Sightings – September 2016
BIRDS
Blackcap – single female in garden Balchladich, 29th September (Gordon and Lesley Sleight)
Pink-footed Goose – c30 over Raffin (Leigh Sedgley) and c80 over Little Assynt (DAH), both 28th September (DAH)
Dipper – single feeding on River Inver opposite Little Assynt Tree Nursery, 28th September (DAH)
Swallow – 6 feeding Loch Kirkaig, 26th September (DAH)
Curlew – 4 Loch Kirkaig, 26th September (DAH)
Lesser Black-backed Gull – single adult Loch Kirkaig, 26th September (DAH)
White-tailed Eagle – 2 birds seen over Loch Assynt, 23rd September (AS)
Red Kite – single bird recorded near Stoer (Robert Kinnaird) and over Raffin (David and June Hall), both 22nd September
Swallow – 6 on wires Culkein Drumbeg, 22nd September (DAH)
Buzzard – 4 over Achnacarnin, 21st September (DAH)
Lapland Bunting – 3 near track to communication mast Raffin, 20th September (DAH). Photo Gallery – Birds
Skylark – single bird near Raffin, 20th September (DAH)
Goldfinch – 4 (3 adults 1 juvenile) Culkein Stoer, 20th September (DAH)
Swallow – 2 Culkein Stoer, 20th September (DAH)
Great Skua – single bird Bay of Culkein, 20th September (DAH)
Dunlin – 12 Bay of Culkein, 20th September (DAH)
Red-breasted Merganser – 4 females Oldany estuary, 19th September (DAH)
Grey Heron – 14 Oldany estuary, 19th September (DAH)
Curlew – 4 Oldany estuary, 19th September (DAH)
Lapland Bunting – 3 near track to communication mast Raffin, 16th September (Rob Thorpe). Photo Gallery – Birds
Grey Plover – single adult Bay of Culkein, 16th September (DAH). A rare record for Assynt. Photo Gallery – Birds
Red-throated Diver – single bird Bay of Culkein, 16th September (DAH)
Wigeon – single male in eclipse Bay of Culkein, 16th September (DAH)
Curlew – 2 Bay of Culkein, 16th September (DAH)
Sanderling – single adult Bay of Culkein, 16th September (DAH)
Dunlin – 10 Bay of Culkein, 16th September (DAH)
Gannet – c120 feeding off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 16th September (DAH)
Pink-footed Goose – skein reported over Raffin (Leigh Sedgley) and Inchnadamph (Helen Morrison) both 14th September – the first reports of 2016. Here are the last few years first reports (all September) 2015-25th; 2014-20th; 2013-17th; 2012-11th.
Dipper – single bird near Nedd Bridge, 13th September (DAH)
Great Northern Diver – Culkein Stoer, 13th September (AS)
Whimbrel – five at Culkein Stoer, 13th September (AS)
Curlew Sandpiper – single bird flying over Bay of Culkein, 12th September (Rob Thorpe). It has been a good breeding season for the species in arctic Siberia which probably accounts for this being the second Assynt record this autumn.
Slavonian Grebe – single Clashnessie Bay, 11th September (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – single Clashnessie Bay, 11th September (DAH)
Black-throated Diver – 5 off Raffin, 11th September (DAH)
Sedge Warbler – bird heard near Clashmore, 10th September (Gordon and Leslie Sleight)
Sparrowhawk – adult male ‘playing’ with three Hooded Crows over, through and in small mixed woodland Culkein Drumbeg, 10th September (DAH)
Manx Shearwater – 3+ off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 10th September (DAH)
Grey Heron – 15 over Loch Drumbeg and in Scots Pines, 9th September (DAH)
Dunlin – 23 Bay of Culkein, 9th September (DAH)
Golden Plover – juvenile bird near Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th September (reported)
Ruff – juvenile bird near Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th September (reported)
Willow Warbler – single bird singing Culkein Drumbeg, 8th September (DAH). This is likely to be a young bird trying out his voice for next year.
Snipe – single bird feeding in Badnaban garden, 7th September (Les and Liz Pearce). Photo Gallery – Birds
Black Guillemot – 3 off Culkein Drumbeg, 7th September (DAH)
Long-tailed Tit – 7 Culkein Drumbeg, 7th September (DAH)
Sanderling – single juvenile Bay of Stoer and 2 juveniles Clashnessie Bay, 6th September (DAH)
Treecreeper – single bird feeding in trees near Culag River bridge Lochinver, 6th September (DAH)
Goldcrest – 3 in trees near Culag River bridge Lochinver, 6th September (DAH)
Long-tailed Tit – 4 in trees near Culag River bridge Lochinver, 6th September (DAH)
Pied Wagtail – 7 Culag Park Lochinver, 6th September (DAH)
Tufted Duck – single male Loch Drumbeg, 4th and 6th September (DAH)
Whimbrel – single near Raffin, 4th September (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – 3 (2 adults 1 juvenile) Bay of Stoer, 3rd September (DAH)
Ringed Plover – 11 (1 adult 10 juveniles) Bay of Stoer, 3rd September (DAH)
Moorhen – single adult Loch an Aigeil, 3rd September (DAH)
Black-throated Diver – single juvenile Bay of Culkein, 3rd September (DAH)
White Wagtail – single bird in winter plumage Bay of Culkein, 3rd September (DAH)
Knot – single adult Bay of Culkein, 3rd September (DAH)
Ringed Plover – 61 (25 adults 36 juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 3rd September (DAH)
Dunlin – 65 (10 adults 55 juveniles) Bay of Culkein, 3rd September (DAH)
Curlew – 11 Oldany estuary, 2nd September (DAH)
Herring Gull – 83 (mixed ages) Oldany estuary, 2nd September (DAH)
Twite – c80 Balchladich, 2nd September (DAH)
Snipe – single bird Balchladich, 2nd September (DAH)
Sanderling – 4 Balchladich Bay, 2nd September (DAH)
Tufted Duck – single male Loch na Claise, 2nd September (DAH)
Teal – 5 females Loch na Claise, 2nd September (DAH)
Wigeon – 3 males Loch na Claise, 2nd September (DAH)
Merlin – male hunting Culkein Stoer, 1st September (DAH)
Twite – c120 Culkein Stoer, 1st September (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – single adult Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Mallard – 2 female Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Hybrid Hooded/Carrion Crow – single bird with two full Hooded Crow Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Starling – 100+ Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Pied Wagtail – 12 Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Ringed Plover – 53 Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Dunlin – 30 Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Curlew – 2 Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Turnstone – 8 Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Redshank – 11 Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Sanderling – 5 Bay of Culkein, 1st September (DAH)
Wigeon – 2 males Clashnessie Bay, 1st September (DAH)
OTHERS
Slow-worm – single on garden path Badnaban, 21st September (Les and Liz Pearce)
Red Admiral butterfly – 2 Culkein Drumbeg (DAH) and 4 Badnaban (Les and Liz Pearce), both 19th September
Common Dolphin – large pod off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 18th September (Leigh Sedgley)
Red Deer – stag roaring Inchnadamph, 15th September (Helen Morrison)
Palmate Newt – near the river at Clashnessie waterfall, 11th September (Dave Bird). Photo Gallery – Amphibians and Reptiles
Common Dolphin – 10+ off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th September (DAH)
Common Dolphin – 30+ off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 9th September (Mal Edwards)
Harbour Porpoise – 8 (5 adults 3 juveniles) off Culkein Drumbeg, 7th September (DAH)
Violet Webcap Cortinarius violaceus – single fruiting body of this fungus in Little Assynt, 6th September (Niamh O’Driscoll). This is the first record of this fungus in Assynt and probably West Sutherland. Photo Gallery – Fungi
Common Dolphin – 150+ off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 4th September (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – single Bay of Stoer, 3rd September (DAH)