Thousands of Littlies

Wednesday, May 12 

Yes, it was raining when we woke, back to bed to read. It soon stopped, and was  very cloudy but dry for the rest of the day. We'd decided to head south to-day, via Grimsay and Benbecula, all linked by lengthy causeways marked by this sign. We've never seen an Otter from one.

 

The SatNav map shows us travelling through water.

The Islands have very few petrol stations. We needed a fill up so took the turning for Benbecula RAF camp which has a station - and the best supermarket. It's also by far the largest settlement, hugging the seashore. Fuel was an eye-watering £1.40.9 a litre.

Having completed the day's business, we drove on to a large bay near Lioncleit. This has a concrete launching jetty, is always full of seaweed, the latter providing a rich supply of insect food for what we have named the littlies. Sanderling, 

 

Dunlin, Turnstones - Summer plumaged Turnstones blend very well into the seaweed -

 

and Ringed Plover. .The place swarms with them, their constant movement brings the rocks and weed to a seething life. We moved position for a different outlook, Pam calling a Little Gull,  before returning to find a familiar car in the parking area. It was Sue and Ian. We chatted and birded together for an hour or so - at the recommended distancing - adding Eider, Glaucous and Iceland Gulls and a Shelduck. 

Ardivacher is another birding area just south of here in South Uist. Another very large bay with always smelly seaweed. To-day was no exception. I'm still convinced that this is the place known as Stinky Bay to birders. The OS maps only have the Gaelic names for places, the birders have their own, which makes life confusing. More small birds racing about the beach, two fishing boats pulled up on the beach at low tide, distant mountains. Oh for some sun to add depth to the view.

 

The road ends at the Range. previously used as a firing range, I don't know that it ever is now. A sandy track leads through the machair, much of it already ploughed, and again, heaving with small waders plus Lapwing and Oystercatchers. It's a good place to find Dotterel. Not to-day. A lone Brent Goose flew in off the sea, as did two Arctic Skuas, first picked up by Ian, and four Golden Plover. Skuas are handsome flyers, Arctic the smallest and, arguably, the most elegant of them all. 

Time to drive homewards via Loch Sandaray where a Wood Sandpiper had been seen this morning. No sign of it for us, nor of yesterday's Snow Geese at Paible. There was a Yellow-legged Herring gull on an island in the middle of Sandaray. After collecting my newspapers from Bayhead Co-op, we drove as far as the Raptor Watchpoint on Committee Road. We saw a male Hen Harrier and another single Arctic Skua, they breed up here. On the way home, a Short-eared Owl on a mission flew overhead and away.

Postscript

After watching Man U lose to Leicester last night, we drove to Committee Road. It was after 8 p.m and rather dark but dry. We actually saw a Cuckoo for the first time after ten days of hearing them call.Too dark for photographs, but hey.....

 

When I looked at them to-day, the bird seemed to have a large grub of some sort dangling from its beak.

Committee Road is where one is likely to meet the islands' birders. We met Ian and Sue at the south end  and Nick and Lance (Yorkshire men on their first visit to the island), on the way back. No owls to-night, too late.