April 2026 Sightings

30th April 2026

  • Whimbrel: 30 birds on croftland at Clachtoll (Andy Summers)
  • Redwing: Single bird in garden at Clachtoll (Andy Summers)
  • Common Pipistrelle: One at Clashnessie (Pete)
  • Chiff Chaff: One calling at Dundarach Culag bridge, Lochinver (Jane Young)

28th April 2026

  • Bar-tailed Godwit: Two birds in breeding plumage at Clachtoll (Andy Summers)
  • Willow Warbler: One singing in willow tree, Clashnessie (Pete)
  • Peacock butterfly: One at Dundarach, Lochinver (Jane Young)

27th April 2026

  • Wheatear: One at the top of Glenleraig hill (Beccy Garvey)
  • Red-throated Diver: One flying over Nedd back road towards sea, 'quacking' (Ian Evans)
  • Golden Plover: About eight on common grazings, Clashmore (Jane Livingstone)

26th April 2026

  • Golden Plover: 42 birds on Clachtoll croftland (Andy Summers)
  • Ringed Plover: Three feeding at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Whimbrel: One feeding at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Cuckoo: One at Clashnessie (Pete)

25th April 2026

  • Blackcap: Bird singing on the Glencanisp road (Andy Summers)
  • Whimbrel: Three birds at Stoer Green (Andy Summers)
  • Red Admiral butterfly: One feeding on dandelion flowers, Clashmore (Jane Livingstone)
  • Ringed Plover: One at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Common Sandpiper: One feeding in Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Wheatear: One at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Greylag Goose: Flight of four heading east over Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Cuckoo: One heard calling near Clashnessie (Pete)
  • Sedge Warbler: One at Clashnessie (Pete)
  • Cuckoo: One on fence post near Lagg fishery (Carol Langford)
  • Artic Tern: Two fishing in Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Grey Seal: Two at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Speckled Wood butterfly: Two in Drumbeg woods (Beccy Garvey)

24th April 2026

  • Little Grebe: Two seen, and whinnying call from elsewhere, Loch Bad an Og, Culkein Drumbeg (Ian Evans)
  • Green Tiger Beetle Cicindela campestris: Two at Loch Bad an Og, Culkein Drumbeg peat road (Ian Evans)
  • Reed Bunting: Two males at Clashmore (Jane Livingstone)
  • Peacock butterfly: About five feeding on dandelion flowers, Clashmore (Jane Livingstone)
  • Willow Warbler: Two feeding in broom bushes and singing at Clashmore (Jane Livingstone)
  • Grasshopper Warbler: Heard reeling just outside the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Whimbrel: Five at Loch Kirkaig (Mike Dawber)
  • Otter: One at Loch Kirkaig (Mike Dawber)
  • Guillemot: One at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • House Martin: One at Culkein Drumbeg (Carol Langford)

23rd April 2026

  • Orange-tip Butterfly: Single male butterfly at Glencanisp walled garden (Stuart Belshaw)
  • Common Sandpiper: Two birds at Loch Sgeireach, Stoer (Andy Summers)
  • Adder: One female at the All Abilities Path, Little Assynt (Ian Evans)
  • Peacock butterfly: One in the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Cuckoo: Heard calling from the Pest Road, Culkein Drumbeg (Carol Langford)
  • Cuckoo: Calling at Gleann Leireag (Alan Blakemore)

22nd April 2026

  • Slow Worm: One in the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Cuckoo: Calling at Badnaban (Alan Blakemore)

21st April 2026

  • Common Sandpiper: One on rocks west of Clashnessie bay (Chris Puddephatt)
  • Arctic Tern: One fishing off the eastern side of Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Greylag Goose: A skein of 50+ flying east to west, Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Ringed Plover: One at Clashnessie Beach, feeding in the seaweed at the high tide mark (Pete)
  • Grey Seal: Four at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • House Martin: Two birds have arrived in Lochinver (AS)
  • Swallow: Two at Drumbeg (Beccy Garvey)

20th April 2026

  • Guillemot: One at Clashnessie Beach (Pete)
  • Pink-footed Goose: Approx. 250 flying north over garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Pipistrelle: One flying at 2100 hrs, Nedd, Calltuinn (Ian Evans)
  • Little Grebe: One at Loch Ruighean an Aitinn, Drumbeg, one of only about 10 breeding sites in Assynt (Ian Evans)
  • Grasshopper Warbler: Male bird singing at Glencanisp Lodge (Chris Goodman)

19th April 2026

  • Twite: Single bird at croft at Clachtoll (AS)
  • Swallow: Two birds hunting over Loch an Aigeil, Stoer (AS)
  • Willow Warbler: Bird singing next to Loch an Aigeil, Stoer (AS)
  • Curlew: One at Loch Awe (Stefan Taylor)
  • Reed Bunting: One male feeding at Clashnessie (Pete)
  • Skylark: One at the south side of the Bay of Stoer (Pete)

18th April 2026

  • Greenshank: One calling at Lochan an Tairbh, Torbreck (Gwen Richards)

17th April 2026

  • Violet Oil Beetle: One in the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Sand Martin: Two between A837 and Loch Awe (Pete)

16th April 2026

  • Red Admiral: One Red Admiral on pear blossom in Torbreck garden (Gwen Richards)
  • Swallow: One at Nedd (Stefan Taylor)
  • Wheatear: One male at Lochan Sgeireach (Pete)
  • Wheatear: One at Clashnessie (Pete)

15th April 2026

  • Cuckoo: One calling at Drumbeg (Calum Millar and Beccy Garvey)
  • Cuckoo: One calling near Loch Poll hydro-scheme (Calum Millar)

14th April 2026

  • Peacock butterfly: One settled on ground and warming itself in the sunlight, Clashnessie (Pete)
  • Cuckoo: One calling at Glencanisp (Stefan Taylor)
  • Blackcap: One singing at 10:30, Nedd, Calltuinn (Ian Evans)
  • Willow Warbler: One calling in the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Willow Warbler: More than one, first song heard this year, Nedd at 0830hrs (Ian Evans)

13th April 2026

  • Red Admiral butterfly: One in the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Grey Seal: Four at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Great Northern Diver: Six at Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Pied Wagtail: One in Achmelvich car park and one in Lochinver (Jeni Cunningham)

12th April 2026

  • Stoat: One at Stoer (Pete)

11th April 2026

  • Grey Seal: One individual in Clashnessie Bay, surfacing and swimming towards Sgeir Dhubh (Pete)
  • Redshank: Two on the foreshore, west side of Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Wheatear: A male and a female, east side of Clashnessie Bay (Pete)
  • Redwing: About 50 at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)
  • Mistle Thrush: One at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)

10th April 2026

  • Curlew: One displaying in flight between Elphin and Ledmore (Stefan Taylor)
  • Swallow: One at Inchnadamph (Pete)

9th April 2026

  • Redwing: Eight birds at Recharn, Achmelvich bridge (AS)
  • Willow Warbler: One at Nedd (Stefan Taylor)
  • Cuckoo: Possibly first bird heard singing at Glencanisp Lodge (Stuart Belshaw)
  • Slow Worm: One sunning itself on a rock in the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)

8th April 2026

  • White-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lucorum agg.: More than three at Calltuinn, Nedd, on female catkins of goat willow (Ian Evans)
  • False Morel Gyromitra esculenta: Single spike of this marvelous fungi at Achmelvich (AS)
  • Sand Martin: Two birds at Achmelvich (AS)
  • Goldeneye: Two females and a male bird on River Inver (AS)
  • Tawny Owl: Heard at night in Badnaban (Adrian & Amy Stabler)
  • Bullfinch: Two pairs eating leaf buds at Nedd (Stefan Taylor)

7th April 2026

  • Peacock Butterfly: One flying in sun at side of Baddidarach Road, Lochinver (Ian Evans)
  • Slow Worm: One in mouth of cat, crossing road to north end of Inver Park estate, Lochinver (Ian Evans)

6th April 2026

  • Purple Saxifrage: About 24 clumps at Bealach Leiraig west of Quinag (Chris Puddephatt)
  • Greenshank: One at the pool between Spidean Coinich and Loch Assynt (Chris Puddephatt)
  • Violet Oil Beetle: One in the garden at Ardvar (Beccy Garvey)

5th April 2026

  • Barnacle Goose: 27 birds grazing at Culkein Stoer (AS)

4th April 2026

  • Whooper Swan: About 22 birds at Culkein Stoer, and 12 more at Clashmore (Jane Livingstone)
  • Grey Seal: One in Culkein Stoer bay (Jane Livingstone)
  • Pied Wagtail: Six at Culkein Stoer (Jane Livingstone)
  • Lapwing: Two at Culkein Stoer (Jane Livingstone)
  • Buzzard: One at Culkein Stoer (Jane Livingstone)
  • Wheatear: Two near the road to Stoer lighthouse (Jane Livingstone)
  • Wheatear: One at Culkein Stoer (Jane Livingstone)
  • Pink-footed Goose: 99 heading northwest out over sea, Nedd (Stefan Taylor)

3rd April 2026

  • Jackdaw: Unusual sighting of four birds at Clachtoll (AS)
  • Whooper Swan: Sixteen at Loch Awe (Stefan Taylor)
  • Buzzard: Three buzzards being mobbed by a small unidentified bird at Clashnessie (Pete)

2nd April 2026

  • White-tailed Eagle: Circling low over the heather bank above the road to Stoer lighthouse (Jane Livingstone) 

1st April 2026

  • Little Grebe: Pair of birds Loch Drumbeg (AS)
  • Grey Wagtail: Pair of birds on the B869 road near Ardvar (AS)
  • Greenshank: Two birds at Loch Nedd, maybe some of the first birds back to Assynt (AS)
  • Barn Owl: One at Drumbeg (Beccy Garvey)
  • Greylag Goose: Four flying southwards over Clashnessie (Pete)
  • Sparrowhawk: One in woodland on road to Glencanisp Lodge, Lochinver (Ian Evans)
  • Greenshank: One calling at 1715 hrs, Loch Nedd (Ian Evans)

Report a Sighting - Assynt only

Sightings outwith Assynt cannot be used