Loch Ness 24th May 2026

A sad start to the day with hearing about the passing of John F Cooper, a birding legend and the finder of countless Sussex firsts, mostly at Beachy Head, where I first met him in 2005. His last mega find here being the 2015 Short-toed Treecreeper, which was unfortunately one of the final times I saw him out in the field. My thoughts are with Doreen, David, Brenda, and the rest of family.

This afternoon, news of a White-billed Diver on Loch Ness had us rushing down to Fort Augustus where thankfully Emily spotted it hugging the eastern shoreline. Patience proved vital as the bird did eventually come closer. A dark-phase Arctic Skua was a very odd sighting here too!

a rather poor image of the White-billed Diver

Beachy Head 15th May 2026

It's always nice when a commitment down in Sussex coincides with a county tick, in this case, my first Subalpine Warbler of any sort. Thankfully, this was a male and easily identifiable as an Eastern! The last twitchable Subalpine Warbler I believe was at Pagham Harbour, an autumn female-type on the peninsular somewhere, maybe 2006 or 07. Probably a good job I didn't bother with this as it wouldn't be down to species status nowadays. 

an awful phone-bin shot
of the male Eastern Subalpine Warbler

Rubha Reidh 12th May 2026

Having kept a close eye on the looming weather fronts and NW winds approaching the Northwest corner of Scotland, it felt like a safe bet to venture that way in the hope of witnessing the annual Long-tailed Skua movement. 

Now, North Uist is and always will be the best place to see them, in excellent numbers and close range, but the best I could summon on mainland was one of my favourites. Rubha Reidh Lighthouse to the north of Gairloch juts out enough to warrant a seawatch. With squally showers predicted from mid-afternoon onwards, it felt like a perfect 'storm'.

Despite my morning session proving fruitless with just a single Pomarine Skua north, reports of Long-taileds from Uist and further north of mainland Scotland gave me hope, and with showers forming out to sea from 2pm, I finally latched onto my first flock, comprising nine birds. Although distant, absolutely unmistakable. 

Over the course of the next three hours, a total of 70 Long-tailed Skuas flew north, including a superb flock of nine that were relatively close in. It is thought most of these birds would have missed Skye altogether, and instead come through the Sound of Harris, as Skye reported no birds yesterday, but I'm unsure whether anyone was actively searching for them. The close group of nine presumably did come up the western peninsula of Skye?

Once the showers stopped, passage ceased abruptly. 

Totals 0945 - 1745

Long-tailed Skua- 70 (groups of 9, 13, 3,9,11,15,10)
Pomarine Skua - 14
Arctic Skua - 14
Great Skua - 3
Skua sp. - 7
Manx Shearwater - 10
Puffin - 8

Recent Highland Goodies

Although it's so far been a fairly quiet spring in Highland, and no doubt the best is still to come, it's been a good start. 

This morning, I went to see a singing male Woodchat Shrike at Brora. Found last night, I was half expecting at least someone to be present in the hour I was watching it, alas, it was just me. A stunning bird! Afterwards a brief seawatch off Lothbeg Point produced my first 'Highland' Little Terns, with four passing south. 

Last week, and only five minutes from home, a female Ring-necked Duck spent a few days on Loch Laide along with some fine summer-plumaged Slavonian Grebes.

A Little Ringed Plover was another good bird, this being at Udale Bay which spent at least two weeks here.

Other than these, it's been great to see Pied Flycatchers, Wood Warblers, stacks of Grasshopper Warblers, Cuckoos and Tree Pipits.

Woodchat Shrike at Brora

female Ring-necked Duck on Loch Laide