Wildlife Chronicles

A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF 1996 by Peter Cunningham

A snapshot of a bird life year in the Hebrides.

The first birds of note in 1996 were single Waxwings in Uig and Harris and about a dozen in Westview Terrace in Stornoway and then a rare Arctic Redpoll in Willowglen on January 7. Waxwings continued to turn up in and around the town until the end of February. The last days of January brought unusually large numbers of immigrant thrushes to Lewis, including Fieldfares and a Blackbird which had been ringed on Fair Isle the previous April. A Little Grebe was seen in Harris at Obbe on January 21 and a rare Water Rail at Dalmore on February 15.

There was grave concern at the number of auks washed up on our shores in February, mostly Guillemots, either dead or dying. So far there has been no explanation of this phenomenon but starvation from our over-fishing of sandeels has been suggested.

In March a pair of Little Grebes were feeding on Loch Cromore, as they once used to do, and Loch Stiapavat had a Green-winged Teal and a Ring-necked Duck. A Coot aroused interest on Loch Dalbeg for a day or two. I found the first Lesser Black-backed Gulls of the spring at Shader, Point, on March 20 and an immature Little Gull came once again to Stornoway harbour.

The first Great Skuas arrived on their Gress breeding grounds about April 1 when I noted the first Wheatear at North Tolsta. An early Swallow was found dead in Shawbost on April 5, preceding the main flocks by some eighteen days. Then things began to warm up with the arrival of Willow Warblers, Cuckoos, White Wagtails and Corncrakes. My first Common Sandpiper was seen on the Carloway river on April 30 but one was reported on the Coll river two days earlier.

On May 18 a couple of energetic and enthusiastic birdwatchers took part in a UK Bird Race but despite finding 70 species between the Butt of Lewis and south Harris they did not win but were commended as the only entrants from Lewis.

The bird of May, Eun-Bhealltuin or Whimbrel, came on schedule when I saw three flying past at the Braighe on May 10. More unusual visitors were a White-billed Diver at Tiumpan Head on the 6th, no less than five Dotterel at Ness on the 12th, a Garganey and a Shoveler on a west coast loch and a Hobby reported from Barvas on the 15th. A Pectoral Sandpiper, only the third for Lewis, came to Goathill farm on the 23rd and the only Bonaparte's Gull for Lewis or Harris was spotted at Luskentyre. A visiting ornithologist found a rare Roseate Tern on Berneray in early June and another a bird I have not yet seen here myself, a Lesser Whitethroat, in the Castle grounds. Wood Warblers returned to these woods again and a pair was found with young in July, the first proof of breeding. Suspected breeding by a newcomer to the woods, Long-tailed Tits, appeared proven by the appearance of a family party in Willowglen. On July 11 a Yellow Wagtail appeared at the Butt of Lewis and on the 22nd a female Golden Oriole was reported from Ardvey in Harris. Another Harris rarity was a Lapland Bunting on Beinn Dhuibh on September 4.

Waxwings returned in early November and were reported in small numbers from Barra to Lewis. The Lewis wintering flock of 26 White-fronted Geese from West Greenland turned up on Aird Mhor Bragair on November 23 and I found my first Snow Buntings of the winter at Tolstachaolais a week later. A Bullfinch in the garden of Harris Hotel on November 10 was unusual.

December brought a neck-collared Whooper Swan (2J77) back to Loch an Tiumpan from Iceland for the fourth winter in succession, a remarkable example of bird migration.