Day 3 - South Uist & Eriksay - 14/5/2018

The fine weather we had so far on the trip gave up for today as the sun was replaced with low cloud and drizzle. After breakfast as we were packing our day stuff into the van, I  heard the famous STARLING that mimics the call of the CORNCRAKE, that scratchy atmospheric sound, as it sat on the hotel roof. STARLINGS were everywhere in huge numbers in the Uists, often nesting in stone walls where buildings weren't present, a nice sight to see if shamefully not one that happens down south anymore.

 

 

So the first target of the morning was a RING NECKED DUCK, located at some loch on South Uist. We had a look but didn't find it, but we did encounter a WHOOPER SWAN, with a further six seen in flight. These birds will be migrants moving north from their wintering grounds down south. The small lochs which literally litter the island landscape were often home to small numbers of SHOVELLER, GADWALL, TUFTED DUCK, TEAL and occasionally WIGEON, as they would be down south.
We went to another coastal location, this one called Ardivachar, where apart from the usual WADERS and DUCKS, a PEREGRINE FALCON flew over no doubt on the look out for a tasty meal.
We headed over to the Hebridean Jewwllery an area that overlooked some mud flats. On the mud were a few waders including lots of GREY PLOVERS in their silver back and black chested summer finery, a KNOT and two PINK FOOTED GEESE, late in returning to their breeding grounds.

There were a few WHIMBREL about and seen most days on the Islands, all feeding on the machair. They were more common than CURLEWS. See the eye stripe and bent - rather than curved - bill.

 



From there we travelled through South Uist all the way down to its most southerly point, and then across a causeway to Eriksay. We stopped at the ferry terminal, and had brief views of a ROCK PIPIT, and a Hebridean WREN, slightly larger than the main land types.
We passed a cemetery which attracted a flock of 10 TWITE, the cemetery had unkempt grass, which held daisies and dandelions, their seeds the perfect food for the TWITE.

 TWITE - your ultimate little brown job

 

We would see TWITE many times on the holiday, but mainly in pairs and mainly in flight.

 Views from where we had lunch, Eriksay.

 

We left Eriksay and drove up South Uist to Loch Eynort. From here we saw a Golden Eagle, distant, so we moved along the valley to find it, where we encountered another one, typically on the ridge crest and being mobbed by RAVENS.

GOLDEN EAGLE country

We went down to Lock Eynort proper, a large sea loch. From there we saw a large number of HARBOUR SEALS loafing on the rocks. They were on the whole very lazy, just lying there enjoying the breeze, but then you would get a boisterous one leaping from the water like some kind of dolphin. It was a joy to watch.

Loch Eynort

 

Other than the SEALS there was an immature RED THROATED DIVER, the first of the trip, strange when you consider how much habitat there is for them - lonely moorland pools near to the coast, perfect landscape for nesting.

 



 Nesting LAPWING

 

We continued up South Uist. The grassland seen from the van were full of WADERS. We saw some SNIPE, which are probably very common, they are just so harder to see than the other waders.

 

SNIPE

 

We finished the day at Rubha Ardvule, a stunning location, absolutely full of birds, although there wasn't anything unusual. We had a coffee there and after that returned to the hotel.

 







 

 

So another day full of birds if one not as hot as the previous days. That's really a mark of the quality of the holiday so far when a day as good as today could still be a bit disappointing.