Anne's Journal

 Monday May 27 After two days and 630 miles, of travel it was good to be home. Ian helped Pam pack the car on Friday night and early Saturday morning - the ferry check-in was 6.45 a.m. It was an incredibly smooth crossing, the sea was a mill pond with no birds to be seen apart from the occasional Gannet. Following a car which braked at every bend and at view of an oncoming car on the narrow and very twisty road around Loch Lomond was thr only irritant. Yesterday was also fine apart from occasional ,very heavy showers. One in particular slowed everyone to 20 MPH and the fastest wiper speed didn't clear the windscreen.We arrived at Kings Lynn Sainsbury's at 3.45 just in time for shopping, they close at 4 p.m. We started our May Norfolk bird list as soon as we crossed the border. We saw Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Kestrel, Blackbird, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and a Buzzard in all those miles home. We did not see a single Swift nor any Hirundine. Rather disturbing.

 Friday May 24 Our last day on Uist. Again, cloudy and overcast, but the wind has dropped and we had a dry day. As Pam has a lot of driving to do tomorrow, I left it to her as to where we went in the afternoon. The day started well with a new moth in the trap. Only 10 species in total with a new one for the trip, Flame Shoulder, and a Broom Moth. I can't remember seeing one before, it's a moorland speciality, but will have to wait until we get home to check. A rather attractive moth.   We'd promised ourselves another look at the loch where we'd seen Black-throated Diver off the old road to Lochmaddy. We struggled to find the right bit of old road , but were successful. We saw one Black-throated Diver distantly before going on to the turn back point near another loch. This one had three adult Red-throated Divers. Again very distant without any sun to highlight the plumage. Here's a record shot example.   Driving on to Lochmaddy, we took the coast road to Sollas via t...

 Thursday May 23 Really dark all day, louring grey cloud cover with intermittent rain. The rain was never heavy, just a nuisance. Pauline had a rainy day in the New Forest yesterday, and Sue and Ian are driving south in rain this morning. The northerly wind should be pushing the skuas in towards the shore, but that doesn't seem to be happening. Maybe it's a bit late for the main passage. Not really knowing what to do after emptying a moth trap containing only one  - a Dark Swordgrass - we eventually drove south through Grimsay to Benbecula. After checking the usual haunts, we drove to Peter's Port. Another surprise, our second red Grouse on the islands, a male, dust bathing, roadside in the rain. I took a few photos through the windscreen, never very successful. More editing when I get home.   Reaching the end of the road, we sat in solitude for over an hour. We were scantily rewarded by the occasional Arctic Tern flying through, an immature Shag sat on a buoy and a few G...

 Wednesday May 22 The weather forecast was not good and our weather certainly changed, no sun with a strong north-westerly wind. Only 11C too. As has become the norm,  the moth trap was opened before going out.  Twenty three moths of twelve species. Again, low numbers, but at least one new species every day. Poplar Hawkmoth, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Diamond-back  and - our first ever trapped by us - Map-winged Swift. I've seen one before, brought to a Weeting event by a young man who'd trapped it in South Wales.   Hoping that no-one had run their lorry off the road, we set off for Berneray.  Two seals and a Great Northern Diver from the watchpoint, a Rock Pipit decided to use the information plaque directly ahead of us as a take-off post.     Very few birds on the machair, it was interesting to see that there were already potato leaves showing above the furrows. I know that Berneray is noted for its potatoes but have never seen evidence of ...

  Tuesday May 21 Another shirt sleeve day. Last year, and the previous ones, we were fully fleece, scarf and gloved. I actually got tired of driving around and parking in the sun, being car bound I couldn't seem to get away from it.  We began with a visit to Baleshire, to check on the Lapwing chicks's progress. This is the causeway to the island Mags.  Pam also found that we had a distant view of our apartment from an aspect we hadn't seen before. It shows the land behind the croft. Fiona's pod(brown) is visible on the top left of the photo and the roof of Bonnie View is to the right of that.   No sign of any Lapwings, let alone chicks.  It was Committee Road next. As  we drove towards the turning to Lochmaddy, a raptor, accompanied by a couple of hassling corvids, flew towards us, flying directly o ver the car. An Osprey , our first for the islands.   Reaching the Raptor Watchpoint, Pam got out to photograph a large patch of Cotton Grass in bloom - an...

  Monday May 20 I wasn't happy with yesterday's views of the American Golden Plover - nor the umpteen rotten photos I took. We drove directly to the southern part of the MOD Range at Geirinish, passing Loch Bee with its dozens of Mute Swans. Why aren't they paired up and breeding? The dropped pin was at some cattle troughs which we eventually found, In order to get any view at all, we had to drive onto the lumpy, bumpy, machair and then stop  a fair  distance away when some deep ridges appeared, There were several Golden Plover in varied plumage. Using my scope, I was able to pick out the American Golden Plover, which doesn't have any white between the black belly and its upperparts.   Again, my photos are dreadful. This one is from the internet. Next stop, Einort. Such a beautiful day, so warm that I was without a sweater all day. The scenery is stunning, Rocks, moorland and blue sky, water everywhere. No still photos could do it justice. With such lovely weather, t...

 Sunday May 19 A few good birds have turned up this week, we thought we'd try and catch up with one or two. Smerclate in South Uist was the first destination. We don't know this area at all well, having only visited on the way to Eriskay. Loch Smerclate is on the south west corner of the island, overlooking Eriskay and Barra.  The causeway to South Uist passes through Loch Bee where a Mute Swan was escorting her newly hatched youngsters on their first expedition.  Irresistible, Mistakenly, we scanned the loch first, it seemed a much more likely habitat for the bird we sought. Redshank, Mallard and Mute Swan is all we found here. We then repaired to the machair edging the rocky seashore where we found a few Dunlin, Sanderling and Black-tailed Godwit. Despite poor phone reception, Ian and Sue soon put us right. Thank you. We needed to drive up a sandy track as far as we could go. Here we sat, looking over a large patch of rotting seaweed, heaving with small waders.Where was...

 Saturday May 18  Maybe we are not meant to go to Berneray. Last time it was fog, this time a lorry blockage. We started at Committee Road, enjoying at least one, possibly two, male Hen Harriers quartering the hillside. Only the second Kestrel I've seen this trip joined in for a short while. The sun was out, as was the Lewis ferry, as we crossed the causeway to Berneray. Past the turning to John's Bunkhouse, we got to a narrower (even)  part of the coast road, to find a lorry bonnet down in a ditch to the left side of the road, its back wheels in the air, not enough room for us to pass. It must have only just happened, as we  watched the driver's door swing open and an older man get out, hitch up his trousers and climb up to inspect his tow-bar bracket. By this time there were cars waiting behind him, and two more drove up behind us. Pam did a quick manoeuvre, and we got out of there and back the way we'd come. We decided to try all side roads. One of the first dead ...

 Friday May 17 Not many moths last night, too windy. It's difficult to find anywhere sheltered to place the trap. A  Brown Silver-lines and an Angle Shades had the trap all to themselves.  We eventually set off for Balivanich to order tonight's chinese takeaway, before driving to Ardivachar and the Range. The rocky beach here always has birds to look at. The tide was well in, many of the small waders were perched on rocks.   One household had found what to do with outgrown wellington boots.  Some essential shopping and an ice-cream, a check on Loch Mor to see if the Phalaropes were present - no, nor the perched White-tailed Eagle - before going to Petersport. We were not first so the prime position in front of the slipway was already taken. We gave up before they did as there was little to see.  Maybe the turn-off to the east coast settlement of Flogga  was worth a visit. It soon became obvious why we'd only been here once before. Well before the sea w...

  Thursday May 16 This could be a very short Blog: We went to Berneray. The fog rolled in. We drove home via Ian and Sue's caravan. A bit longer. We had our best moth catch so far last night. 13 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Shark, Dark Swordgrass, 6  Flame Carpets, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Knot-grass Scalloped Hazel, 2 Buff Ermines and an Emperor. We took our lure with us to Berneray, it still works, two Emperors came in to investigate almost immediately. After we'd been to Borve. where we hoped that an end to the interference of ploughing would produce some birds on the machair, about 60 Ringed Plovers in a flock and two skittish Rock Doves in the murk - we stopped at the seal watching lay-by.    North Uist's Rock Doves have been proved, by recent DNA testing and research, to be the only pure ones left in the UK. A small flock of Eider caught my eye, the furthest bird was a Red-throated Diver, new for the trip. Ian and Sue pulled up, they'd been loo...

  Tuesday May 15 Best described as a tourist day I think.  The sun shone all day, it was warm and the birds were quiet. A year or two ago, I'd found a place on the south west coast of South Uist where we saw Basking Shark and some good seabirds. Just south of the 'other' Hebrides seawatching point of Ard a' Mhuile,  at Trolasgeir. Ard an Runair on North Uist  is the main one. This is the view I had whilst eating lunch.  The roads out here are not the best, the last mile or so, no more than a rutted, potholed track. Like  being back in Norfolk. Pam came to a halt. A Cuckoo was perched on the roadside wires. The photo needs the light improving - that will have to wait until I get home.   Druidibeag was the next port of call. Would the White-tailed Eagle nest be more visible on a sunny day? Well, the male was perched on the rim of the nest but it was no nearer! This time, we drove to the end of the track, parking on a grassy mound. I looked at this and re...