Highlands and Islands 2022

Details of our annual trip to the Hebrides, visiting Mull, Loch Broom, Lewis, Harris,North Uist and Kilmartin.


Our first stop was Connel Ferry and this is our view from Falls of Lora room.
Hi tech Shower room Falls of Lora Hotel.
We stayed three nights and toured part of Argyl we often miss. Goosander and ducklings.
And an unexpected sighting of Black-throated Divers.
Canada Geese.
Mute Swan

Over to Mull and a must see are the White-tailed Eagles.
Loch na Keale site. Just a few hundred yards from our cottage.
A fly by. Massive bird.
Otters too at the same place.
Great Northern Divers in the loch.
In full summer plumage too.

Common Sandpipers.
Upstairs lounge at Gruline cottage..
Quite spacious.
The bedroom was on the ground floor.
As was the bathroom.
Fallow Deer in the woods.

Red-breasted Merganser. Loch na Keale.
Common Buzzard. Gruline.
The WT Eagles pose in pairs.
Northern Wheatear.
Goosander female. Loch na Keale.
Common Sandpipers.

Eurasian Cuckoo.
Courtyard Cottage, Gruline .
Flypast. Greylags and Canada geese.
Rainbow at Loch na Keale.
We found an otter just waking up.
He was on a rock ready to get breakfast.

Morning ritual.


Red-breasted Merganser.
Another White-tailed Eagle. Who can resist another pose?
Rock Pipit.

Next moring the Otter was on the same rock.
Song Thrush.
Dipper by the Gruline bridge.
European Cuckoo, Loch n Ba, Gruline.
Northern Wheatear. Male.
Common Sheldduck.

Spot the Golden Eagle. Juv.
The best we got this year as the main nest had failed..
Willow Warbler. Loch na Keale.

Red-breasted Merganser. male.
Common Buzzard. Gruline.

The Wee Barn. We have re-located up to Little Loch Broom.
Our bed for the next seven nights.
Dining area. We never lit the fire.
Small settee. We never switched on the TV either.
Kitchen and hall.
The view from Wee Barn to Little Loch Broom to The Minch.

Chiff chaff. Laide wood.

Spotted Flycatcher. Laide Wood.
We are here. This is about 8 miles from Wee Barn.
Loch Ewe where Russian convoys assembled in WW2.
Pair of Teal in Laide Wood.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Laide wood.
Calmac's 'Seaforth' heading in to Ullapool.
Meadow Pipit.
Seaforth again.
We find a pair of Red-throated Divers on Loch Beiste.
This completes our trio of Divers for this trip.

Four-spotted Chaser. Laide wood.
Cuckoo. a regular at Wee Barn.
Robin. Wee Barn.
Wild Goats. Gruinard.
It is said that the goats are feral descendants from domestic stock.
A dull day as we depart Ullapool for Stornaway on Lewis.

We are now in Grabhiir on Lewis for seven nights.
Comfortable lounge.
Well appointed Kitchen.
Snug bedroom.
Roomy bathroom.
Large conservatory where we ate most meals.

The cottage was called Sealoch but we don't know why.
Our neighbours.
Otter up at Loch Stiapabhat reserve.
Northern Fuilmars nesting at Ness, at the tip of Lewis.
Rock Doves. The ancestor of the domestic pigeon.
Our neighbours call most days.

Common Sandpiper.
Within an hour of arriving on North Uist we see Red-necked Phalaropes.
Gadwall. on the loch at Hosta where we stay in Lochside once again.
Swallows are nesting in the eaves. Lochside.
Our first Short-eared Owl welcomes us home to North Uist.
Tufted Duck (drake) at Lochside.

Seen from our kitchen window.
Short-eared Owl. Committee road, North Uist.
Dunlin. Borve machair, Berneray.
Great Northern Diver. Bagh a Chaise. (Cheese Bay.)
Twite. Bagh a Chaise.
Twite

Possible Short-toed Lark?
Sanderling. Hosta.
Common Kestrel. St.Kilda viewpoint road.
Not particularly 'common' in the Hebrides.
Hen Harrier. Hosta.
Common Snipe. Post sitting lookout.

Red-necked Phalarope breed here.
Please indulge me with a few portraits.
If you sit quiet they will display for the camera.
This is the female. The male is incubating.








One target bird had eluded me until the last day.
The Corncrake. Got one near Hosta.
Red-throated Diver on our final drive to the Ferry to Skye.
We are heading for Uig on Skye for our drive to Kilmartin in Argyll.
Henge at Dunchraigaig opposite our B&B
Regular visitors at Dunchraigaig B&B.

They tolerate the dniing room window being open.
Just don't make a noise.

Catalina PBY overflying.
Field Vole steal the Pine Martens food.
Just across the road we see this lovely Roe and her twins.

Who goes there?
Common Whitethroat. Knapdale.
A belated view of our B&B bed.
Red Squirrels come to the feeder too.
Posing.
Greater Spotted Woodpecker too.

Woodmouse taking the Martens left overs.
Really cute. All at Dunchraigaig B&B.
Now our trip is at an end and we drive down to Heysham.