BIRDS
Common Scoter – c120 in 3 flocks past Stoerhead Lighthouse, 30th June (DAH)
Stonechat – pair near Brackloch, 26th June (Les and Liz Pearce)
Black-throated Diver – 2 east end Loch Assynt, 25th June (Helen Morrison)
Arctic Tern – 3 Inverkirkaig Bay, 24th June (Jez and Maggie Allen)
Goldfinch – 8 (6 adults 2 juveniles) Culkein Drumbeg, 24th June (DAH)
Greenfinch – 14 (10 adults 4 juveniles) Culkein Drumbeg, 24th June (DAH)
Red-breasted Merganser – female and 6 chicks Loch Eileanach, near Lagg, 23rd June (Gwen Richards)
Common Scoter – 5 flying north off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 23rd June (DAH)
Sand Martin – 2 near Raffin, 23rd June (DAH)
Goldcrest – adults feeding fledged young Inverkirkaig, 22nd June (DAH)
Cuckoo – bird calling Inverkirkaig, 22nd June (DAH)
Greenshank – 3 adults still in breeding plumage Loch Kirkaig, 22nd June (DAH)
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 5 Loch Kirkaig, 22nd June (DAH)
Oystercatcher – 38 Loch Kirkaig, 22nd June (DAH)
Red-breasted Merganser – 5 (4 male 1 female) Loch Kirkaig, 22nd June (DAH)
Black-throated Diver – 7 adults Loch Kirkaig, 22nd June (DAH)
Dunlin – 2 between Balchladich and Raffin, 21st June (Gwen Richards)
Red-breasted Merganser – 11 Loch Kirkaig, 20th June (Jez and Maggie Allen)
Black-throated Diver – 4 Loch Kirkaig, 20th June (Jez and Maggie Allen)
Great Skua – 2 resting on grazing near Rubh’an Dunain, 18th June (DAH). One of these birds had a numbered coloured ring on its left leg; this will be reported so that the bird’s history can be obtained. Photo Gallery-Birds. 28th June – the BTO have replied to let us know that the bird was ringed on Handa Island as a chick on 5th July 2009, so it was spotted 2174 days after it was ringed and 17km from the ringing site.
Golden Plover – 7 Culkein Stoer, 18th June (DAH)
Lapwing – 8 and two chicks Culkein Stoer, 18th June (DAH)
Turnstone – 2 Bay of Culkein, 18th June (DAH)
Dunlin – 2 Bay of Culkein, 18th June (DAH)
Sanderling – 3 Bay of Culkein, 18th June (DAH)
Common Tern – 2 feeding Clashnessie Bay, 18th June (DAH)
Juvenile birds – juvenile Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Great Tit on feeders Culkein Drumbeg, 18th June (DAH)
Redwing – single bird carrying food near Drumbeg, 17th June (Andy Summers)
Black-throated Diver – 2 Clashnessie Bay, 17th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Great Northern Diver – single Clashnessie Bay, 17th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Ring Ouzel – 2 near summit of Canisp, 16th June (Mike Pollard)
Black-throated Diver – 2 on Loch Drumbeg, 16th June (DAH)
Arctic Tern – 2 on off shore island Culkein Drumbeg, 16th June (DAH). This is a very poor number this year as the size of the ‘Comic’ tern colony has been building over a number of years in this location. The very cold and wet weather and/or a lack of food in the Minch could be the cause.
Golden Plover – 3 near Clachtoll Broch, 15th June (Ennis and Richard Chappell)
Common Scoter – total of 31 in two mixed sex groups heading north off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 15th June (DAH)
Golden Plover – single Culkein Stoer, 13th June (DAH)
Common Tern – 2 Bay of Culkein, 13th June (DAH)
Common Scoter – single male Bay of Culkein, 13th June (DAH)
White Wagtail – single male Bay of Culkein, 13th and 18th June (DAH)
Turnstone – 6 Bay of Culkein, 13th June (DAH)
Sanderling – 2 Bay of Culkein, 13th June (DAH)
Dunlin – 6 Bay of Culkein, 13th June (DAH)
Black-throated Diver – 3 at Loch Druim Suardalain 12th June (Andy Summers)
Great Northern Diver – single in summer plumage Clashnessie Bay, 12th June (DAH)
Arctic Skua – 3 sightings of pale morph birds over Stoerhead Lighthouse, 12th June (DAH)
Siskin – single males at Culkein Drumbeg and near Reintraid, 11th June (DAH)
Golden Eagle – over Clachtoll, 10th June (Roz and Eilidh Summers)
Song Thrush – ‘bashing’ the shell off a white-lipped snail Cepaea nemoralis in garden Nedd, 10th June (Ian Evans)
Arctic Skua – single over split rock Clachtoll, 10th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Red-throated Diver – 2 Clashnessie Bay, 10th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Merlin – male past Stoerhead Lighthouse, 10th June (DAH)
Ringed Plover – c15 Bay of Culkein, 10th June (DAH)
Dunlin – 9 Bay of Culkein, 10th June (DAH)
Sanderling – 2 Bay of Culkein, 10th June (DAH)
Golden Plover – single bird ‘calling’ on Stoer Peninsula, 10th June (Leigh Sedgley)
Osprey – Loch Assynt, 8th June (Su Floyd)
Bullfinch – 2 on track to Falls of Kirkaig, 8th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
House Martin – 2 Culkein Drumbeg, 8th June (DAH)
White-tailed Sea Eagle – one at Stoer Lighthouse, 8th June (reported)
Canada Goose – Clachtoll, 7th June (Andy Summers)
Whimbrel – 5 at Clachtoll, 7th June (Andy Summers)
Redwing – adult singing at Elphin, 7th June (Brendan O’Hanrahan)
Linnet – fledged youngsters at Clachtoll, 7th June (Andy Summers)
Long-eared Owl – Eisg-brachaidh, 6th June
Kittiwake – 250+ off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 5th June (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – 2 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th June (DAH)
Common Scoter – 30 flying south past Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th June (DAH)
Geese – mixed skein of c30 Greylag and Canada flying north past Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th June (DAH)
Swallow – 47 on overhead wires Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th June (DAH)
Spotted Flycatcher – two reports of birds feeding in gardens, 3rd June (Clashnessie – Chris and Carol Puddephatt) and (Balchladich – Gordon and Lesley Sleight, photo Gallery-Birds)
Red-breasted Merganser – pair under Kylesku bridge, 2nd June (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – 2 off Kylesku, 2nd June (DAH)
Osprey – bird seen at east end of Loch Assynt for last few days, 1st June (Helen Morrison)
Blackcap – female visiting garden feeder Balchladich, 1st June (Gordon and Lesley Slight)
Whitethroat – near Drumbeg, 1st June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Lesser Black-backed Gull – single 3rd summer bird Bay of Culkein, 1st June (DAH)
Sanderling – 2 Bay of Culkein, 1st June (DAH)
Turnstone – 5 Bay of Culkein, 1st June (DAH)
Dunlin – 8 Bay of Culkein, 1st June (DAH)
Pink-footed Goose – single grazing around Stoerhead Lighthouse, 1st June (DAH)
OTHERS
Minke Whale – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 30th June (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – 2 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 30th June (DAH)
Pine Martin – on compost heap in garden late afternoon Badnaban, 24th June (Ed von Gohren)
Mink – single animal seen on the Traligill at Inchnadamph, 24th June (Reported). If you see this animal please let us know where and when asap, thank you.
Otter – Inverkirkaig, 21st June (Jez and Maggie Allen)
Basking Shark – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 21st June (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 21st June (DAH)
Common Dolphin – c20 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 21st June (DAH)
Minke Whale – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 21st June (DAH)
Palmate Newt – 2 road to Glencanisp Lodge, 19th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Otter – Clashnessie Bay, 17th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Otter – Bay of Clachtoll, 16th June (Ennis and Richard Chappell)
Ruby Tiger moth Phragmatobia fuliginosa – near Clachtoll Broch, 15th June (Ennis and Richard Chappell). Photo Gallery-Moths.
Otter – Bay of Stoer, 15th June (Ennis and Richard Chappell)
Basking Shark – off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 15th June (DAH)
Risso’s Dolphin – 5 adults and 2 calves off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 15th June (DAH). Photos Gallery-Marine.
Common Dolphin – c20 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 15th June (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – 3 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 15th June (DAH)
Red Deer – calf seen near Torbreck, 14th June (Gwen Richards)
Risso’s Dolphin – 2 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 12th June (Leigh Sedgley)
Basking Shark – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 12th June (DAH). This is our first record of Basking Shark this year and was very unexpected given the cold weather recently.
Harbour Porpoise – several sightings off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 12th June (Leigh Sedgley, et al.)
Common Dolphin – 20+ off Stoerhead Lighthouse for c1.5 hours, 12th June (DAH)
Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula – in garden Nedd, 10th June (Ian Evans)
Green Tiger Beetle Cicindela campestris – in garden Nedd, 10th June (Ian Evans)
Globeflower – in flower near Clashnessie, 10th June (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Adder – 2 near Loch Beannach, Little Assynt, 8th June (Peter Moss)
Common Dolphin – numerous sightings of varying sizes of pods, 20 – 50+, off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th June (various)
Harbour Porpoise – numerous sightings off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th June (various)
Minke Whale – numerous sightings of a single and two off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th June (Steve Truluck, et al.)
Otter – feeding off jetty Kylesku, 2nd June (DAH)