Recent Wildlife Sightings in Glendale, Skye

May 2008

7th

There is now a second Early Purple Orchid in bloom in Lower Milovaig. The bluebells are now coming into bloom and the fields are filled with primroses and violets.

6th

There was a young grey seal pup hauled out onto the slipway at Meanish Pier for an hour or so before dusk.

5th

There was a singing male Sedge Warbler behind June's tea-shop (An Strupag) at lunchtime, another first for Glendale. There was a red-throated diver and a pair of red-breasted merganser on Loch Pooltiel, viewed from Pollosgan. There was a single sand martin on the Hamara River at Lephin. There were 10 siskins at Lephin and a pair using the bird feeders at 2 Lower Milovaig. There were a pair of Golden Plovers at Borrowdale, a pair of linnets at Pollosgan and a cuckoo at Hamara Lodge.
Alas, no sign of the tree sparrow today.

4th

The lone tree sparrow has continued to visit the bird feeders at 2 Lower Milovaig throughout the day, in the company of two female house sparrows. There were four golden plovers on the white beach at Milovaig, which flew off South early morning. There was a singing male blackcap in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig, our first ever Spring record here. Also in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig throughout the day were four twite and a pair of linnets. Another unusual first today was a woodpigeon, which flew North over Lower Milovaig mid-morning.
There was an otter fishing at the end of the slipway at Meanish Pier at 9:30pm.
A single Early Purple Orchid is in bloom in Lower Milovaig. This species is extremely rare in Milovaig and this is the only known specimen.

3rd

A very scarce visitor to Glendale (and Skye) was a tree sparrow, which alighted briefly on the bird table at 2 Lower Milovaig at 8pm. The whimbrel is still present (on the white beach at Lower Milovaig mid morning).

April 2008

27th

There was a very confiding otter giving superb views, within 30 feet, at Oisgill Bay late morning.
There was a single puffin in Oisgill Bay late morning. The first cuckoo of the year was calling across the Glen late evening. There were nine white wagtails and two female pied wagtails at the Pier and the whimbrel was, again, giving excellent views right beside the slipway at Meanish Pier, late evening.

26th

There were three white wagtails at Meanish Pier early evening, our first of the year, with a female pied. A single whimbrel was giving tremendous views feeding in puddles at the pier and has been 'trilling' regularly throughout the day. Also feeding at the pier were a pair of twite. The chiffchaff is still present in the spruces at 2 Lower Milovaig.
There were eight grey seals basking on the skerries in Loch Pooltiel at low water.

24th

There was a singing male chiffchaff in the spruces at 2 Lower Milovaig this morning, our first of the year, and our first sighting in Milovaig for two years.

23rd

There was a pair of whimbrels at Meanish Pier at 7:30pm, which trilled upon being disturbed and then flew out onto the skerries. The first swallows of the year arrived today with one on the Yellow Hill in Upper Milovaig and another near Meanish Pier.

22nd

The road around Meanish Pier at Milovaig was closed today for the filming of a TV Commercial for the new Volvo XC90R. More details.

21st

There was a whimbrel at the shoreline just beyond Meanish pier, on the seaward side of Lower Milovaig, late evening, and a single red-throated diver off-shore at the same point. There were two otters playing together in the water, and fishing, just off the White Beach at Lower Milovaig at dusk.

20th

A BTO TTV to Neist Point this morning produced some interesting sightings: 2 bonxies (great skuas), 4 puffins (very close in-shore, catching sprats), 66 Manx Shearwaters (flocks of 30 and 33 moving South, with others surface-feeding very close to the point). There was a red-throated diver and three eider ducks in Moonen Bay. A stoat was hunting along the concrete path at the lighthouse.
Counts of occupied sea-bird nests comprised: 96 Fulmar nests, 7 Shag nests, 47 Kittiwake nests and 2 Herring Gull nests.
A single collared dove briefly at the bird feeders at 2 Lower Milovaig was very unusual.
The first violets have begun to bloom at Neist and Milovaig.

19th

The number of linnets using the bird feeders at 2 Lower Milovaig has now increased to six. A common sandpiper was calling near Meanish Pier early evening, our first arrival of the year.

18th

A pair of linnets were using the bird feeders at 2 Lower Milovaig, early evening. There was a single golden eagle soaring low over Sam Thorburn's house on the Ramasaig road at 7pm.

14th

Our first willow warbler of the year arrived in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig this morning. The redwings also disappeared overnight.

13th

There was a significant fall of meadow pipits in Milovaig today, with many large flocks around (including 60 at the Pier, two flocks of 40  and a flock of 30 along the bottom road and many smaller groups of 4-10). The sheep paircs were literally covered with them! I would estimate that there were around 250-300 birds present.
As you might expect with such a buffet laid on, there was a superb male merlin hunting them below the bottom road late afternoon. A golden eagle was also putting on a good show, soaring around the cliffs at Waterstein, late afternoon and being mobbed by buzzards.

9th

There was an otter fishing the area between the skerries and the White Beach at Lower Milovaig between 7pm and 8pm. There were 4 grey seals basking at the shoreline on the White Beach at Lower Milovaig all evening.
The singing redwing flock in the spruces at 2 Lower Milovaig is now making an incredibly loud noise. There were around 30 Black Guillemots on Loch Pooltiel during the evening, which is one of the highest counts we have had. Wheatears are now all over in Glendale.

8th

There were three adult black-headed gulls on the white beach at Lower Milovaig, the first sighting this year.

7th

A large mixed skein of 120, presumably, greylag geese and 30 whooper swans came over Lower Milovaig at 7pm, heading North. They were flying together in formation.

2nd

The pipistrelle bats in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig have been on the wing in daylight, over an hour before dusk, allowing them to be observed very clearly.

1st

A herd of 21 whooper swans flew North over Lower Milovaig at 7:45am. There was also a report of a pair of haggis digging a burrow at Ramasaig, which is the first sighting in this area since the evening of January 25th  (NLikely).

March 2008

30th

Better late than never; the wheatears are back! There was a singing male above the bottom road in Lower Milovaig and a pair above the top road in Upper Milovaig. Also, making a welcome return today are the gannets, with several birds coming into Loch Pooltiel late afternoon. The twite have also returned today. There was a flock of 20 meadow pipits near Meanish Pier and the flock of 12 skylarks have moved around to the seaward end of Lower Milovaig.
The first lambs have been appearing this weekend, a month early, with one on the Yellow Hill in Upper Milovaig and another at Hamaraverein.

29th

A skein of 25 whooper swans flew North over Lower Milovaig at 10am. A good sign that spring migration is back under way, now that the wind direction is more favourable.

28th

There was a pair of red-breasted mergansers off the White Beach at Lower Milovaig at 7:30am.

27th

There was an otter fishing at the seaward-side of Meanish Pier between 6:45pm and 7:15pm, that came ashore onto the cobbles.

25th

A lovely evening, with a flat, calm sea made it possible to see a very early Minke Whale out in the Minch off Meanish Pier, which surfaced several times between 6:30pm and 7pm.

23rd

The first bumblebee of the year was on the wing in Milovaig today, gathering nectar from the flowering currants. This is a day earlier than last year, in spite of the Baltic weather conditions over the Easter weekend.

22nd

At around 8am, an immature white-tailed eagle came low over the White Beach at Lower Milovaig and slowly made its way along the bottom road to the Pier. It crossed Loch Pooltiel and alighted on the cliffs at Dunvegan Head, right and then left of the large waterfall. It flew back across to Lower Milovaig, where it soared at roof-top height over the sheep paircs below the bottom road, before making its way over the Yellow Hill towards Ferinquarrie at 8:30am. The bird was tagged but unfortunately we could not make out the colour/numbers due to the sun glinting on them.
Our resident pair of buzzards at Lower Milovaig were making repairs to their nest this morning, a sign that our wildlife is continuing to make preparations for Spring, in spite of the ferocious arctic blast that we are currently experiencing.
There was a light sprinkling of snow overnight in Glendale, down to around 50m amsl.

19th

There was a male red-breasted merganser on the loch outside The Three Chimneys at Colbost just before 6pm.

18th

There is currently a flock of 12 skylarks below the bottom road in Lower Milovaig, which has been there since yesterday.

17th

There was an adult white-tailed eagle over Cnoc Leinish (near Totaig) at 5:50pm, which was being mobbed by gulls. It gradually made its way along the shore through Colbost. The whimbrel was roosting on the skerries in Loch Pooltiel at dusk.

16th

The over-wintering whimbrel made a brief re-appearance on the White Beach at Lower Milovaig, mid-afternoon. There was a single gannet off-shore at Meanish, mid-afternoon.

15th

There were six grey seals basking on the skerries in the morning sunshine. There was a flock of 10 skylarks at Lower Milovaig, mid-morning. The first lesser celandines are in bloom in Milovaig.

14th

Our first lesser black-backed gulls of the year arrived today, with two at Lephin at 6pm.

7th

There was a red deer hind grazing on the lawn of Skye Silver at Colbost at 5:45pm, which was literally within a few feet of the windows.

3rd

There was a dusting of snow down to sea-level in Glendale last night, with some snow flurries still occurring in the morning.

1st

There was a report of some large flocks of skylarks coming in, with 40 at Waterstein and 15 at Ramasaig (RMcMillan).

February 2008

28th

There was a lovely barn owl hunting around the walled garden at Hamara Lodge at 00:15 hours. There was a young red deer buck at the roadside at Uig (near Borreraig) at 2:15am. The pair of whimbrels are still present around the bottom road in Lower Milovaig, now in the company of two curlews, but haven't been showing until mid-afternoon. They are roosting on Sgurr Mhor, as I write this (6pm). There was a single black-throated diver off the skerries in Loch Pooltiel just before dark.

27th

The whimbrel was proving elusive today,with no sign of it until 5pm, when it re-appeared below the bottom road on croft 1 Lower Milovaig, with an incredible second whimbrel and a curlew. There was also an influx of returning skylarks today, with 4 in Lower Milovaig being the first there this year (ten days later than last year).

26th

There was a cracking whimbrel feeding with the oystercatchers on the flooded sheep paircs below the bottom road in Lower Milovaig (crofts 1, 2 and 4) from early morning until the mid-afternoon low-tide, when it could not be re-located.

25th

There was a flock of 13 oystercatchers feeding at the White Beach in Lower Milovaig mid-morning.

24th

There were two whooper swans on Loch Eishort at mid-day. The first primrose is in flower near the pier in Milovaig and the first daffodils have opened in Milovaig. There were three grey seals basking on the skerries in Loch Pooltiel at low tide. There was a flock of 23 chaffinches at the boat house, near Meanish Pier, late afternoon.
I had information (CGray) that a flock of snow buntings had over-wintered at the first sheep fank on the Ramasaig road but they were not there yesterday and there was no sign of them today.

17th

There were 16 grey seals basking on the skerries in Loch Pooltiel, late morning. There were a pair of stonechats in Upper Milovaig, close to the Carters' Rest, mid-afternoon.

16th

There were a pair of stonechats near Oisgill Bay late morning. The redwing is continuing to sing its full song every evening just before dusk, in the spruces at 2 Lower Milovaig.

13th

Spring is coming at a pace, due to the stunning, warm weather over the last few days. The first bat of the year, an early pipistrelle, was flying in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig at dusk. There was also a redwing in full song there for half an hour before dark.

11th

There was an adult white-tailed eagle soaring low over the B884 at Skinidin at 7:55am, gradually making its way inland.

10th

There was a female stonechat outside The Carters' Rest in Upper Milovaig mid-morning.
Highlight of the day, though, was a very vocal and confiding whimbrel at Neist Point. Also, at Neist Point today were: an immature gannet, the first skylark of the year, there were 109 fulmars on the nesting ledges, 5 eider ducks, 33 guillemots, 20 black guillemots and 4 razorbills.
There was a male stonechat at Waterstein at 1pm. There were five grey seals basking on the skerries in Loch Pooltiel at low tide and there was a woodcock, again, in the garden at 1 Lower Milovaig mid-afternoon.

9th

There was a flock of 8 curlews below the bottom road in Lower Milovaig mid-afternoon. There was a woodcock circling around gardens at 1 & 2 Lower Milovaig at dusk. There was a redwing singing in the spruces at 2 Lower Milovaig mid-afternoon.

5th

There were four red deer hinds grazing openly at the roadside in Skinidin at 7:50am.

3rd

There was a snipe beside the top road in Upper Milovaig mid afternoon, in front of the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage. There were two curlews on the White Beach at Lower Milovaig most of the day.

2nd

There were several meadow pipits in Lower Milovaig today for the first time this year.
The snow stayed until late afternoon. You can see a few photos on the Winter page.

1st

There was a snipe caught in the headlights on the bottom road in Upper Milovaig at 5:50pm.
Blizzards of sleet and snow throughout the day, together with sub-zero temperatures have left Glendale under a 2 inch deep blanket of frozen snow this evening. Roads are treacherous but passable with care.

January 2008

27th

There was an otter fishing at the shoreline in Lower Milovaig from mid-afternoon onwards, which was catching and eating pipefish. It caught around 8 in the time we watched it from the bottom road. There was also a second otter fishing the shoreline at the seaward-side of the pier at the same time.
There was a black-throated diver off Meanish Pier and five curlew below the top road in Lower Milovaig, late afternoon. The redwings are still singing on croft 2 Lower Milovaig, with 30 birds present this afternoon.

25th

There was a woodcock caught in the car headlights at Skinidin at 7:50am.

20th

There was a flock of around 20 redwings singing in spruces on croft 2 Lower Milovaig late afternoon. This is exceptionally early for this behaviour to begin, as it is usually a feature of flocks on return migration. The singing did not begin until April last year.
There are other signs of Spring, as the snowdrops in Milovaig and Waterstein have opened this week, a week earlier than last year.
The golden eagles are still showing well around the crags of Waterstein Head. At Loch Mor, Waterstein today there were 5 goosander, 5 goldeneye, 1 tufted duck, 1 lapwing and 6 redshank. There was also a flock of 8 rock pipits beside the Waterstein road.

19th

Black guillemots are currently in moult, as there were two on Loch Pooltiel today of which one was in full breeding plumage and the other was in winter plumage but showing slight blackening of the feathers on its rump/back. No sign of the long-tailed duck today, unfortunately.

18th

There was a simply stunning male long-tailed duck diving between the shore and skerries in Loch Pooltiel late afternoon, giving fantastic views from the bottom road in Lower Milovaig. This is the first time we have ever recorded long-tailed duck on Loch Pooltiel and it had no doubt come in to shelter from the storm.

14th

There was a male goldeneye on Loch Pooltiel, close to the black beach at Ferinquarrie, late morning.

13th

There were four grey seals hauled up on the skerries in Loch Pooltiel at low-tide.
There was a woodcock in the stand of Scots pines near Meanish Pier at 3pm and there is still a woodcock over-wintering in gardens at 1/2 Lower Milovaig. A flock of 6 curlews is still frequenting the paircs below the top road in Lower Milovaig. Black guillemots are back in residence, as there have generally been at least two on Loch Pooltiel every day since the end of December.

12th

There were two black-throated divers on Loch Pooltiel at lunchtime, giving good views from the bottom road in Lower Milovaig. Most unusually, there was a lone lapwing in Upper Milovaig mid-afternoon.

11th

There was a red deer doe beside the B884 at Skinidin at 8:10am. The cold weather is clearly bringing them down into the townships at night.

8th

There was a red deer doe in the bealach between Fasach and Skye Silver at 10:30am (AlS). There was a single otter fishing off the skerries in Loch Pooltiel at 2:30pm (AlS, DHampson).
The weather has turned very cold with heavy sleet tonight in Glendale this evening and a light covering on the roads in the Borve/Portree area this morning.

6th

There was a flock of 20 fieldfares beside the top road on crofts 9/10 Upper Milovaig mid-afternoon. This is the first flock of fieldfares that we have recorded in Glendale this winter and was an indicator that the weather was about to get colder.

1st

There was a single red-throated diver off Sgurr Mhor in Loch Pooltiel mid-afternoon and a flock of 7 curlews beside the bottom road on croft 4 Lower Milovaig at the same time.

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DEC-JAN 2007