Autumn in the Highlands 2024

Mark Finn
September 7-14 2024

This was the first of our autumn tours based at Cygnus House on the Black Isle. The week was dominated by unusual wet and windy conditions which resulted in a checklist which contained several rare species and a few commoner birds were not present at all. Highlights included a superb short seawatch at Dunnet Bay in Caithness which resulted in close views of Leach’s and European Storm Petrels, Manx Shearwaters and other sea going species. Passerines were generally thin on the ground although an immature Woodchat Shrike was watched west of Gairloch.

September 7th: Udale Bay, Cromarty Firth, Chanonry Point
Daily 56 New 56 Running 56
Weather: Early fog giving way to sunny spells on a NE wind 14c

The first day is always a little haphazard with clients arriving at different times, we were on this occasion ready to go at midday with the first visit to Udale Bay which is on our doorstep. One of the first birds observed was a first winter Peregrine Falcon perched on a muddy mound which gave us extended views. Also present were the first Pink-footed and Greylag Geese of the autumn plus Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Grey Heron and Red-breasted Mergansers. Towards Cromarty a stop at the lay-by added large numbers of Common Eiders, Greater Scaup, Horned Grebe and a family of Mute Swans. Due to the winds I thought Chanonry Point may be worth visiting and to my surprise we quickly located a juvenile Pomarine Skua and four Arctic Skuas chasing terns and gulls. Also present were Northern Gannet in various guises, Sandwich and Common Terns, Razorbill, Ruddy Turnstone and Pied Wagtail.
Mammals: Roe Deer (1), North Atlantic Grey Seal (2)

September 8th: Achanalt, Kinlochewe, Gairloch, Loch Ewe, Laide, Mellon Udrigle
Daily 56 New 23 Running 79
Weather: Misty with low cloud and rain showers on a N wind 11c

Today I headed into Wester Ross a huge and sparsely populated area. The usual garden birds were around plus a passing Red Kite and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk menacing the local sparrow population. The first stop was Achanalt where a juvenile White-tailed Eagle was perched in a birch tree, it flew off and perched on the hillside for extended views. A brief stop at Kinlochewe added the Hebridean race of Dunnock, Eurasian Wren, Common Chaffinch and a few late House Martins. Gairloch is on the west coast and dominated by a sea loch of the same name. This offered us Red-throated Loons, Arctic Tern and Northern Ravens but little else which was rather odd. I then went on the road towards Melvich which was very quiet until we stumbled across another birder watching a juvenile Woodchat Shrike. Loch Ewe was next on our agenda with the road having several pairs of Common Stonechat, and on the beach Arctic Tern, Common Gull and Ringed Plover. The highlight was a flock of Black-throated Loons some in summer plumage a great site to see. Laide Jetty is protected from the winds and thus enabled us to locate Black and Common Guillemots, Black-legged Kittiwake and Northern Gannet. Our final spot at Mellon Udrigle added a winter-plumaged Common Loon, five juvenile Sanderlings, two Whimbrel which were unexpected and on the way out a recently arrived female Merlin perched on a grass mound.
Mammals: Pine Marten (1)

September 9th: Ness Islands, Easter Dalziel, Nairn, Roseisle, Burghead, Lossiemouth, Loch Spynie, Lossie Pig Farms
Daily 67 New 16 Running 95
Weather: Rather mixed with a SW wind 12c

The first stop was Ness Islands in Inverness although the high water levels did not help our cause. A walk through the old trees quickly added Coal, Great and Blue Tits, Goldcrest and Eurasian Treecreepers and on the river Common Mergansers. A stop at the degraded farmland at Easter Dalziel had Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer and parties of migrant Barn Swallows. Nairn is further east and on the arrival the tide was low allowing us to scan the wader flocks and resting gulls and terns. On the tidal edge Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank and an assortment of gulls mainly European Herring and Common. A sandbar proved to be productive for a pair of Little Terns changing into winter plumage, Sandwich and Arctic Terns. The forest and Roseisle was very quiet so I pressed on to the rocky foreshore at Burghead. On arrival we located a few Dunlin and Sanderling, European Shag and offshore plenty of Northern Gannets. Lossiemouth was also quiet so I headed to Loch Spynie where the loch is flanked by reedbeds and woodland. On the loch we had sightings of Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Gadwall and Common Coot. A Common Snipe was seen dropping down into the reeds. The pig farms on the edge of town held Lesser Black-backed Gulls a scarce migrant in autumn.
Mammals: NA Grey Seal (10), Pine Marten (1), Common Otter (3), Basking Shark (4), Common Rabbit (1)

September 10th: Skirza, St John’s Loch, Dunnet Bay, Scrabster, Broubster Leans
Daily 57 New 4 Running 99
Weather: Rain showers on a NWN wind 11c

A truly dreadful day weather-wise lay ahead for the group today as we explored the NW county of Caithness. The commoner birds were seen en route to Skirza a small hamlet near John O’Groats. In the gardens we located Common Linnet, Meadow Pipit and in the bay Northern Gannet, Northern Fulmar and Rock Dove. The weather was playing havoc with my plans and at Ham we managed to find Common Moorhen, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Wigeon and a rather bedraggled Common Buzzard. Our luck however was about to change at Dunnet Bay where the onshore winds were driving seabirds into the bay. The consequences of this unique weather were very close views of Leach’s and European Storm Petrels, Manx Shearwater and Northern Gannets. On the shore the group found Sanderling, Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone and Common Redshank.  Scrabster Harbour attracted Black and Common Guillemots and Common Eiders. Our final stop was at Broubster Leans where a male Hen Harrier hunted over the marsh.

September 11th: Grantown-on-Spey, Cromdale, Loch Garten, Cairngorm, Loch Morlich, Findhorn Valley, Farr Road
Daily 42 New 5 Running 104
Weather: Rather mixed with a W wind 12c

Our initial exploration of the moorland area around Grantown added little of note apart from a single Mistle Thrush. The water levels at Cromdale were high so it was Loch Garten next. The path towards the information centre was good for mixed flock species with Great, Blue, Coal and Crested tits and Eurasian Treecreepers. Cairngorm and Loch Morlich were visited without too much going on apart from female Common Goldeneyes on Loch Morlich. The Findhorn Valley was productive for Red Kite, Common Buzzard and a single Golden Eagle. On the Farr Road we had exceptionally close views of a juvenile White-tailed Eagle which brightened up an otherwise testing day.
Mammals: Common Rabbit

September 12th: Corrimony, Novar Estate, Portmahomack, Tarbatness, Tain, Embo, Loch Fleet
Daily 65 New 6 Running 110
Weather: Mixed with sunny spells and showers on a SW wind 13c

Corrimony was our first destination today. On the way brief views of a Western Barn Owl perched on a roadside fencepost. Alex the new warden was waiting for us in the car park and we proceeded to the first lek in murky conditions. It took a while to locate Black Grouse but good views were obtained eventually. Breakfast was taken in Alness followed by a walk around the Novar Estate. In the taller native pines we caught up with a party of Scottish Crossbills giving their distinctive calls, good views obtained of this controversial species. I then went to Portmahomack and scanned the Dornoch Firth with sightings of Red-throated Loon, Common Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser. Tarbatness is close by where the car park had Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Linnet and European Goldfinch. A walk towards the plantation added late House Martins and a party of Twite feeding in the grasses. The tide was fairly high when we reached Tain with its hundreds of wildfowl and waders. Careful scanning of the duck flocks revealed Northern Shoveler among the many Eurasian Teal and Eurasian Wigeon. I ended the day at Embo and Loch Fleet with sightings of Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot, Sanderling, Ringed Plover and European Rock Pipit.
Mammals: NA Grey Seal (3), Red Deer (c), Sika Deer (c), Weasel (1)

September 13th: Udale Bay, Cromarty Firth, South Sutor, Alturlie, Ness Islands, Merkinch, Strathconon
Daily 59 New 6 Final 118 (adjusted)
Weather: Sunny with SW winds 12c

I decided to stay locally on the final day with a visit to the hide at Udale Bay. Similar birds to a few days ago with the addition of a recently arrived Barnacle Goose. In the Cromarty Firth we noticed an upsurge in the numbers of Horned Grebe and Greater Scaup. A visit to South Sutor was eventful apart from a pair of Eurasian Bullfinch. Alturlie is close to Inverness where a distant party of Whooper Swans was seen. Ness Islands remained devoid of our target species so a visit to Merkinch was in order. A walk along the path towards the lagoon which held substantial numbers of Common Redshank and a Water Rail calling from nearby reedbeds. Our tour ended at Strathconon with great views of a Golden Eagle being mobbed by Northern Ravens a fitting finale to the trip.