24th

The first returning siskin of the spring was in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig at mid-day.

23rd

Whimbrel - Neist
April 2026

A total of 15 whimbrels went through Neist Point in the morning. One was hanging around on the end and the others, a group of 2 and a group of 12, went west towards North Uist. These are the first whimbrels of the spring in Glendale.

There was a greenshank on the shore at the seaward end of the Milovaig loop, early evening.

22nd

Distant off Neist Point in the morning: 1 minke whale, 6 Risso's dolphins and 12 common dolphins. Two harbour porpoise close in at the Point.

Puffins - Neist Point
April 2026

Manx Shearwater - Neist
April 2026

There were two puffins close to shore at Neist in the morning. Still around 20 manx shearwaters around the Point.

21st

There was a linnet on croft 2 Lephin at 8am.

The first two returning common sandpipers of the year were at Meanish at 6:30pm.

20th

There was a singing male blackcap in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig at 8:30am. The first of the spring.

A flock of 40 pink-footed geese went north over Neist Point at mid-day. The first twite of the spring was at Neist Point in the morning and there was a linnet there too.

19th

There was an otter fishing quite a way offshore in outer Loch Pooltiel a few hundred yards NW of Meanish at 6pm.

There was a single common dolphin, that did a full breach close to shore, and two harbour porpoises off Neist in the morning.

The first cuckoo of the year was on the top road in Lower Milovaig at 7:30am (Kathy Lindsley). A cuckoo was calling from Upper Milovaig, mid afternoon. The first linnet of the spring was on the bottom road in Lower Milovaig, mid afternoon.

There were three singing male willow warblers at Lephin, early morning.

There was a single puffin off Neist in the morning.

18th

There were three swallows feeding below the bottom road in Lower Milovaig and two willow warblers in MacDougall's Spruces, early evening.

17th

Second of the year, a swallow flew south below the bottom road in Lower Milovaig at 11:30am.

15th

The first swallow of the year was feeding at Hamara Parks at 7:30am.

13th

There first chiffchaff and willow warbler of the year were at Meanish, late morning.

12th

There were two pairs of red-breasted merganser feeding inshore at Leinish bay at midday (Kathy Lindsley).

10th

Barnacle Goose - Neist
April 2026

A lone barnacle goose flew a few loops around Neist Point before heading north.

9th

There was a big flock of Icelandic redwings in trees at 4 Lephin making a very loud wall of noise from singing, early morning.

8th

A flock of 26 whooper swans went north over Neist Point, late morning.

8 whooper swans flew north over the bottom road in Lower Milovaig at 6:30pm.

6th

A skein of 120 pink-footed geese went north over Lower Milovaig, late morning. There was a single pink-footed goose at the shore of the white beach, mid afternoon, that was associating with two mallards.

4th

There were four male wheatears below the bottom road in Upper Milovaig, early morning.

Manx Shearwater - Neist
April 2026

Whooper Swans - Neist
April 2026

Neist Point this am : 20 manx shearwaters, 55 pink-footed geese north, 17 + 7 whooper swans north, c.20 distant whooper swans resting on the sea, 7 wheatears (including 1 female and 2 singing males). Steady trickle of meadow pipits flying off Neist Point in ones and twos heading over to South Uist.

3rd

Greenshank - Lower Milovaig
April 2026

There was a greenshank on the skerries in Loch Pooltiel and a redshank on the white beach at Lower Milovaig, early evening. Wheatears are starting to return now with six males at five sites along the bottom road today, up from just one or two birds previously.

2nd

At Neist Point in the morning: first manx shearwater of the year north, 26+6 pink-footed geese north, 2 wheatears by the steps.

March

29th

There was a male wheatear at Lower Milovaig, the first away from the initial site in Upper Milovaig. They are still exceptionally scarce this spring. There was a small fall of migrants at Meanish including a white wagtail, two pied wagtails and 8 meadow pipits.

26th

There was a male wheatear at the bottom of the steps at Neist Point in the morning. They are exceptionally scarce this year and there have been no birds at Milovaig for the last two days, after having just one bird since the 21st.

20th

Wheatear - Milovaig
March 2026

Whooper Swans - Milovaig
March 2026

There are now two male wheatears, together, below the bottom road in Upper Milovaig. A flock of 40 whooper swans flew north over Lower Milovaig at mid-day.

19th

There was a harbour porpoise close to Pooltiel Fish Farm, mid afternoon.

The first wheatear was back this morning with a nice male below the bottom road in Upper Milovaig. The first pied wagtail of the spring, a male, was on the bottom road in Lower Milovaig, mid morning.

There was a pied wagtail at the foot of the steps at Neist and another at the tip of Neist that went over the sea towards South Uist. The first six meadow pipits of the spring were at Neist Point.

14th

There are still 17 whooper swans on Loch Mor at Waterstein. Skylarks were in full song at Neist Point car park for the first time this year.

A flock of 17 whooper swans flew north over Pooltiel Fish Farm at 5:20pm. Probably the Loch Mor birds continuing their journey to their breeding grounds in Greenland.

12th

There were two lesser black-backed gulls on the white beach at Lower Milovaig, early morning. Sightings have been very scarce so far this spring.

There were 17 whooper swans on Loch Mor, Waterstein, mid morning.

9th

There were 21 whooper swans roosting on the shoreline at Loch Mor, Waterstein, mid afternoon.

6th

There was a flock of 22 skylarks at the sheep fank at 6 Waterstein in the morning.

Lesser Black-Backed Gulls - Milovaig
March 2026

The first two returning lesser black-backed gulls of the spring were on the white beach at Lower Milovaig, mid afternoon.

5th

There was a redshank on the shore at Meanish, early afternoon.

February

28th

Skylarks are flooding back now with a flock of 9 on the bottom road in Lower Milovaig and a flock of 7 at Waterstein plus many singles around.

27th

There were five skylarks at Neist Point. A seawatch there produced many birds moving north: 4 whooper swans, hundreds of kittiwakes and auks, a steady trickle of gannets.

22nd

There was a skylark on the bottom road in Lower Milovaig, mid morning.

There was a skylark at Neist Point Lighthouse, late morning. A pair of ravens were very actively nest building on the Stallion's Head at Neist Point. There were c.150 fulmars back on the nesting ledges at Neist.

There was a skylark at Neist Point Lighthouse, late morning. A pair of ravens were very actively nest building on the Stallion's Head at Neist Point. There were c.150 fulmars back on the nesting ledges at Neist.

17th

There was a single jack snipe flushed at Neist Point at mid-day.

16th

The first returning skylarks were back today with two on the top road in Lower Milovaig.

9th

There were a pair of red-breasted mergansers off the white beach at Lower Milovaig all day.

8th

There was a big pod of 30+ common dolphins strung across the entire mouth of Loch Pooltiel, breaching and splashing, mid afternoon.

There were two drake goosanders off the white beach at Lower Milovaig, mid afternoon.

6th

There was a pod of c.20 common dolphins actively feeding off Neist Point in the morning.

There was a single puffin off Neist in the morning that had almost the full summer-colour beak.

January 2026

29th

A single common crossbill was calling in Orbost Forest, late morning.

White-Tailed Eagle - Orbost
January 2026

A juvenile white-tailed eagle at Bharcasaig Bay, Orbost was ringed: white-on-black, left, 79. Information from Justin Grant about the ring suggests that the bird is either G5/79 (Sleat, 2024) or G6/79 (Carbost, 2022) but most likely to be G5/79 due to the young age of the bird.

26th

There was a pod of c.20 common dolphins in Loch Pooltiel at 10:30am (Gilmour Dickson).

23rd

The oystercatchers have returned to Loch Pooltiel, with two occupied territories at Milovaig.

20th

There was a red grouse by the piping monument at Borreraig in the morning.

18th

The humpback whale was showing well off Galtrigill in the afternoon, with a full body breach (Alan Rigell). This animal is now confirmed as the same humpback that spent over a month in Loch Broom off Ullapool before departing there on Monday 12th and arriving in Loch Dunvegan on Friday 16th.

17th

Humpback - Galtrigill
January 2026

The humpback whale was still by Galtrigill Fish Farm, at 11am as viewed from Claigan (Seth Gibson). It was still there early afternoon (A&A Stables).

A small pod of 3-4 common dolphins went north past Neist Point, late morning.

Puffin - Neist Point
January 2026

The over-wintering whimbrel was calling from Moonen Bay side of Neist Point in the morning and there was a puffin in Moonen Bay at mid-day.

The snowdrops have come into bloom in the garden at 2 Lower Milovaig.

16th

A pod of c.12 common dolphins came into Loch Pooltiel as far as the big waterfall, with lots of breaching and splashing, before heading out past the fish farm.

A humpback whale was videoed breaching in Loch Dunvegan near Galtrigill at 2pm (per Claire Anderson).

15th

Six fulmars were back on the nesting ledges at Neist Point again today. There were a few groups of 4-5 common guillemots out on the water.

13th

At Loch Mor, Waterstein, in the morning: 18 little grebes, 8 goldeneye, 1 dipper, 1 redshank, 8 curlews.

12th

There was a drake goosander at the shore of the white beach at Lower Milovaig at mid-day.

8th

A pod of 12+ common dolphins were inside outer Loch Pooltiel, between Dunvegan Head and the big waterfall, mid afternoon.

7th

A small pod of common dolphins went south past Pooltiel Fish Farm, mid afternoon.

There was a flock of 8 song thrushes and 4 redwings at Neist Point. The redwings and thrushes were of the darker Icelandic variety.

4th

There was a flock of 8 fieldfares above the bottom road on crofts 1 Upper & 1 Lower Milovaig at mid-day. There was a single meadow pipit at the seaward end of the Milovaig loop.