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  • When here in the Outer Hebrides and looking at a bird, have you ever wondered how rare it is? The status of all species can vary enormously from island to island. How rare is Shoveler on Barra, has Stock Dove been seen on Harris, does Dotterel occur on Benbecula in the autumn, and how common is Blue Tit on North Uist? Well, fret no longer! The Status and Distribution of birds here on the Outer Hebrides has been completely updated and summarised for every species and each of the main islands and outliers. Available as an online resource at https://status.outerhebrides-birdreports.org/ or via our shop

    New - now available as an ebook

Local Rarity 6th August 2018

Hawkeye

Hawkeye

Eyes and Ears Everywhere
Outer Hebrides / Western Isles bird sightings for today, 6th Auguat 2018. Updated throughout the day

At sea
An adult *Sabine's Gull* and 2 Sooty Shearwaters were seen c30nm NNW of the Butt of Lewis

Borve, Benbecula
Circa 150 Black-tailed Godwits were in newly cut fields

Ruhba Ardvule, South Uist
Counting period: 06:35 - 09:50
Weather: Wind SW F4 (brief spell of F5/6 @0800hrs). Mostly 8/8 cloud with two spells of drizzly showers arriving off sea. Temp 14 C.
A 3+ hour seawatch this morning produced 4 Common Scoters (S), 1 Red-throated Diver (S), 1 Great Northern Diver (S), 4 Storm Petrels (S), 36 Fulmars (S), 10 Sooty Shearwaters (S), 808 Manx Shearwaters (S), 212 Gannets (189S 23N), 44 Whimbrel (S), 3 Turnstones (S), 1 Redshank (S), 1 Greenshank (S), 3 Kittiwakes (S), 7 Black Guillemots (S), 4 Puffins (S) and 2 auk sp (S).
Also present in the area were Guillemot 1, Rock Dove 4, Pied Wagtail 2 and Twite 2.
 
Among the species seen flying SW in a half hour seawatch at Aird an Runair, North Uist in the very late morning were over 100 Manx Shearwaters and 39 Sanderling (in five small flocks). A Great Skua flew N over the headland and two juvenile Hen Harriers were in the area.
_DSC5723.jpgHen Harrier and Hooded Crow.
 
Many more waders on the beach at Frobost today with 300+ Sanderling (all adults), circa 40 Turnstone and 60 Ringed Plover. 96 Black-tailed Godwits flew south in the afternoon

dunlin2.jpg dunlin3.jpg
Dunlin
 
It’s that time of year again with the Starlings coming to roost in the trees in the garden, but I’ve just been watching a bizarre site with a Grey Heron acrobaticly attempting to catch Starlings out of the flock in flight. I’ve never seen Herons fly like that before. As far as I could tell it was unsuccessful.
 
News from Tony Marr, Isle of Lewis:

I received a report of a Rose-coloured Starling late this afternoon, at feeders in the garden of 9 Braighe Road on the east side of Stornoway. This is the ninth house on the left after the turn off to the airport. Mr Nicolson has kindly agreed that visitors wishing to see the bird may park just off the (very busy) road, in his driveway. He and his wife did not know what it was and put out the photo on social media, where it was picked up by John Perry, who informed me!

It may be the bird reported on the east side of Stornoway, near Sandwick Cemetery, on 11 July, but not heard of since.

image1.jpeg
Rose-coloured Starling (C) and courtesy of Donald Nicholson
 
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