Wildlife of Trotternish, Isle of Skye, Birds, Part 3

Wildlife of Trotternish, Isle of Skye

Birds - Part 3

Rock Dove, Glenhinnisdale, Isle of Skye Rock Doves inhabit some of the caves around the coast, and often come to gardens for food, as in the picture below. These are the native ancestors of the "Domestic Pigeon"; they retain the original plumage pattern and do not show any of the variety that you see in city streets. Black Guillemots also breed in various coastal cliff crevices. Unlike the other native members of the auk family, they do not form colonies, preferring an independent lifestlye.

Puffins Puffins nest on the islands that lie offshore from Bornaskitaig, but they don't normally come close enough to shore to be seen from land. The Puffin is a bird of the open ocean. If it didn't need some ground to breed on it would stay well away from land all its life, and even for breeding it chooses islands well offshore, lashed by Atlantic gales. The Puffins arrive in early May to lay their eggs; the young grow fat in their burrows while the parents fetch fish for them from the waters round about. When the time comes for the young to leave their burrows, their one concern is to avoid becoming instant prey for someone else. They leave at the darkest hour and are immediately head far out to sea. There they stay for two or three years until they feel the urge to breed in turn, and then they fly back hundreds of miles to see their birthplace by daylight for the first time.

There are boat trips from Uig which provide superb views of many inaccessible cliffs and islands together with their wildlife. Stretching south from Uig there are miles of cliffs, caves, crags and skerries, with not a modern building to be seen, you could be a hundred miles from civilization, and the views look much the same as they did a thousand years ago, though no doubt the ancestors of the Kittiwakes shown on the left found the fish a tad more plentiful than they are today. In calm weather these boat trips will include visits north from Uig to the islands where the Puffins are to be found. They will also take you to the Ascrib Islands, whose principal attraction is their Grey Seal colony but which have a number of nesting seabirds and also a colony of Greylag Geese (pictures below).

You can see plenty of Puffins in the water from the Uig-Tarbert ferry, between May and August. Even if you do not wish to visit the Western Isles, a "non-landing cruise" on the ferry, which can be had for little more than the single fare, is a must for the wildlife enthusiast. Choose as calm a day as possible for best viewing. As well as plenty of Gannets, Puffins, Razorbills (right), Guillemots, Manx Shearwaters and all the usual seabirds, you will be unfortunate if you don't spot some of the less common species such as skuas and petrels. These cruises are also good for cetaceans and seals; see the mammals page (coming soon) for more info.

Sea-watching from onshore will produce Black Guillemots (left) and Eiders without any trouble, and the three species of Diver, Great Northern, Black-throated and Red-throated, are liable to be seen at almost any time of year, though only the last-named breed here. If the fish are close inshore you will see the Gannets plunge-diving for them, and Razorbills and Guillemots can usually be made out in the distance.

On to part 4

To find out about the latest sightings, and to report your own, visit Wild Skye

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

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