Glossy Ibis on Eigg

03rd March 2012

When Glossy Ibis turned up in the Laig area of Eigg on January 20 it was a significant surprise to locals as well as to the wider birdwatching community. A single bird would have been interesting enough let alone a group which peaked at 7, but which remained at around 5 until they disappeared a couple of days ago on the 1st March. Normally this species would be spending the winter in the south of Europe so their arrival was a bit of a surprise. Winter records in Scotland are scarce and this is certainly the largest group recorded in winter. A single bird was on Tiree on 21st February 1901. The only other local record was one shot in Skye in November 1911 and records were much more frequent prior to 1950 than since. The largest group involved 20 birds in Orkney in 1907 and it appears that this is the largest group recorded in Scotland since. It was a real bonus for John Chester on Eigg and all the locals and my thanks to Brian Gardner for the use of his image. I visited Eigg on 2nd March to try and see the birds but my reputation obviously went before me and they decided to leave!

Bob

THE BOOK

"A glorious little gem"

AMAZON

"A book such as this has to look backwards and the author does so succinctly, looking at the work of several of the pioneering naturalists before picking out the publications of JA Harvie-Brown and the Rev. Hugh Macpherson. I know this book fills a real gap in the information available for the Isle of Skye and it will surely sell well at local bookshops."

Andrew Currie Miscellany West Highland Free Press

"A total of 238 species have been recorded, with 14 of those 'red listed' as of high conservation concern ... another innovation has been the inclusion of Gaelic names for some birds. While this is not uncommon in a few other books, the addition of some regional Gaelic names is very unusual and very welcome."

Ray Collier Country Diary 'Up in the Skye' The Guardian

"Illustrated with beautiful photographs of current birdlife on the island, the publication also features sketches by Jean Thomas of The Little Gallery, Portnalong, stimulating the reader's interest further and allowing them to identify species they encounter on Skye."

The Hebridean