Islands and Islets (7): An Inner Hebridean Odyssey - Wildlife Count

The beach at Ord, Sleat, Isle of Skye

While I was away I tried to make a list of (somewhere between all and most) of my wildlife sightings. I am no expert (as you will soon realise!), just a keen observer who likes to know what is about. I decided not to be too strict about numbers as I am so bad at calculating birds in a flock - so bad at calculating fullstop!

The first list here refers to the first leg of our journey to Skye (our most northerly destination), and includes sightings from Glasgow to the north of Trotternish ... I will only 'count' each species once.

Species of Bird
Mainland Scotland

31 August 2012

1]    Mallard - Loch Lomond
2]    Cormorant - Arrochar
3]    Carrion Crow - Rest-and-be-Thankful
4]    House Sparrow - Inveraray
5]    Pigeon (very black) - ditto
6]    Goldfinches - Glen Orchy
7]    Swifts - ditto
8]    Pied Wagtail - Glencoe
9]    Hooded Crow (2) - Glencoe and Onich
10]  Chaffinch - Onich
11]  Unidentified Owl - Glenfinnan

1 September 2012

12]  Sparrowhawk - Ardnamurchen
**]   Goldfinch - ditto
13]  Oystercatcher - ditto
**]   Cormorant - ditto
14]  Eiders (6) - ditto
15]  Grey Heron - ditto
16]  Greater Black-backed Gull - ditto
17]  (?Sky)larks (3) - ditto
18]  Gannet - near Mallaig
19]  White-tailed Eagle - ditto

Nature's paintbrush at work!

Species of Bird
Isle of Skye and Environs

1 September 2012

**]    Pied Wagtail - Broadford
20]   Herring Gull - ditto

2 September 2012

21]   Golden Eagle - Cuillin area
**]    Eiders - Dunvegan area

3 September 2012

22]  Buzzard - Cuillin area
23]  ?Dabchick - Trotternish
**]   Hooded Crows (6) - ditto
**]   Gannets (4) - viewed from Staffin area
**]   Pied Wagtails (6) - ditto

4 September 2012

24]  Starlings - Broadford area
**]   Pigeons - ditto
25]  Goosander?? - photo to follow - Loch Carron area (just off Skye, but trip from Skye)
26]  Rock Pipit - Loch Duich area (just off Skye, but trip from Skye)
**]   Pied Wagtail in first winter plumage - Loch Duich area (just off Skye, but trip from Skye)
27]  Robin - ditto
28]  Goldfinches (6) - ditto
**]   Rock Pipit - Armadale

5 September 2012

**]  Carrion Crows (2) - Portree
**]  Hooded Crows (3) - ditto
**]  Pied Wagtails (2) - Broadford area
29] Wheatears (4) - Waternish area
**]  Carrion Crow - ditto
30] Ringed Plovers (31) - Cuillin area
**]  Oystercatchers (2) - ditto

6 September 2012

**] Swifts (5) - Staffin
**]  Cormorant - ditto
**]  Buzzard - Bernisdale
**]  Grey Heron - Edinbane
**]  Pied Wagtail - Neist Point
**]  Gannets (5) - ditto
**]  Cormorant - ditto
31] Fulmars (2) - ditto
32] Greylag Geese (small flock) - Glendale area

7 September 2012

**] Ring Plover (3) - Sleat area
**] Herring Gull - Broadford area

8 September 2012

**] Grey Heron - Broadford area


Total of 32 (largely identified) species of bird for this leg of the journey (Glasgow to Trotternish)

Other Vertebrates
Mainland Scotland

31 August 2012

1]  Common Toad (query due to dark night!) - Glenfinnan
2]  Bats (5) - (species not identified) - ditto

1 September 2012

3]  Common Seals (small colony) - Ardnamurchen, not far from Corran Ferry
4]  Red deer doe - Bay of the Flies area, Ardnamurchen

Other Vertebrates
Isle of Skye and Environs

1 September 2012

5] Rabbits (3) - Broadford and Elgol areas

2 September 2012 

6] Common Seals (colony) - Dunvegan
7] Grey Seal (1) - ditto

4 September 2012

**] Rabbits (2) - Broadford area

6 September 2012

**] Rabbit - Glendale

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Invertebrates
Mainland Scotland

31 August 2012  

1] Midge - Loch Lomond
2] Black Beetle (still to be identified) - Glencoe

1 September 2012

3] Buff-tailed Bumblebee - Ardnamurchen
4] Hoverfly - ditto


Invertebrates
Isle of Skye and Environs


2 September 2012

5] Dragonfly, unidentified (flew off too fast!) - Dunvegan area

3 September 2012

**] Dragonfly, unidentified (flew off too fast!) - Staffin 
6]  Cranefly - Broadford area

5 September 2012

7] Caterpillar - Trumpan area
**] Dragonfly, unidentified (flew off too fast!) - ditto 

6 September 2012

8] Lion's Mane Jellyfish - Bracadale 

************

Flora etc.
Mainland Scotland, Isle of Skye and Environs 

1]    Ragwort - Loch Lomond area (widespread)
2]    Rose Bay Willowherb - ditto (widespread)
3]    Bell Heather - ditto (widespread)
4]    Ling - ditto
5]    Montbretia - ditto (widespread)
6]    Meadowsweet - Tarbet
7]    Buttercup - ditto
8]    Conolvulus - Arrochar
9]    Sorrel
10]  Thistle - Rest-and-be-Thankful
11]   Feverfew - ditto
12]   Lesser Scabious - ditto

Also: large brown unidentified toadstool at Inveraray and ?sphagnum moss. Ist lichen on trees spotted at Cladich on way to Kilchurn.  

13]  Figwort - Dunvegan, Skye
14]  Foxglove - ditto
15]  Yellow/Ladies' Bedstraw - ditto
16]  Clover - St Columba's Island, Skye
17]  Yarrow - ditto
18]  Groundsel - ditto
19]  Tormentil - Waternish
20]   English Stonecrop, Sedum anglicum - Sleat, Skye
21]  Water mint - ditto

These observations are obviously of more interest to me than to others, but I hope you may find something in this post that catches your eye! I shall be logging my wildlife sightings for Mull and Iona soon ...