A week on the Uists 9-15th May 2015

Much as we love our local area we always look forward to seeing wildlife in different locations, over the last few years we have enjoyed some splendid holidays in Scotland and our knowledge of the best places has grown accordingly, maybe not best but our favourites.

At this time of the year we love the west coast and in particular the isles, this year the Uists were the chosen location as we had a fantastic time here two years ago, some fear to return thinking that disappointment awaits, not us though....

A well planned drive north went smoothly enough and after an overnight stay in Connel we were handy for the ferry from Oban, the five hour crossing to Loch Boisedale was incident free and we spotted a few great skuas from the outside decks plus one pomarine skua and a few other birds and a small group of porpoises.

Locating our cottage on South Uist was easy enough and we were fortunate to have a lovely sunny evening where we could enjoy a glass or two of wine in the garden watching birds near the cottage.

Sunday was wet...to say the least! We decided that bird watching from the car was the best option, previous knowledge disclosed some good locations so out we went..

First shot a very fuzzy male hen harrier...

The sheltered bays seemed attractive as winds rocked the car whether moving or parked!

A turnstone

Dunlin

Ringed plover

...and redshank

The following day the winds were even stronger and the rain was a nuisance!

In between the showers we found golden plover...

More dunlin and turnstone

and sanderling

The highlight of the day was a great northern diver

But we also found eider ducks...

Tuesday and the sun comes out, we know a great place to see short eared owls ...success beyond our greatest hopes...

A check on a good place for buzzards worked well too :-)

Golden eagles are quite numerous up here, poor photographs are too!

Another view of a great northern diver...

Arctic tern

Ringed plover

Gannets

Twite

and a better hen harrier shot!

Red throated divers the next day

White tailed eagle

..and otter!!!

A wren which is unique to the Isles because they cannot fly far enough for the pure race to be diluted by continental birds...

The sun was great for views...

Golden eagles soared...

And the short eared owls continued to be entrancing....

We also found a relatively rare corn bunting part hidden in some reeds...

Many thanks to all who read, don't forget if you do comment that they come to me first for moderation.

Early start tomorrow to head towards the mainland and more wildlife watching.........

16/17th May 2013, the last couple of days on North Uist

The weather was kind on Thursday, beautiful warm sunshine blessed us for the day. Concentrating on the area near the cottage had given us a little local knowledge as to what we could see and more importantly where to find things.

A small lochan yielded a pair of tufted ducks..

and whooper swans..

Hougharry Bay was a splendid spot for a short walk..

With views to distant islands..

Turnstones were numereous here..

Turning to return to the car we discovered a twite...

By the waters edge a male eider basked in the warm sunshine...

and a buzzard visited close overhead..

By driving slowly and using the passing places provided to let following traffic past we were able to watch for wildlife during our short journeys around the top of North Uist.

We stopped the car to watch and photograph beautiful golden plover..

Grenitote was one of our neighbouring villages, a wonderfully peaceful place and another short wander beckoned...

I could attempt to name all the birds in this shot, but I will leave that to the viewers!!

Rather easier is naming these bar tailed godwits..

and knot..

Another short drive to Balranald and once again the car was halted to capture this lovely stonechat by the roadside..

Very few birds stand out as a profile at long distance, golden eagles are distinct by their immense size....

How did we know it was an eagle? We saw it fly in!

Another stationary bird and another prize for driving slowly, a beautiful short eared owl..

We had been hoping for good otter sightings, unfortunately wildlife does not appear just when you want and some persistence/patience and a large slice of luck are required!

Visiting a recommended spot our efforts were extremely well rewarded as we watched an otter feasting on an eel..

A small tortoiseshell butterfly was another lovely addition to the photographs..

A memorable day indeed and all too soon Friday arrived, our last full day and once again we stayed in our local area....a good plan as it turned out.

Another glorious sunny day..

Golden plover were in evidence again..

and the elegant lapwing..

Our day began with a drive to Loch Euphort, we spotted red deer along the way..

We enjoyed a lovely short stroll by the loch..

This old ruined building caught the eye with some spectaculay fluffy clouds to add interest..

Another buzzard shot..

and a kestrel too..

We had decided on a lengthy watch where we had seen the otter the day before, it was not too long a wait before we had a double reward as two otters  hunted and romped not too far away..

What a fantastic experience and one we shall never forget.

A moss carder bee, a local species, posed nicely for me..

...along with a tiny fly!

Finally I managed another golden eagle shot, distant but its size was a clear indication what it was..

What a week we had experienced and now some cleaning and packing was necessary, a 5.00am alarm for a ferry from Lochmaddy to Uig on Skye, a drive down the isle and onto the mainland then a scenic drive to Kenmore by Loch Torridon, I wonder what the second week of our holiday would bring?

Thanks ever so much to all who view, a computer breakdown stopped me keeping up to date while we were away. Don't forget if you are leaving a comment that they come to me first for approval before appearing on the blog.