Spring (April – early June)
Birds
One of the most exciting ornithological discoveries in recent years is the
apparent regular staging of White-billed Divers in north-east
Lewis (photo: Mark Darlaston). Since their first discovery
here in 2004 small numbers of this nationally rare
species have been detected between March and late May / early June.
They may be found anywhere between Tiumpan Head and Port of Ness with
Skigersta being a favourite site. The exact numbers involved is not clear
although at least six have been seen on one day and there could easily be over
ten birds regularly staging here. This makes the Western Isles an ideal location
for picking up four diver species in a day. April is probably the best
time to do this before the Black-throated Divers return to their breeding
grounds on the larger lochs. April is also peak time for gatherings of Great
Northern Divers with large numbers concentrating in the more sheltered bays
and sounds, especially the Sound of Harris and Sound of Barra.
The spring is also an excellent time for wildfowl with the islands
acting as a staging post for many species or a place to rest temporarily
if they encounter strong head winds. During favourable conditions large
numbers of geese may be seen heading north with huge numbers of Barnacle Geese
moving through
from their major winter grounds on Islay in the latter half of April. Thousands of Greenland White-fronts
and Pink-footed Geese may also be seen
as well as smaller numbers of pale-bellied Brent Geese
and possibly a
Snow Goose or genuine vagrant
Canada. Swans also join in the wildfowl spectacle with hundreds,
even thousands of Whooper Swans sometimes seen heading north.
Sixteen species of duck can be expected with large numbers of
Long-tailed Ducks
and Eider gathering close in-shore in certain locations. Regular
scarce ducks include Garganey, Green-winged Teal,
American Wigeon and the odd
Surf Scoter; the latter actually winter in the Sound of
Taransay, Harris. 
The Western Isles are renowned for a number of birds that are relatively easy to see on the islands compared with many other areas of the UK and the spring is the best time to connect with many of them, such as the secretive Corncrake. When they first arrive (from mid-April) there is very little vegetation tall enough for them to hide in and growth of early cover such as Iris, is much slower than in less sheltered mainland locations making Corncrakes relatively easy to see here. With a little patience sightings of this summer migrant to the isles is virtually guaranteed up until late May / early June when the vegetation conceals much of their activity.
(photo Mark Darlaston)
The Red-necked Phalarope
is another
speciality of the Scottish islands restricted as a breeding species to here and Shetland.
It's a really stunning little wader with bags of charisma that is best
seen when fresh in from their wintering grounds during the latter part
of May. The female phalaropes (the brighter birds) don’t
stay for long and once mated will quickly move on, perhaps to mate with
other males at another site. The males are left to incubate the eggs and
protect the young in the early stages. They also move on in late July /
early August leaving the young to follow. They are difficult to see once
the males have settled on eggs as they only leave the nest temporarily
to feed and are often concealed in the emergent vegetation during windy
weather. The species has a toe hold in the UK being
on the southern edge of its range and numbers vary from year to year,
although they are never very abundant. The best chance of connecting
with one of these stunning little waders is from late May – late June.
The islands are also ideally situated as a stop over for waders bound for more
northerly climes and the land of the midnight sun. In April and
May
the beaches are often thronged with waders in fine summer plumage, feeding on
the masses of arthropods that shelter under the seaweed that is deposited from
time to time in the western bays. Sanderling, Dunlin and
Turnstone are abundant and good number of Purple Sandpiper pass
through on their way to Iceland, Greenland or the Canadian Arctic. In April
large numbers of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits
(photo M Darlaston) pass by and flocks are often seen heading straight
out to see in a north-westerly direction. In windy, wet weather flocks of this
super wader may be found feeding in marshy areas where they will stay for a day
or two before carrying on. April is also the peak month in spring for Golden
Plover with huge numbers feeding in favoured locations. A little later in
the first half of May large numbers of Whimbrel appear with a few
stopping to breed although the majority head to Iceland to take advantage of the
long, summer daylight hours. Many other waders will be encountered at this time
of year; Knot, Grey Plover, Curlew, Common Sandpiper,
Greenshank,
Bar-tailed Godwit and
Snipe. Scarcer but never-the-less regular sightings of
Dotterel,
Ruff,
Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint
are reported most years. Amongst the hordes of waders a number of rare species
have been detected in recent years with Pectoral Sandpiper,
Broad-billed Sandpiper
and Long-billed Dowitcher all being found.
The Western Isles and more specifically the Uist machair and Lewis Peatlands hold huge numbers of breeding
waders. The islands are nationally important for breeding
Ringed Plover (photo: M Darlaston)
and Dunlin with the Uists said to hold 25% of the U.K. breeding
population. These latter two species plus Lapwing, Oystercatcher and
Redshank are abundant on the machair in spring.
Unfortunately like many other remote islands around the world introduced species
are causing havoc and on the Uists it is the diminutive, innocent looking
hedgehog that is creating a problem. Introduced onto the islands some time back
the hedgehog was found to be partly responsible for the decline in the machair
breeding populations of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. The machair is still a tremendous
place to be during the spring and a true wildlife spectacle. The peatlands of Lewis are also very important holding large
concentrations of breeding Dunlin, Golden Plover and
Greenshank. The peatlands are said to hold one tenth of all Greenshank
breeding in the U.K. Couple this with good numbers of breeding Red-throated
and
Black-throated Divers, plus Golden Eagle and Merlin it's no
wonder that this area is a Special Protection Area. Unfortunately the whole area
is under threat from a huge wind-farm development that would totally change the
wild character of this superb area.
April – late May is probably the peak time for birders on the islands too, hoping to strike lucky and catch a big skua passage. First are the Bonxies or Great Skuas from March onwards, then the Arctic Skuas followed by the powerful Pomarine Skua and last but not least the elegant Long-tailed Skua. Sea-watching can be a demanding past time, trying to identify that distant shape that keeps disappearing behind the waves as it shoots past at great range but the Western Isles are quite different in this respect. When the skuas encounter onshore winds from the west or north-west, birds can pass by so close you could dispense with the binoculars with flocks even heading over land. The skua passage is a real highlight at this time of year and spending a few hours during favourable conditions at Aird un Runair, Ardvule or in north-west Lewis is a superb experience.
(photo: Mark Darlaston)
As
for the smaller birds the range of breeding species is quite limited
although this is a good time to look for them as many will be
displaying. Residents like the Corn Bunting
(photo: Mark Darlaston) are still quite
common on the southern isles although numbers have declined and the RSPB
with the co-operation of the crofters are attempting to stem this
worrying trend. The Corn Bunting was once much more widespread
throughout the UK but has been lost from many areas. The population here
is one of the last in Scotland and characteristic of the machair in
spring. Other species often associated with agriculture that have
declined dramatically throughout Britain still do well here. Skylarks,
Twite and House Sparrows are all common and are sure
indicators of the health of the environment. Other species arrive for
the long days of summer such as Willow Warbler, Sedge
Warbler and
Whinchat although as a breeder the latter species is scarce and
nowhere near as common as the resident Stonechat. If you’re
really up for a challenge a range of redpolls can be seen displaying and
setting up breeding territories in suitable coniferous plantations. Most
are probably best described as Common Redpoll
although the variation can be great and later in the spring or early
summer you could easily encounter birds that resemble Lesser Redpoll
too. Of course not all the passerines are here to breed and many are
just passing through or have lost their way. Huge numbers of Icelandic
Redwings pass through in April and may be encountered virtually
anywhere. Other species have sometimes overshot their breeding grounds
such as Golden Oriole, Hoopoe and
Turtle Dove
making the spring a very exciting time indeed whether it be looking for
the superb range of breeding species or for some exciting migrants.
For more on Spring mammals, insects and plants click here (Spring continued)