Birdlife in the Hebrides

Birdlife in the Hebrides

Gannets These large seabirds are distinctive by their white feathers and their distinctive dive-bombing techniques for catching their staple diet of fish.

Oystercatchers Often found in large flocks, these brightly coloured shorebirds are a common sight around the coasts of the Western Isles, their distinctive call a normal sound by the sea.

Corncrakes The corncrake breeds in cornfields, wet meadows and marshes and fields. More efficient agriculture has had a very drastic negative effect on the corncrake - from being a common bird in the UK, it has become rare. The Hebrides are one of the last British habitats of the corncrake. They generally arrive here in May and winter in central Africa.

Cormorants These large, black and white seabirds frequent the wilder coasts and cliffs of the islands. They nest in inaccessible places, such as stacks and cliffs, and often go far out to sea to feed on shoals of fish close to the surface.

Golden Eagle This magnificent bird can sometimes be seen in the moors of Lewis and Harris, and also in the Uists. There are 80 breeding pairs in the islands. Buzzards, much more common birds of prey, are often mistaken for Golden Eagles. It is often that tourists ecstatically claim to have seen a Golden Eagle perched on a telegraph pole, only to be gently let down by the surety that it was, in fact, just another buzzard.

Puffins These comical, brightly hued birds inhabit many of the outer, uninhabited islands. Living in large colonies, these strange birds live in underground burrows. They are poor flyers, but swim well. In the winter, they lose their coloured beaks, but grow new colours for the spring. They have little fear of man, and can be safely approached.

Kittiwakes These seabirds nest in cliffs and rocks, and fish out to sea. They are raucous creatures, and have the nasty habit of emptying their stomach contents over anyone who comes too close to their nest. Avoid.

Skylark These small, sparrow-sized birds have a loud and beautiful song in the moors all summer. They fly upwards as they sing, until they are a speck against the blue, and then drop to the ground and start again. The birdsong is a constant background to life in the moor. They nest in the open moorland.

Read more about the Birds of the Hebrides