Bonaparte's Gull

14th March 2024

Bonaparte's Gull is a North American species and a rare vagrant to Scotland. It is smaller than a Black-headed Gull and the image below shows an interesting size and plumage contrast. Neil Bennett regularly checks the gull flocks at Loch Portree and on 27th October was rewarded by finding an adult Bonaparte's Gull. The bird was fairly elusive but was seen again on 29th, and distantly by RMcM on the 30th. A description was submitted and the record was accepted by BBRC. This is the first record for the area and brings the Skye 'List' to 270!

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