Sightings – July 2016
BIRDS
Black-headed Gull – single adult Oldany estuary, 31st July (DAH)
Willow Warbler 4 (adult and 3 juveniles) Oldany, 31st July (DAH)
Stonechat – 3 (adult and 2 juveniles) Culkein Drumbeg, 31st July (DAH)
Greenshank – single bird calling over Culkein Drumbeg, 30th July (DAH)
Merlin – male hunting Culkein Stoer, 29th July (DAH)
Common Tern – 6 adults feeding Bay of Culkein, 29th July (DAH)
Dunlin – 2 adults Bay of Culkein, 29th July (DAH)
Sanderling – single adult Bay of Culkein, 29th July (DAH)
Black-headed Gull – single juvenile Bay of Culkein, 29th July (DAH)
Kittiwake – 22 (20 adults, 1 1st-summer, 1 Juvenile) feeding Bay of Culkein, 29th July (DAH)
Little Grebe – 3 (2 adults 1 juvenile) Lochan Sgeireach, Stoer, 26th July (DAH)
Dipper – single River Kirkaig, 26th July (DAH)
Ringed Plover – 3 (2 adults 1 chick) Loch Kirkaig, 26th July (DAH)
Pied Wagtail – 6 (2 adults 4 juvenile) Loch Kirkaig, 26th July (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – single adult Loch Kirkaig, 26th July (DAH)
Black-throated Diver – 4 adults Loch Kirkaig, 26th July (DAH)
Oystercatcher – c130 Clashnessie Bay, 25th July (DAH)
Arctic Skua – 4 (2 adults 2 juvenile) near Raffin, 24th July (DAH)
Redwing – 2 adults Stoer, 23rd July (Howard and Julie Grey)
Sanderling – 2 adults Bay of Culkein, 23rd July (DAH)
Dunlin – 13 (11 adults 2 juvenile) Bay of Culkein, 23rd July (DAH)
Pied Wagtail – 4 (3 adults 1 juvenile) Bay of Culkein, 23rd July (DAH)
White Wagtail – single bird Bay of Culkein, 23rd July (DAH)
Black-headed Gull – 7 (6 adults 1 juvenile) Bay of Culkein, 23rd July (DAH)
Red-breasted Merganser – 2 (adult female and juvenile) Oldany estuary, 23rd July (DAH)
Shag – 13 (4 adults 9 juveniles) Culkein Drumbeg, 22nd July (DAH)
Greylag Goose – 14 Oldany, 22nd July (DAH)
Arctic Skua – 2 (1 pale and 1 dark morph) Stoerhead Lighthouse, 21st July (DAH)
Sand Martin – 2 near Raffin, 21st July (DAH)
Stonechat – 3 (adult male and two juveniles) near Raffin, 21st July (DAH)
Black-headed Gull – juvenile feeding in garden Lochinver, 20th July (Ann MacLeod)
Common Gull – c110 Loch an Aigeil, 20th July (DAH)
Little Grebe – 2 adults Lochan Sgeireach, Stoer, 20th July (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – two flying and calling over Stoerhead Lighthouse, 19th July (DAH)
Black-headed Gull – single bird Clashnessie Bay, 17th July (Chris and Carol Puddephatt)
Greenshank – single adult Bay of Culkein, 17th July (DAH). Several of today’s sightings would suggest that the ‘Autumn’ migration has started!
Dunlin – 3 Bay of Culkein, 17th July (DAH)
Curlew – 2 Bay of Culkein, 17th July (DAH)
Eider – single eclipse male Bay of Culkein, 17th and 23rd July (DAH)
Great Northern Diver – single immature bird Bay of Culkein, 17th July (DAH)
Great Spotted Woodpecker – juvenile bird on garden feeder Inchnadamph, 16th July (Helen Morrison)
Black-headed Gull – single adult Lochinver harbour, 15th July (DAH)
Arctic Skua – 4 near Stoerhead Lighthouse, 13th July (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – bird seen flying past Stoerhead Lighthouse heading north carrying food on several occasions, 13th July (DAH). It is most likely the bird was heading to Handa Island.
Twite – 5 near Stoerhead Lighthouse, 13th July (DAH)
Osprey – single bird ‘fishing’ Loch Kirkaig, 11th July (Jim Roberts)
Merlin – female plucking Swallow near Raffin, 10th July (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th July (DAH)
Curlew – 3 near Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th July (DAH)
Osprey – bird seen near sluices at west end of Loch Assynt, 8th July (Ian Evans)
Sparrowhawk – female resting on rock in middle of River Inver, 8th July (DAH)
Black-throated Diver – 3 (2 adults, 1 juvenile) on loch in east Assynt, 6th July (DAH)
Woodpigeon – 5 over Lagg, 6th July (DAH)
Common Scoter – 30 flying north off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 5th July (DAH)
Great Spotted Woodpecker – 2 juveniles on garden feeder, 4th July (Ian Evans)
Curlew – single bird Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Arctic Tern – 2 Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Black-headed Gull – 4 (2 adults, 2 1st-summer) Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – 2 Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Starling – c30 (adults and juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Ringed Plover – 8 (5 adults, 3 juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Pied Wagtail – 5 (2 adults, 3 juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Dunlin – 2 Bay of Culkein, 4th July (DAH)
Golden Plover – single bird Culkein Drumbeg, 3rd July (Jim and Corinne France)
Greenfinch – 2 (1 adult, 1 juvenile) Culkein Drumbeg, 3rd July (DAH)
Goldfinch – 5 (3 adults, 2 juveniles) Culkein Drumbeg, 3rd July (DAH)
OTHERS
Humpback Whale – single animal off Stoerhead Lighthouse far out near the horizon, 24th July (Ian MacDonald)
White-beaked Dolphin – 4 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 23rd July (DAH). A rare sighting for this side of the Minch as this is a deep water species.
Minke Whale – 2 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 23rd July (DAH)
Common Dolphin – c 40 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 23rd July (DAH)
Speckled Wood butterfly – Loch Poll track, 22nd July (DAH)
Common Dolphin – c10 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 21st July (DAH)
Minke Whale – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 19th July (DAH)
Common Dolphin – two pods, c12 and c30, off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 19th July (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – 4 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 19th July (DAH)
Common Dolphin – c30 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 14th July (DAH)
Basking Shark – single heading north off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 13th July (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – 2 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 10th July (DAH)
Magpie Moth – large number from Stoerhead Lighthouse to Stoer Hall, 9th July (DAH)
Common Dolphin – c20 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th July (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – 4 (3 adults, 1 calf) off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th July (DAH)
Common Lizard – River Inver path near fishing hut, 8th July (DAH)
Common Dolphin – c20 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 5th July (DAH)
Otter – single in Clashnessie Bay, 4th July (reported)
Common Dolphin – 5 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th July (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – 2 off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th July (DAH)