Friday 19th June 2026: Scotland mainland birding

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 It was a damp morning when we woke, so we abandoned the idea of a pre-breakfast walk, but enjoyed watching screaming Swifts and House Martins disappearing into the eaves of our hotel.

Our first stop of the day was at Broomhill Bridge, where a large colony of Sand Martins filled the skies, skimming over the river chasing insects, and busily back and forth to nest holes in the sandy bank. A Dipper with a mouthful of food sat bobbing on a small boulder, and a Common Sandpiper peeped across and settled on a large rock. A pair of Curlew called then flew overhead and a couple of Oystercatchers were in the field. 

We continued on to Garbole in the Findhorn Valley, stopping beside a stand of larches overlooking a shallow, rocky brook, with green fields and hills fading to the distance. We were now acclimatising to the sightings of Oystercatchers away from the coast, and Curlew were again found here. Around twenty Lapwings wheeled above a field of sheep and a Redshank posed atop a post at the field edge.

Several Red Kites drifted overhead, causing consternation amongst the Oystercatchers and Common Gulls, who noisily mobbed them till they had been chased safely away. A passing Sparrowhawk produced a similar reaction.

Our next stop was at a rather choppy Loch Ruthven where we scanned from the beach in vain for Slavonian Grebes, finding only Little Grebes and a Mallard. We moved on to the hide, but had no more luck there, although a Little Grebe showed rather better than from the beach. We walked back to the bus for lunch, then decided to give it one more go. Approaching the beach again, a Reed Bunting and baby Robin were found, and eventually our guide spotted a very distant Slavonian Grebe. It took a while for us all to get onto it - as is typical of grebes it was diving frequently, but eventually we all managed a trip tick. However, it was somewhat disappointing not to get closer views, as the summer plumage is really quite spectacular.

As we returned along the track back to the vehicle, with a sudden spell of brighter weather, several Stonechats and Meadow Pipits were displaying and our first Hooded Crow of the trip sat on a rocky outcrop. Sand Martins swirled above, with one alighting on the fence nearby.

Hooded Crow

Sand Martin

We passed through some stunning scenery and iconic locations, including Ben Nevis, albeit the top swathed in cloud, and Loch Ness, before our final birding stop at Loch Eil. Here a gaggle of Canada Geese immediately caught our eye, and plenty of Herring Gulls loafed around the margins of the loch. Of course there were Oystercatchers here too, foraging on the seaweed, and a couple of Common Sandpipers, with one resting on a large rock for several minutes. A Shag swam in the middle of the loch, and several Grey Heron were fishing at the water’s edge. On the far side of the river we could just make out a Greenshank which was heard calling.

It was just a short drive from here along the coast overlooking small rocky islets, before we arrived at our hotel in Mallaig, where from the bedroom window we added Great Black-backed Gull and Starling to our tally for the day.

Loch Ruthven

Loch Ruthven

Mallaig


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