On the Outer limits
The Hebrides are a twitchers’ paradise, from majestic eagles to playful puffins
BIRDS OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES
BIRD OF PREY TRAIL
OTHER LAND BIRDS
SEABIRDS
THE Outer Hebrides are a twitchers’ paradise. The diverse habitats found across the islands provide a home for a huge variety of species, ranging from majestic raptors such as the golden eagle and the white-tailed sea eagle to small waders like the dunlin and the lapwing. THIS idyllic island chain is a stronghold for several of Scotland’s most iconic predators, its vast open vistas providing fantastic opportunities to watch them in a spectacular environment.
Visitors to the Outer Hebrides can follow the Bird of Prey Trail, which will take you on a self-guided journey linking 11 locations and two ferry journeys from Barra in the south to the northern tip of Lewis.
The Outer Hebrides support the highest densities of golden eagles recorded in Europe, while white-tailed sea eagle numbers are steadily increasing following their re-introduction. On the Uists, important populations of hen harriers and short-eared owls are supported by an abundance of voles. With little disturbance from people, birds of prey are often encountered at close quarters on the quiet roads, tracks and paths. GIVEN their location, the Outer Hebrides are a popular stopping-off point for autumn migratory species heading across the Atlantic. These include hundreds of barnacle geese that spend winter on the Sound of Harris.
A relatively rare sight elsewhere in the UK, the corncrake is still fairly common in the Outer Hebrides. Its beautiful, distinctive cry can be heard from mid-April until early August. Twite, dunlin, redshank and ringed plover also thrive on the machair lands: there are more than 17,000 pairs of waders breeding on the Uists and Barra machair alone. UNSURPRISINGLY for an i sland chain, seabirds are a major presence across the Outer Hebrides. The rocky cliff faces are often teeming with puffins, fulmars and gannets, particularly in the late spring and summer months when these and other species are most active in terms of feeding, breeding and social activity.
As home to the biggest colony of puffins in the UK, the Hebrides is a fantastic place to view these charming birds when they return between March and August each year.
One of the best ways to see puffins up close is to take a wildlife cruise around the outer islands, in particular St Kilda ( which also boasts the world’s largest colony of guillemots), the Shiants, the Flannan Isles, Mingulay and North Rona. Other key seabird breeding colonies can be found on the Monachs, Berneray (south of Mingulay), Rona and Sula Sgeir.
Some of the most accessible places to view these beautiful creatures are at the numerous RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage reserves located across the islands. www.visitscotland.com/
outerhebrides