goes out, the slope of the bay is so shallow that the water is approximately 2 km away! In fact, at low tide, people drive across the sand to the island of Vallay.

 

Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) - near Malacleit, North Uist

After this, we headed down the Committee Road which is a road that can be excellent for spotting interesting birds, particularly raptors, but little was seen.

We stopped at the Hebridean Smokehouse, primarily to buy smoked scallops, but came away with some other delicacies as well. 

As we were not able to access our rental until 16.00, we had some time to kill, so we decided to head up the west side of the island and then along the north coast. We had not long left the Hebridean Smokehouse when Lindsay spotted a male Hen Harrier on her side of the car. I managed a few record shots before it disappeared behind a hedge, so I found somewhere to park and went to investigate. I didn't manage to relocate the bird, but I did spot a distant female Hen Harrier in the same area, although I failed to get anything but record shots of this bird too.

 

Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) (male) - near Cladach Chirceboist

Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) (female) - near Cladach Chirceboist

After all but three days of solid driving, I was getting extremely tired, and my eyesight seemed to be suffering the most, to the extent that I  could see clearly enough to drive safely, but my power of observation for spotting birds as we travelled was, I would estimate, well below half its usual level, and my photographic abilities reduced by a greater amount!

We continued our travels turning round after a brief stop not far from Burneray, where we found a group of five Ravens. Here is one of them.

Raven (Corvus corax) - near Clachan Sands

Having accessed our rental property and relaxed with a mug of tea, we went to get provisions at the Co-op, 6 miles away. Shortly after we left the Co-op, Lindsay spotted a Short-eared Owl on a post on her side of the road. I took a few blurred record shots through the windscreen with it facing away from me, then Lindsay opened her window but I failed to get any shots as we drew alongside before it moved off, eventually disappearing from sight. We had, at least, seen our first Short-eared Owl of the stay.

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - near Solas

It is our custom, on returning from a drive away from the cottage, to go past the cottage and check out the few hundred metres to the end of the road as this part of the lane has been extremely productive in the past. On this occasion, however, only an Oystercatcher on a plastic bale posed for the camera.

 

Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) - Clachan Sands

That evening, we enjoyed the smoked scallops which Lindsay had heated in a little butter with a few chives that I  had picked in the garden.

After our meal, the rain set in and, with a cold stiff breeze prevailing, I  did not feel the need to venture out again.

 

Sunday, 22nd May                                  North Uist and Benbecula

We had a late start this day as the weather forecast was not good and we both felt in need of some relaxing time after our travels and lack of sleep.

In the event, the weather turned out even worse than forecast with barely a let-up in the rain and a temperature which hovered around the 11°c mark. Fortunately it was far less windy than the previous day.

After breakfast, a quick check round the cottage produced a distant Short-eared Owl, confirmed that the Starlings were nesting in the box on the shed, and indicated that a Wren was probably nesting in the thatch of the cottage roof again. This year we had rabbits in the garden too!

 

Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - cottage garden, Clachan Sands

Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) - cottage garden, Clachan Sands

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) - cottage garden, Clachan Sands

I also found two odd items attached to the cottage wall which I came to the conclusion were probably cocoons of a largish moth species.

 

Cocoon - from wall of cottage, Clachan Sands

I subsequently found another one of these on an outbuilding, so decided to take one in the hope of discovering what was contained. It was brought home and hung up in a sheltered position outside. On 11th June, this gorgeous Drinker moth emerged.

 

Drinker (Euthrix potatoria) (male) - from wall of cottage, Clachan Sands

A short run up the lane in the car (in order to keep the camera dry) turned up another Short-eared Owl which, frustratingly, landed on a post behind a nearer post and at the back of the black plastic bales, but at least I got a record shot!

 

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - Clachan Sands

Lindsay wanted to go to an accessible beach to try out some recently acquired nordic walking poles to see if they would help her walk on the beach - something she loves to do -  so we headed to a beach we know as Cow Beach. They worked a treat! I wandered off a bit further down the beach and saw a distant tern. I risked getting the camera wet and tried for a shot, but didn't get anything that would let me identify it.

Two more Short-eared  Owls were seen on the way back to base, which I found quite surprising as owls and rain don't usually mix. Perhaps desperation had set in as it seems that the weather had been dire here for a week or more.

A Redshank was again in the water that is just before the turn into our lane.

 

Redshank (Tringa totanus) - near Clachan Sands

As usual, on our return we took a run up to the end of our lane to see what might be around. We saw very little but our return to base was hindered by a Hebridean road block!

roadblock on Clachan Sands

After lunch, we set off for Benbecula taking a small diversion to travel along North Lee Walk to  spot where we have seen Red-throated Divers on a few occasions, but nothing of interest was seen there this day.

Two more Short-eared Owls were seen on the way to Benbecula.  I stopped for one but only got a couple of distant going away shots.

After a stop for tea and cake at Stepping Stones restaurant on Benbecula we headed for the well-named Stinky Bay, where there were many Eider and a few Sanderling.

 

Eider (Somateria mollissima) - Stinky Bay, Benbecula

Eider (Somateria mollissima) (female) - Stinky Bay, Benbecula

Sanderling (Calidris alba) - Stinky Bay, Benbecula

The star turn, however, was an immature male Surf Scoter out in the bay. This is a rarity for UK, and a 'lifer' for me.

 

Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) (immature male) - Stinky Bay, Benbecula

The next stop was just up the road a short way to see the Red-necked Phalaropes at Griminis. Two were seen, but the misty weather and distance was against satisfying photography. I'm not entirely sure of the sex of the bird(s?) in these two (greatly manipulated to remove mistiness) images, but suspect female.

Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) - Griminis

When the mist became much more dense it was time to depart. Our journey took us past Stinky Bay again so, as the mist had cleared and turned to rain, we stopped to see if the scoter was any closer to the shore. It was not, but it would be a shame not to offer another shot of this bird.

 

Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) (immature male) - Stinky Bay, Benbecula

Little was seen on our return to base and the weather dictated that we had an evening in. Tea primarily consisted of hot-smoked salmon from the Hebridean Smokehouse, which knocks the mass-produced stuff into a cocked hat.

 

 

This brings me to the end of Pt.1 of my account of our visit to the Outer Hebrides. I suspect that Pt.2 will be in about a week's time - depending on a few things scheduled to happen in the interim, for which fingers are crossed! In the meantime, take good care of yourselves and Nature. Thank you for dropping by - - - Richard