Winter (Dec – March)
Birds
The Outer Hebrides are an excellent winter birding venue with good numbers of wintering sea duck, divers, Slavonian Grebe and a good chance of picking up eight species of raptor in one day. Lewis and Harris are probably best for their variety of wintering sea duck with good numbers of Eider, Long-tailed Duck and smaller numbers of Common Scoter in Broad Bay, just to the north of Stornoway. Harris also holds a similar variety in the Sound of Taransay where there are usually one or two wintering Surf Scoters too. Both places hold good number of Great Northern Divers and Slavonian Grebes.
( Red-throated Diver 2006)
Recent rare birds
in the northern isles of Lewis and Harris include a
Snowy Owl at Bru and a Harlequin Duck
at Coll / Grais, as well as Bonaparte's and Ivory Gull. There is also
a
good chance of connecting with Golden and White-tailed Eagle
in the northern isles but for the best chance of the full variety of
raptors Uist is the place. The winter is often the best time for seeing
the raptors as many of them feed on the machair plain rather than in the
hills as they often do in the summer months. In early winter there are
generally more birds of prey present as those juveniles that
have made it this far swell the numbers and birds probably arrive from
further afield too. The shorter day light and periods of bad weather can
make hunting very difficult so once the winds and rain
abate the islands can appear
alive with birds of prey as they make the most of the conditions.
(Snowy Owl, Grenitote, N Uist Oct. 2006)
The Uists hold many birds in the winter as the machair which is cultivated during the summer now provides shelter and food amongst the areas of stubble and an ideal habitat for certain species, such as Skylarks, buntings and Twite. At times it's possible to see flocks of over 400 Snow Bunting with similar numbers of Skylark and upwards of 200 Twite in a single flock. These sorts of numbers attract the predators and Merlins are frequently seen dashing low across the machair. Stacks in and around crofts that are stored for livestock fodder in the winter months, also provide winter feeding for Reed Buntings and are essential as a food source for Corn Buntings in the latter part of the season.
There are also good numbers of wildfowl on the
machair with 5% of the world population of Greenland Barnacle Geese wintering on and around
North Uist whilst South Uist and Benbecula provide refuge for small
numbers of Greenland White-fronted Geese. There are also around 4 -
5,000 Greylag Geese that are a relict population of indigenous geese
that were once widespread in the UK. The many lochs support good numbers
of Tufted Duck and Wigeon with Loch Bee in South Uist being particularly
attractive to the latter species. There are often one or two surprises
amongst the wildfowl too with 2006/07 winter producing Ring-necked Duck,
Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon.
Amongst the geese there is the occasional 'real'
Canada Goose or Snow Goose to keep the interest going throughout. (Barnacle Geese, Berneray 2006)
One of the biggest surprises
at this time of year is the number of
wintering waders the southern isles support with large
numbers of Lapwing feeding on the machair and nationally important
numbers of Sanderling and Purple Sandpipers on the shore
(over 1,500 Purple Sandpipers wintered in the Uists 2006/07). The inlets
hold many Redshank but also good numbers of Greenshank. The Greenshank
are well dispersed and the coastline very convoluted but it would not be
surprising if the Uists held one of the largest winter gatherings of
Greenshank in the UK. There are also good numbers of Bar-tailed
Godwit, Curlew, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Ringed
Plover and Dunlin.
(Purple Sandpiper, Stinky Bay, Benbecula, 2006)
The winter also
brings many gulls to the Hebrides with good numbers of Glaucous and
Iceland Gulls turning up, especially in the latter half of winter. Lewis
is probably the best spot for the large white-winged gulls with the
active fishing port in Stornoway and tidal rips off the Butt of Lewis
and Tiumpan Head brining fish to the surface. At times double figures of
Iceland Gulls will be present around Stornoway. The Uists are also good
for these two species and the outflow from the fish factory at Gramsdale,
Benbecula allows close views of anything feeding on the discards. Beaches where large amounts of seaweed have been dumped
after gales are also productive for gulls as they search the seaweed for
invertebrates and the odd dead animal.
(1st winter Glaucous Gull, Stinky Bay 2006)
The Outer Hebrides have a lot to offer to the winter birder, from an excellent selection of exciting birds of prey, large flocks of wildfowl and waders to dazzling flocks of Snow Buntings and the odd rarity.
Mammals
Winter is the best time for seeing
Otters and the Western Isles are probably one of the most densely
populated areas in the UK. An Otter survey throughout the islands found signs of them in every
10 km square in the whole of the Western Isles and although no
one knows just how many there are, it's safe to say that they are
common. That's not to say that you're guaranteed views of Otter but you
have as a good a chance here than anywhere in the UK. In the winter the
females are busy teaching their cubs to fend for themselves and as the
cubs are often noisy they tend to attract attention, if you know the
call. The young Otters make a sharp, high pitched note that is
reminiscent of a pipit or piping of a wader and quite distinctive once you have your ear
tuned into it. It's a real give away that Otters are present, as they can
be very easily overlooked whilst feeding in the rock pools and seaweed.
Sheltered inlets along the east side of the Uists when the tide is
turning are good places to look but also where there are rocky shores
with plentiful seaweed. They may also be readily encountered in any of
the lochs although the deeper ones are not easy for Otters to feed in
and they tend to avoid them. The islands are just about perfect for the
Otters as they meet all the requirements they look for; plentiful food
supply, lots of fresh water for maintaining the coat condition and
plenty of quiet space.
Other mammals you will see in the winter are
Grey
and Common Seals. There are many places where they haul out and may be
seen side by side so that you can
compare and contrast the differences.
The Grey Seal also known as 'Horse head' has a large roman nose quite
unlike the Common Seals rounder, gentler looking face. The Grey is also
considerably bigger and usually dark grey whilst Common Seals show a
wide variety of coat patterns and tones making them very attractive. The
Common Seal, being lighter will also porpoise out of the water which is
something you never see the heavier Grey Seal doing. All these features
are next to useless with young animals and the best way to tell
animals apart under two years old is by the shape of the nostrils. Wait
until the nostrils are shut then try and pick out whether they form a
clear V or appear more parallel. It's not easy at first but given good
views and looking when the nostrils are closed you can usually decide
which species even the young ones are
(Common Seal)
The only other mammal you're likely to see is the Red Deer. They are common throughout the main chain of islands from Lewis to South Uist. They have also been recently introduced to Barra, which has not been to everyone's liking as they can cause serious damage to crops and carefully created gardens. Scan from your vehicle from high points on the road where you can see the surrounding hills / moorland and you'll have a good chance of picking up a small party of hinds or maybe a proud stag.