28.08 – 05.09.20 - WVBS Trip to the Western Isles

9 club members and 2 leaders (Ashley Saunders and Nick Parsons) from Oriole Birding, enjoyed a very successful trip to the Western Isles of Scotland earlier in the month – a great week of wonderful birds, scenery and each other’s company. Ashley’s excellent trip report is included as a separate attachment along with this month’s newsletter for anyone that would like to read a full account of the trip, but here I have recorded a few “favourite moments” plus some photographs, to provide a flavour of what we experienced. All of us would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Keith for organising this, and to Ashley and Nick for their excellent leadership and birding skills

Some favourite moments:-

• The Dippers at Stornoway
• The juvenile Cuckoo, of course!
• The interaction between a Golden Eagle and a Short-eared Owl
• Finding and identifying Storm Petrels
• The juvenile Ruff at the Butt of Lewis that was so tired and hungry (having presumably just made
landfall) that it took no notice of us
• A fall of Greenland race Northern Wheatears
• Fabulous scenery and the best food ever on a birding trip
• The easy company of fellow WVBS members
• Watching small waders feeding at the edge of the advancing tide in an estuary: The Dunlin were
taking and swallowing tiny invertebrates from the surface of the sand, whilst Curlew Sandpipers
took long red worms which they carried over to the water to wash, before swallowing them
• The moment when a man in a furry hat and shorts, displaying indecently thin legs, waved a
mobile phone at us, and asked a bus load of old people, which school we were from!
• The excitement of nearly getting arrested (You will have to ask individual members of the team if
you want details – as far as I am concerned, what goes on tour, stays on tour…..Ed)