........ all that way for just a week ........ must be mad! Was it enjoyable - you bet! It was somewhere around my 19th visit, but a first for Joan and its knocked her socks off as I knew it would …….
Fri 24th Jul
Weather glorious
Joan came round to our house just before 6am and her car was repacked with all my stuff and within half an hour we were on our way ....... two retired ladies, footloose and fancy-free having left husbands behind to attend to work and household jobs (and in my case keep an eye on a small mother in my absence ........)
The bird table at the caravan site was cleaned and replenished enroute before most caravanners were out of their beds! Followed by a gentle pleasant drive north that saw us arriving at the B & B in Oban late afternoon: the highlight of the trip being 3 Red-throated Diver on Loch Fyne - two of them displaying, necks outstetched and calling right below the car ........ and the camera was? Safe in its bag in the bag .......... Arrival at the B & B late afternoon was marred when the gatepost hidden behind herbage jumped out and meanly attacked Joan's car
........ Good start or what? We resolved not to let the damage dent and puncture our holiday mood …….
Sat 25th July
Onto the ferry with no hitches for a fabulous sail - poss the best ever for me - it got warmer and calmer the nearer the isles we got - millpond? It was glassy! Joan picked out an otter fishing much further out from nearby islands than you might think - it was kneejerk to write if off as a seal - until it did that that unmistakable head down-bottoms up tail flick dive! During the crossing we had excellent views of no less than 4 pods of dolphin - the most I have ever seen - added to 3 Bonxie's and a Red-thraoted Diver, plus alll the usual supporting cast - gannets, guillemots each with a single chick in tow, fulmar, puffin, but hardly any Manx Shearwaters which puzzled me hugely? A Swallow welcomed us into the harbour at Loch Boisedale. We drove gently up South Uist taking in the Standing Stone at Bein na Charra when unseen calling raptor chicks could have been merlin…… The hospitable islands welcomed Joan with views of a juvenile Buzzard, a hunting female Hen Harrier and two separate Short-eared Owls ……. I began thinking if we kept seeing the specialities this easily we could be off home half way thro the week!
Sun 26th July
The weather returned to ‘normal’ this morning – heavy rain – which cleared at dinnertime so off we set for North Uist. Two Red-thraoted Diver flew low overhead at Market Stance while two Corncrakes called and welcomed us down the entrance road to Balranald RSPB Reserve. We listened to their ‘rak rak’ call and sometime later one crossed the road at a run in front of the car – I saw it a spilt second before it dove into the grass but Joan missed it – she was looking out the side window instead! Parking up at Traigh lar Bay all the usual birds were on offer: turnstone, dunlin, sanderling, ringed plover, redshank, corn bunting, gannets, eiders. Joan had a little walk (and I had a little sleep but don’t tell her!). She came back with pics of Common Cornsalad, Bugloss, Corn Marigold, Sea Rocket, Lady’s Bedstraw and Lesser Meadow Rue. A Grey Plover flew over the Visitor Centre while I was in the loo (typical!) and plenty of genuine Rock Doves were identified and pondered over – much more ‘posh’ than mere pigeons …………
A drive up Cleitraval to see the view was marred by strong wind and made searching for flowers on the way unpleasant so we soon gave up on that and headed for ‘Raptor Heaven’ the C83 Committee Road which divides North Uist in half and saves the long circular route around the island perimeter. Two fledged ‘ringtail’ Hen Harriers cavorted together – practicing their flying skills! A dark phase Arctic Skua came skimming by – flying without any effort at all – gale-force wind or no! On the way back we stopped to watch a short-eared owl hunting on our right and then registered the screeching coming from our left only to look out and see 4 juvenile ‘shorties’ sat on a heather hummock at the side of the road! Joan free-wheeled till I was level with them and a bout of ‘click-itis’ took over!
Mon 27th July
A bright dawn quickly dissolved into heavy rain, then showers and finally bright clear and very windy. A run to the road end of St Peter’s Port found a Twite and a scan of the empty heronry – the young fledged and away. A slow ride to South Uist and along thro Iochader to Aird Michael brought us single greenshank and bar tailed godwit plus plenty of dunlin. Two razorbill were offshore at North Beach whilst the eiders, dunlin, sanderling and starlings all jumped and cleared off when an Arctic Skua came flying along the shoreline! A slow and quiet drive out to Rubha Ardvule (all breeding birds gone!) but in the bay there were yet more dunlin, sanderling and seals. Yet another Arctic Skua brought panic and shifted everyone off – us included! The slow drive back along the rought track was brightened by watching a Buzzard chasing a Golden Eagle – the size difference between them being so obvious – it was good to see these two species together and make lasting mental comparisons.
Tues 28th July
Heavy showers and unsettled and still windy but the crippling schedule I had carefully worked out was being adhered to and we set off for North Uist to visit Langass plantations and the stone circle of Pobhull’s Finn – Finn’s People. The gorse on the way down was still providing cover for stonechat, greenfinch and a willow warbler. The dragonflies I expected to see (all male Common Hawkers) were hunting over the fence at the bottom of the fir trees out of the wind so no photographic opportunities with them. A female Highland Darter sunbathed on the new stone track and was very confiding so cameras came out. A couple of caterpillers were seen too – an egger and an Emperor – both belonging to moths. As we walked back to the car I felt a sudden and undeniable need for a ‘pit stop’ and set off back down the track towards the old boathouse in the bay to find some ‘cover’ leaving my camera and gear with Joan…….. what a mistake that was! Just as I was whistling and feeling relieved I heard splashing – and I knew straight away – de-ja-vue to that ealy morning on the River Lune a couple of months ago – yep – an otter – in the bay fishing – smack in front of me 30 yards off ……… agony! I rearranged my clothing and panted back up the path – whispering ‘otter’ and pointing back wildly the way we had come! We chugged and huffed our way back down to find he was moving away along the coast, still fishing and still a reasonable view thro binocs ……….
Moving on towards Loch Maddy we left the new road so we could creep along the old! Two Red –thoated Divers flew over south easterly while two Hooded Crows went the opposite direction. Once down the Newtonferry Road a big beautiful Bonxie flew past below us: I could have tried to take photos – but decided just to watch and admire its powered flight. We continued onto Bernaray to the big bay at the end while I watched Joan go weak at the knees from the view! Several juvenile Little Terns were trying to hunch down on the beach to minimise the wind and their parents came in with a regular supply of seafood ……… A good mixed flock of dunlin, sanderling and ringed plover were all trying to find a bit of food and forty winks out of the wind behind rocks. A number of swallows hawked and swooped over the inland fields: 20 years ago a swallow was a rare bird in the isles now they are spreading steadily thro the old crofts.
The return route included Clachan Shanda and I watched Joan go weak again at the colours and the bay, even in dull light its still spectacular. It was far too windy and almost cold to get out and begin searching the machair for the specialities, so we began a steady return. Only one juvenile short eared owl could be distantly seen from the Committee Road and two light phase Arctic Skua flew west over Chircebost.
Wed 29th July
Dawned bright blue but very windy, warm where sheltered and only one shower. In keeping with turn and turn about it was off to South Uist again. A Short eared Owl flew and hunted near (my terminology!) the ‘ugly’ church (sorry guys but I severely dislike the design of this building…..) The lesser butterfly orchids which proliferate in some of the croft fields down here had all finished and gone. Apart from glorious views at every turn in the road there was little of note wildlife-wise.
Onto Eriskay and eventually down to the harbour to see the Barra boat come in and almost consider getting on it – almost – we settled for a hunt around the pockets of machair and came up with Field Gentian along with around 30 other machair species. Despite patches of Wild Thyme and south facing rocks I still could not find the Thyme Broomrape: its one of my ‘bogey’ species and I so want to see and photograph it but another year looks set to pass rewardless……. A Peregrine passed overhead Joan said (I was in the loo again ……….) On the way back up we diverted off to North Loch Ayenort to spend a bit of time at the parking spot at the end – Arinambane. The plantations and gardens from the last house were quiet – no sign of finches or warblers which were breeding there in profusion just a couple of months back. Moving away from here were trundled up the road and turned at the Loch Druidibeg/Loch Skipport turning to be rewarded with two ‘ringtail’ Hen Harriers, a few wheatear and lapwing until a commotion got our attention and we turned to see three buzzards this time chasing a golden eagle – it must be the local sport of buzzard in the isles – ‘eagle worrying’!
........ go to Part Two for the rest of the weeks account .........
Pauline and Joan's Western Isles 2009 Visit Part One ..... 
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