Sightings – January 2017
BIRDS
Woodcock – single bird feeding for over 1 hour in garden, Clachtoll, 31st January (Tony and Val Williams)
Long-tailed Tit – 5 on garden feeder, Baddidarach, 31st January (Ken Fairchild)
Chaffinch – 9 mixed sex flock near Rhicarn, 31st January (DAH)
Dunnock – 2 near Rhicarn, 31st January (DAH)
Treecreeper – single near Rhicarn, 31st January (DAH)
Greenfinch – a pair near Rhicarn, 31st January (Romany Garnett)
Buzzard – single calling near Rhicarn, 31st January (Romany Garnett)
Eider – mixed sex raft on sea off Raffin, 29th January (DAH)
Knot – single bird still showing well Bay of Culkein, 29th January (DAH)
Turnstone – 16 Bay of Culkein, 29th January (DAH)
Redshank – 7 Bay of Culkein, 29th January (DAH)
Whooper Swan – two adults on Loch an Leathad Rainich, Clachtoll, 28th January
Greenfinch – 3 males Culkein Drumbeg, 28th January (DAH)
Jackdaw – 48 Elphin, 27th January (DAH)
Goldeneye – pair on Loch Awe, 27th January (DAH)
Grey Wagtail – single winter plumage female, Gleann Leireag, 26th January (DAH)
Merlin – single male chasing c30 Siskin Gleann Leireag, 26th January (DAH)
Woodcock – single bird disturbed, Gleann Leireag, 26th January (DAH)
Chaffinch – 20 Culkein Drumbeg, 25th January (DAH)
Little Grebe – single bird Maiden Loch, Clachtoll, 25th January (DAH)
Goldeneye – 2 (1 male 1 female) Maiden Loch, Clachtoll, 25th January (DAH)
Chaffinch – 20 at Inchnadamph car park, 24th January (AS)
Mallard – 2 pairs Loch an Aigeil, Clachtoll, 24th January (AS)
Sparrowhawk – single at Clachtoll, 24th January (AS)
Curlew – 18 Bay of Stoer, 23rd January (AS)
Sanderling – single bird Bay of Culkein, 23rd January (DAH)
Turnstone – 11 Bay of Culkein, 23rd January (DAH)
Great Northern Diver – single bird Badnaban bay, 22nd January (Dave Bird)
White-tailed Eagle – juvenile bird over Bay of Stoer, 21st January (DAH)
Great Northern Diver – 4 Bay of Stoer, 21st January (DAH)
Red-throated Diver – single Bay of Stoer, 21st January (DAH)
Goldeneye – pair Loch an Aigeil, 21st January (DAH)
Fulmar – 17 on nesting cliffs below Stoerhead Lighthouse, 20th January (DAH)
Gannet – 5 (4 adult 1 4th-winter) off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 20th January (DAH)
Goosander – single male Badnaban bay, 18th January (Dave Bird)
Eider – 2 (adult and 1st-winter male) off Rubh’an Dunain, 18th January (DAH)
Redwing – 2 Culkein Stoer, 18th January (DAH)
Starling – c110 Culkein Stoer, 18th January (DAH)
Great Northern Diver – 2 Bay of Culkein, 18th January (DAH)
Knot – single bird Bay of Culkein, 18th and 23rd January (DAH)
Raven – Adult on nest near Inchnadamph, 16th January (AS)
Goosander – single male on Loch Borallan, 16th January (AS)
Red-breasted Merganser – 5 (2 male 3 female) Loch Roe, 16th January (Romany Garnett)
Little Grebe – single bird Loch Roe, 16th January (Romany Garnett)
Great Spotted Woodpecker – single female near Ardroe, 16th January (DAH)
Treecreeper – single bird near Ardroe, 16th January (DAH)
Long-tailed Tit – 3 near Ardroe, 16th January (DAH)
Whooper Swan – 2 adults Lochan Saile nr Achmelvich, 16th January (DAH)
Rock Dove – 39 at Clachtoll, 15th January, (AS)
Twite – 61 feeding on croft land, Clachtoll, 15th January (AS)
Merlin – female Culkein Drumbeg, 15th January (DAH)
Iceland Gull – single immature bird over Culkein Drumbeg, 15th January (DAH)
Black Guillemot – 4 Loch Dhrombaig, 15th January (DAH). One of these birds was acquiring its summer plumage.
Sparrowhawk – single bird through Stoer garden, 14th January (Claire Belshaw)
Goldeneye – 3 (1 male 2 female) Loch Ruighean an Aitinn, Drumbeg, 14th January (DAH)
Razorbill – single bird Loch a’ Chairn Bhain, 14th January (DAH)
Dipper – single bird feeding in Loch Assynt near Ardvreck Castle, 14th January (DAH)
Little Grebe – 2 Loch na Claise and single birds Lochan Sgeireach and Loch Drumbeg, 14th January (DAH)
Teal – 10 (4 male 6 female) Loch na Claise, 14th January (DAH)
Tufted Duck – 4 (3 male 1 female) Loch na Claise, 14th January (DAH)
Barnacle Goose – 34 Culkein Stoer, 14th January (DAH)
Iceland Gull – single 1st-winter bird Bay of Culkein, 14th January (DAH)
Redshank – 3 Bay of Culkein, 14th January (DAH)
Turnstone – 14 Bay of Culkein, 14th January (DAH)
Wigeon– single male Loch Neil Bhain, 14th January (DAH)
Glaucous Gull – single immature bird Lochinver bay, 13th January (AS)
Iceland Gull – single immature bird Lochinver bay, 13th January (AS)
Treecreeper – single bird in Badnaban garden, 12th January (Clarinda Chant)
Cormorant – Three Loch Awe, 12th January (AS)
Goldeneye – 3 females Loch Awe, 12th January (AS)
Blackbird – 21 feeding on Culag Park, Lochinver, 11th January (DAH)
Tufted Duck – pair on Lochan Sgeireach, Stoer, 11th January (DAH)
Iceland Gull – single immature bird Loch Inver, 10th January (AS)
Red-throated Diver – single bird Bay of Culkein, 8th January (DAH)
Great Northern Diver – single bird Bay of Culkein, 8th January (DAH)
Common Gull – 54 Bay of Culkein, 8th January (DAH)
Ringed Plover – 22 Bay of Culkein, 8th January (DAH)
Goldeneye – 3 (1 male 2 female) Loch Drumbeg, 7th January (DAH)
Starling – c60 Clashnessie, 6th January (DAH)
Great Northern Diver – single off Culkein Drumbeg, 5th January (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards)
Grey Heron – 2 Oldany estuary, 5th January (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards)
Teal – 17 Oldany Estuary, 5th January (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards)
Little Grebe – single bird Loch Drumbeg, 5th January (DAH)
Buzzard – 3 over Clachtoll, 5th January (DAH)
Moorhen – single bird Loch an Aigeil, 5th January (DAH)
Iceland Gull – 1st-winter bird flying across Clashnessie Bay, 4th January (DAH)
Long-tailed Tit – 6 in trees near Little Assynt Tree Nursery, 4th January (DAH)
Dipper – 4 on River Inver near Little Assynt, 4th January (DAH)
Goldeneye – single female Lochan Fearna and 3 males and a single female River Inver near Little Assynt, 4th January (DAH)
Stonechat – single female near Brackloch, 4th January (DAH)
Reed Bunting – 4 near Brackloch, 4th January (DAH)
Tawny Owl – single bird singing Culkein Drumbeg, 3rd January (DAH)
Woodcock – single bird Culkein Drumbeg, 2nd January (DAH)
Greenfinch – 2 (1 male 1 female) Culkein Drumbeg, 2nd January (DAH)
Chaffinch – 21 Culkein Drumbeg, 2nd January (DAH)
Great Spotted Woodpecker – single bird on peanut feeder Nedd garden, 1st January (Ian Evans)
Goldfinch – 16 Culkein Drumbeg, 1st January (Ian Evans)
Lapwing – single bird Culkein Stoer, 1st January (Ian Evans). This is a repeat of 2016’s record when a single bird was recorded at this location on the 1st.
Barnacle Goose – 19 Culkein Stoer, 1st January (Ian Evans)
Reed Bunting – single male Culkein Stoer, 1st January (DAH)
Sanderling – single bird Bay of Culkein, 1st and 8th January (DAH)
Redshank – 4 Bay of Culkein, 1st January (DAH)
Turnstone – 4 Bay of Culkein, 1st and 8th January (DAH)
Whooper Swan – 3 (2 adult 1 juvenile) Loch an Aigeil, 1st January (DAH)
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OTHERS
Hybrid wild/domestic cat – animal photographed near Achmelvich, 30th January (Chris Warwick). Dr Keri Langridge, Scottish Wildcat Action Project Officer at SNH has confirmed that the cat, while not a pure wild cat, is very much a hybrid based on a system called ‘pelage-scoring’.
Primrose – single plant in flower near Maiden Loch, Clachtoll, 28th January (Dave McBain). A very early record for Assynt.
Common Seal – 3 at Clashnessie, 24th January (AS)
Common Shrew – single animal found dead on Little Assynt viewpoint path, 22nd January (Gwen Richards)
Otter – single lochinver bay, 20th January (AS)
Harbour Porpoise – single off Stoerhead Lighthouse, 20th January (DAH)
Harbour Porpoise – 2 off Rubh’an Dunain, 18th January (DAH)
Stoat – single animal in half-ermine Balchladich garden, 14th January (Gordon and Lesley Sleight)
Grey Seal – single animal Oldany estuary, 5th January (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards)
Common Seal – 18+ Oldany estuary area, 5th January (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards)
By-the-wind-sailor (Velella velella) – huge numbers of this hydroid washed up in Clachtoll Bay, 5th January (DAH)
Otter – mother and cub near Clachtoll, 5th January (DAH)
Weasel – single animal Balchladich, 4th January (Claire Belshaw)