Isle of Skye

When I started birdwatching on Skye in 1999 it was extremely difficult to access local information.  This led to me doing research and speaking to many people, including the late Andrew Currie and many others, which eventually provided the foundation for the publication of the 1^st edition of Skye Birds which would act as a baseline for local bird recording.  It was also helped by establishing a website www.skye-birds.com, so that information could be shared.  This was the creation of my son who worked in web development.  Some 18 years on we have just launched the 3^rd version, again developed by my son Colin, with design by my daughter-in law Fiona, so very much a family affair.  I’m at an age where wrestling with technology does not come naturally, but the site is designed to be largely idiot proof, where I can keep everything updated, and at the moment I’m just coping!  In the last 18 years some 20,000+ bird records have been submitted by locals and visitors.  All of these contribute towards the annual Highland Bird Report, and are submitted to a national ‘Birdtrack’ system.  Whilst the website is mainly Skye and Lochalsh, we publish records from the Small Isles and nearby Lochaber, as well as South-West Ross-shire.  There are an increasing number of local observers, and we are always happy to help with some of the more unusual observations and assist with identification queries.  We also try hard to avoid publishing information which may lead to disturbance of rare species.  There is an extensive Gallery on the website, as photography has become an essential component of modern birding.  The website is entirely non-commercial, free to all, and we hope you enjoy the new design.  All records in the archive are fully searchable, and the design is phone compatible.