Lapwings in Flight

Charadriiformes

Place: Goldcliff Lagoons, east of Newport, Gwent
Date: 3 August 2018.

Place: RSPB Loch Na Muilne, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 7 June 2019.

Place: West Viewing Platform, Ham Wall, Somerset Levels
Date: 23 February 2020.

[Vanellus vanellus, Family Charadriidae, Order Charadriiformes, Wikipedia Entry: Northern lapwing]

The sound of the lapwing (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Patrik Åberg)

Distribution and sightings of the lapwing across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Red-breasted Mergansers from Scotland

Anseriformes

Place: River Tummel, Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross, Scotland
Date: 6 June 2018.

Place: Montrose Basin Wildlife Trust, Angus, Scotland
Date: 20 June 2018.

Place: Ravenspoint, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 5 June 2019.

Place: Aird beach, South Uist, Outer Hebrides
Date: 19 June 2019.

[Mergus serrator, Family Anatidae, Order Anseriformes, Wikipedia Entry: Red-breasted merganser]

The sound of the red-breasted merganser (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Ruud van Beusekom)

Distribution and sightings of the red-breasted merganser across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Various Skylarks

Passeriformes #1

Place: Rocky coast west of Angle, Pembrokeshire
Date: 11 April 2019.

Place: Tiumpan Head, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 10 June 2019.

Place: RSPB Balranald, North Uist, Outer Hebrides
Date: 15 June 2019.

Place: Borgh, North Uist, Outer Hebrides
Date: 16 June 2019.

Place: Rest Bay, Porthcawl
Date: 25 July 2019.

[Alauda arvensis, Family Alaudidae, Order Passeriformes, Wikipedia Entry: Eurasian skylark]

The sound of the skylark (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Patrik Åberg)

Distribution and sightings of the skylark across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Hen Harrier

Accipitriformes

Place: Loch Druidbeag, South Uist, Outer Hebrides
Date: 17 June 2019.

[Circus cyaneus, Family Accipitridae, Order Accipitriformes, Wikipedia Entry: Hen harrier]

The sound of the hen harrier (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Romuald Mikusek)

Distribution and sightings of the hen harrier across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Hidden Corncrake Calling

Despite hearing the call of a corncrake on many occasions during my time in the Outer Hebrides, I never saw one. This is the closest I got – it can only have been a few yards away from the car, but still no cigar.

Gruiformes

Place: Scurrival Point, Barra, Outer Hebrides
Date: 21 June 2019.

[Crex crex, Family Rallidae, Order Gruiformes, Wikipedia Entry: Corn crake]

The sound of the corncrake (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Mathias Ritschard)

Distribution and sightings of the corncrake across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Twite

Passeriformes #3

Place: Tolsta, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 10 June 2019.

[Linaria flavirostris, Family Fringillidae, Order Passeriformes, Wikipedia Entry: Twite]

The sound of the twite (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Patrik Åberg)

Distribution and sightings of the twite across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Great Black-backed Gull

Charadriiformes

Place: Keyhaven, New Forest
Date: 11 April 2018.

Place: Noss, Shetland Islands
Date: 10 June 2018.

Place: Saundersfoot harbour, Pembrokeshire
Date: 9 April 2019.

Place: Stack Rocks near Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire
Date: 10 April 2019.

Place: Newlyn, Cornwall
Date: 21 April 2019.

Place: Pen Cristin, Bardsey Island, Gwynedd
Date: 19 May 2019.

Place: Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 7 June 2019.

Place: Kallin, South Uist, Outer Hebrides
Date: 19 June 2019.

Place: Mewslade Bay, Gower
Date: 17 July 2019.

[Larus marinus, Family Laridae, Order Charadriiformes, Wikipedia Entry: Great black-backed gull]

The sound of the great black-backed gull (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Stuart Fisher)

Distribution and sightings of the great black-backed gull across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Hooded Crows from Scotland

Passeriformes #1

Place: Kirkwall, Orkney Mainland
Date: 24 July 2017.

Place: Bunchrew, Beauly Firth
Date: 27 July 2017.

Place: RSPB Sumburgh, Shetland Mainland
Date: 9 June 2018.

Place: Noss, Shetland Islands
Date: 10 June 2018.

Place: Fort Charlotte, Lerwick, Shetland Mainland
Date: 10 June 2018.

Place: Lerwick, Shetland Mainland
Date: 11 June 2018.

Place: Arnol Blackhouse, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 6 June 2019.

Place: Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 7 June 2019.

Place: Gress, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 10 June 2019.

[Corvus cornix, Family Corvidae, Order Passeriformes, Wikipedia Entry: Hooded crow]

The sound of the hooded crow (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Andrew Harrop)

Distribution and sightings of the hooded crow across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

White-tailed Eagle

Accipitriformes

Place: Aline, Border of Isles of Lewis and Harris, Outer Hebrides
Date: 11 June 2019.

[Haliaeetus albicilla, Family Accipitridae, Order Accipitriformes, Wikipedia Entry: White-tailed eagle]

The sound of the white-tailed eagle (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Jarek Matusiak)

Distribution and sightings of the white-tailed eagle across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).

Common Sandpipers from the Outer Hebrides

Charadriiformes

Place: Bosta Iron Age village, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Date: 8 June 2019.

Place: Rhenigidale, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides
Date: 14 June 2019.

Place: Craigston, Barra, Outer Hebrides
Date: 21 June 2019.

[Actitis hypoleucos, Family Scolopacidae, Order Charadriiformes, Wikipedia Entry: Common sandpiper]

The sound of the common sandpiper (borrowed from the Xeno-Canto website, recordist Niels Krabbe)

Distribution and sightings of the common sandpiper across the British Isles (borrowed and modified from the Bird Atlas Mapstore).