Wildlife of Trotternish, Isle of Skye, Birds, Part 2

Wildlife of Trotternish, Isle of Skye

Birds - Part 2

The Heron is a common bird all round the shoreline of Skye at any time of year. It is not restricted to the shore, however, but can be found loafing around in damp fields. or waiting patiently by the sides of burns for an unwary fish to swim within stabbing distance. The picture below right shows a juvenile Heron at Uig Bay, lacking the black shoulder and crown of the adult bird, shown on the left.

Oystercatchers and Rock Pipits (below left) are also abundant all year round on the shore, which in Trotternish is mostly rocky or pebbly, though there is a broad sandy bay at Staffin and a tiny sandy patch at Bornaskitaig which often has a variety of waders on it. There are areas of black sand scattered along the coast, particularly between Cuidreach and Kingsburgh, and muddy estuaries at Kensaleyre and Uig, which attract waders such as Bar-Tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Redshank and Knot at migration time. The Curlew (below right) is present most of the year on every kind of shore habitat. Its bill can reach further into the mud than any other wader, but is equally useful for probing under the seaweed and into crevices.

On suitable cliffs around the shoreline of Trotternish there is an abundance of breeding Kittiwakes, Shags (below left), Fulmars (below right), Guillemots and Razorbills. Some of these can be seen from the Kilt Rock viewpoint, for those who don't want to wander far from the car. From Duntulm Castle you can watch the bustle of a Fulmar city on Tulm Island. This windy spot is ideal for the Fulmar, a bird whose wings are built for gliding and who feels uncomfortable in calm weather when she has to flap them to get around. Duntulm, incidentally, though exposed to the winds, is the driest spot in Skye, and is well worth making for on an unsettled day if you want to dodge the showers.

At a distance the Shag can be hard to distinguish from the Cormorant, which is also common around our coasts, but the Shag has a distinct angle between the forehead and the base of the bill, and it leaps well into the air before diving, whereas the Cormorant hardly clears the water. In the breeding season, the Shag has a crest on the top of its head, as in the picture above, whereas the Cormorant has quite a different distinguishing mark, a white thigh patch.

On to part 3

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Birds part 1
Birds part 2
Birds part 3
Birds part 4

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