Sightings – August 2012
BIRDS
Golden Eagle – 2 over Clachtoll, 31st August (AV)
Short-eared Owl – 1 near Loch Crom, Glencanisp, 31st August (AS). A rare sighting for Assynt of a species which may be under-recorded.
Red Kite – 2 over Stoer, 28th August. The second sighting of two Kites in as many months.
Golden Eagle – 1 (adult) near Nedd, 27th August (SD). Photo Gallery – Birds.
Bar-tailed Godwit – 1 Achmelvich, 27th August
Sanderling – 14 Bay of Culkein, 24th August
Long-eared Owl – 1 at Laid, Clashnessie, 20th August (M&AT). Not a common record for Assynt and this bird has been around for several days.
Sandwich Tern – 3 Bay of Culkein, 19th August (AS)
Goosander – 2 (females) Loch Nedd at Nedd bridge, 19th August
Goldfinch – 2 (juveniles) Culkein Drumbeg, 19th August
Merlin – 1 (female) near Oldany, 18th August
Lapwing – 16 near Totag, 16th August
Kittiwake – 31 (adults and juveniles) on split rock Clachtoll Bay, 16th August
Red-throated Diver – 3 Clachtoll Bay, 16th August
Knot – 4 (adults) Bay of Stoer, 16th August
Razorbill – 11 (5 adults 6 juveniles) Bay of Stoer, 16th August
Common Tern – 12 (adults and juveniles) Bay of Stoer, 16th August
Tawny Owl – calling bird near Achmelvich, 15th August (TW)
Spotted Flycatcher – 1 (juvenile) in garden Torbreck, 15th August (GR)
Knot – 7 (adults) Bay of Culkein, 14th August. These birds, together with the previous six records below, indicate that it’s time to really keep a look out for Autumn passage migrants.
Bar-tailed Godwit – 1 Bay of Stoer, 15th August (AS)
Redshank – 28 calling and flying east high over Bay of Culkein, 14th August
Turnstone – 2 (juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 14th August
Ringed Plover – 48 (adults and juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 14th August
Sanderling – 5 (2 adults 3 juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 14th August
Dunlin – 14 (adults and juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 14th August
Red-throated Diver – 2 (1 adult 1 juvenile) Balchladich Bay, 14th August
Common Sandpiper – 4 Balchladich Bay, 14th August
Common Tern – 3 (1 adult 2 juveniles being fed) Balchladich Bay, 14th August
Arctic Skua – 2 pale morph Stoer Head Lighthouse, 12th August
Dunlin – 4 (1 adult 3 juvenile birds) Rubh’an Dunain, 12th August
Sanderling – 1 (juvenile) Rubh’an Dunain, 12th August
Sparrowhawk – 1 (female) Bay of Culkein, 12th August. She made several passes and spent some time sitting on the rocks at the end of the beach watching the other birds settle down before she tried to catch lunch again – no luck! Same bird was unsuccessfull on 14th August.
Sand Martin – 1 Bay of Culkein, 12th August
Linnet – 6 (adults and juveniles) Culkein Stoer, 12th August
Goldfinch – 9 (adults and juveniles) Culkein Stoer, 12th August
Greylag Geese – 40 Culkein Stoer, 12th August
Arctic Tern – 6 (4 adults and 2 juveniles) off shore island Culkein Drumbeg, 11th August. Seems the majority of the juvenile birds have now fledged with just two less confident youngsters remaining.
House Martin – 6 (2 adults and 4 juveniles) Culkein Drumbeg, 11th August
Woodcock – 1 near Inchnadamph 10th August (GR)
Starling – c270 in two flocks between Balchladich and Clashmore, 8th August
Linnet – 6 (2 adult 4 juvenile birds) Balchladich, 8th August
Twite – c40 Balchladich, 8th August
Dunlin – 3 juvenile birds Balchladich Bay, 8th August
Dunlin – 2 (1 adult and 1 juvenile) Bay of Culkein, 7th August
Teal – 6 (adult females and juveniles) Clashnessie Bay, 7th August
Sparrowhawk – young birds heard calling in Culag Wood, 7th July (AS)
Osprey – 1 juvenile bird over Loch Druim Suardalain, 6th August
Long-tailed Tit – 10+ Glencanisp road, 6th August
Treecreeper – 3 Glencanisp road, 6th August
Goosander – 1 (female) Loch Inver, 6th August
Knot – 2 winter birds past Stoer Head Lighthouse, 5th August
Arctic Skua – 4 (2 dark and 2 pale morph) off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 5th August. These birds were giving the Kittiwakes and auks a hard time.
Starling – c150 (adult and juvenile) near Achnacarnin, 5th August. A good number so ‘early’ in the year.
Goldcrest – 1 juvenile bird Inverkirkaig, 4th August
Black-throated Diver – 4 adult birds Loch Kirkaig, 4th August
Red-throated Diver – 2 adult birds Loch Kirkaig, 4th August
Sabine’s Gull – 1 first-summer bird Loch Kirkaig, 4th August. Assynt’s first North American vagrant gull this autumn!
Stonechat – 2 (a pair) near Lagg and then 1 adult and two juvenile birds after Strathcroy, 4th August. Nice to see some young Stonechat.
Arctic Skua – 2 – 1 pale and 1 dark morph over Bay of Culkein, 4th August
Ringed Plover – 23 (5 adult and 18 juvenile birds) Bay of Culkein, 4th August
Black-throated Diver – 2 in full summer plumage Loch Drumbeg, 3rd August
Lesser Redpoll – 3 over Loch Poll track, 3rd August
Red-throated Diver – 3 off Bay of Clachtoll, 2nd August
Black Guillemot – 5 off Rubh’an Dunain, 2nd August
Puffin – 1 off Rubh’an Dunain, 2nd August
Starling – c60 Culkein Stoer, 2nd August
House Sparrow – c25 Culkein Stoer, 2nd August
Sand Martin – 1 Bay of Culkein, 2nd August
Common Scoter – 1 first summer male Bay of Culkein, 2nd August
Great Northern Diver – 4 first summer birds Bay of Culkein, 2nd August
Knot – 1 in summer plummage Bay of Culkein, 2nd August
Dunlin – 3 Bay of Culkein, 2nd August
Turnstone – 2 in summer plumage Bay of Culkein, 2nd August
OTHERS
Otter – 1 Loch Kirkaig, 28th August
Basking Shark – 1 off Raffin, 27th August
Basking Shark – 1 off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 26th August (LS)
Orca – Female and calf off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 26th August (LS)
Common Dolphin – 20+ off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 26th August (LS)
Harbour Porpoise – 5+ off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 26th August (LS)
Common Dolphin – 20+ off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 25th August (LS)
Dolphin species – 10+ off Clachtoll, 25th August
Harbour Porpoise – 1 Bay of Stoer, 19th August (AS)
Basking Shark – 1 off Achmelvich, 19th August
Basking Shark – 1 off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 17th August (LS)
Adder – 1 on south face of Stac Pollaidh, 16th August (TW). Not an Assynt record sorry but, as with the sighting on 17th March at Garvie Bay, it is great to get records of Adder from this area.
Bottlenose Dolphin – 3 off Badnaban, 16th August
Common Dolphin – 20+ off Badnaban, 16th August
Silk Mining Bee Colletes succintus – aggregation of c50 on ‘sandy cliffs’ near Raffin, 16th August. Photo of this medium sized c10mm, solitary mining bee on Gallery – Insects.
Harbour Porpoise – 5 off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 16th August
Scotch Argus butterfly – 3 near Nedd Bridge, 15th August
Harbour Porpoise – 2 off Rubh’an Dunain, 14th August
Harbour Porpoise – 2 off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 12th August
Basking Shark – 1 very large individual off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 12th August
Orca – 4 (possibly two males and two females) off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 10th August (DS). Photo Gallery – Marine.
Common Dolphin – c20 off Clachtoll, 10th August
Scotch Argus butterfly – 4 near Inchnadamph, 10th August (GR)
Minke Whale – 1 off Balchladich, 8th August
Basking Shark – 1 off Bay of Culkein, 7th August. This fish was observed from 16:00 to 18:00 feeding out from the bay and visitors to the area had seen it in the bay at 10:00 the same day.
Mixed Butterflies – Meadow Brown; Common Blue; Speckled Wood; Dark Green Fritillary and Green-veined White all Glencanisp road, 6th August
Harbour Porpoise – off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 5th August
Minke Whale – off Stoer Head Lighthouse, 5th August
White Spindles fungi Clavaria fragilis – 1 tuft near Loch Poll track, 3rd August. Photo Gallery – Fungi
Puff Ball fungi Lycoperdon spp. – 4 ‘balls’ near Culkein Drumbeg, 3rd August. Photo Gallery – Fungi
Giant tachinid fly Tachina grossa – 1 near Culkein Drumbeg, 3rd August. Appears to have been a ‘good’ year for this parasitic fly. Photos Gallery – Insects
Purple Milk-vetch Astragalus danicus – Several flowering plants near Clachtoll beach (IE/C), 2nd August. This east coast plant only flowers in two known locations in Assynt and was first recorded in 1987. Photo Gallery – Flowering Plants.
Common Dolphin – c20 off Bay of Clachtoll, 2nd August
Otter – 1 male feeding at low tide off Rubh’an Dunain, 2nd August
Harbour Porpoise – singles off Rubh’an Dunain and Clachtoll, 2nd August