Wildlife from Croft Cottage
A summary of Hebridean wildlife can be found at www.wildlifehebrides.com and daily updates of sightings at www.thewesternisles.co.uk.
This report was written by guests who stayed at Croft Cottage in June 09:
- Harris and wildlife seem synonymous and wherever we went we have been privileged to encounter an amazing variety of birds and mammals. We have spend long days tramping the hills and have walked many miles but have hardly encountered any other human beings. Wherever we have been, however, we have seen mountain hares, golden plovers and have watched golden eagles soaring overhead on Tiorga Mor, Teilesbhal, Ceapabhal, Beinn Mhor and the Uig hills. At times we have felt almost surrounded by herds of red deer watching us from the hillsides. We have also been lucky to not only hear but see two pairs of cuckoos being chased along the glens by smaller birds. We were thrilled to spot a pair of black-throated divers near Grabhair in the Pairc region and again, only a few miles away on Loch Sealg, to encounter a pair of red-throated divers. We watched an otter swim back and forth across the bay outside Croft Cottage. Whilst walking near Toe Head, we unwittingly disturbed an otter in a stream and watched it amazement as it ran away from us and made its way into the sea. Even more astonishing was the otter that suddenly appeared in the glen below us while we were on the Harris Walkway near Stocinis. We watched in disbelief as it sauntered down the glen apparently completely oblivious to our presence. Whilst walking on the sands near the dunes at Seilbost we inadvertently wandered through a colony of common terns and saw at least four nests with two eggs in each. On a trip to the Shiant Isles we encountered numerous birds including puffins and were extremely lucky to see a Minke whale. There is no doubt, however, that our most exciting and privileged experience was spotting a pair of white-tailed eagles. Our pleasure and astonishment was increased when we saw where they had built their nest and it was possible to see that it contained an enormous white, fluffy chick. There is no doubt that our trip to Harris has again been an extremely pleasurable and memorable experience.
Recorded wildlife sightings from Croft Cottage have included the following:
- porpoises
- otters
- seals
- dolphins
- buzzard
- merlin
- black throated diver
- razorbill
- sea eagle
- gannets
- oyster catchers
- shags
- guillemots
- heron
- red breasted mergansers
- stonechat
- rock pipits
- redwings
- wheatears
- skylarks
- curlews
and numerous common sea and garden birds.
Further afield in Harris guests have observed the following:
- red deer
- mountain hares
- eagles
- great skuas
- fulmars
- ravens
- puffins
- tufted ducks
- shell ducks
- eider ducks
- red shanks
- green shanks
- greylag geese
- golden plovers
- lapwings
- whooper swans
- St Kilda wren
- sandpiper
- pied wagtail
- great yellow bumble bee
- basking shark
Here is a selection of guest's comments on their wildlife experiences:
- '… Amused by the puffins as they scurried to get out of our way … privileged to be dive-bombed by great-skuas … amazed by the sight of 100s of gannets circling overhead …'
These comments relate to a day's visit to St. Kilda. - 'Delighted to see at least half a dozen mountain hares bounding across the hillside …'
- 'Thrilled to see 3 golden eagles circling overhead …'
- '3 otters below house, playing ashore and in the sea'
- 'Spat at by incubating fulmar. Not a bird-watching holiday.'
Guests have enjoyed collecting and eating cockles and mussels from nearby shores and beaches as well as fishing for trout in the freshwater lochs nearby.
