Coll bird festival sees visitors flock to the island with a special guest appearance by the elusive corncrake

THE THIRD annual bird festival on Coll took place over the weekend with visitors pouring in to make the most of the beautiful weather.

The festival, organised by An Cridhe and Coll Bunkhouse, hosted a range of activities from seabird safaris to walks and talks, all rounded off with a barbecue and beach clean on the Sunday afternoon.

George McConnachie, development manager at An Cridhe, said: ‘ This was our busiest and best bird festival yet with lots of visitors to Coll and an amazing variety of bird life.

‘ We’ve had brilliant support from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds which brings great knowledge and expertise, helping everyone get the most out of the weekend.

‘Everyone knows Coll has fantastic scenery and wildlife so it’s really pleasing to be able to show it off in such amazing conditions.’

A particular highlight is the seabird safari boat trips to neighbouring Lunga to see colonies of puffins, shags, guillemots and other seabirds which gather in large numbers at this time of year.

Many visitors, who come to Coll specifically to see the elusive corncrake, were not disappointed with lots of sightings over the weekend. Organisers have said they will almost certainly hold the event again next year and planning is already under way.