Birds of the Lochcarron Area - March 2003

Village gardens, fields and woodlands.
So many people feed birds in Lochcarron that there is a good variety coming to the tables. Chaffinches seem to head the list in numbers, closely followed by House Sparrows. Great Blue and Coal Tits, Greenfinches, and very recently Goldfinches, are also there. Siskins come to the tables more often in late winter and spring and can be seen in the spring bringing their families to be fed. During the winter, Blackbird numbers are greatly increased by the arrival of Continental birds, with their dark bills and browner colouring. Song, and Mistle Thrushes, are nothing like so numerous, but a few are here all year round.Fieldfares and Redwings arrive in October and groups can be seen all through the winter.

When all the croft fields were worked, Yellowhammers were numerous, but now it is lucky if you see just a few, and those are more to the West end of the village.
So much bird watching depends on luck. A glimps of a Warbler or a catch of its song may be all there is, but Garden,Willow, Chaffinch, Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers have all been seen or heard here, with only the Willow and Sedge staying to breed on the North side of the Loch. Robins Dunnocks and Wrens are everywhere! Swallows, Housemartins and Sandmartins all breed in the area, but are not numerous. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are in some of the woodland areas, in small numbers as are Woodcocks and Tawny Owls.

Hills and Moorlands.
Ravens are one of our regular hill birds, and there is also an exciting list of raptors :- The Golden Eagle, Buzzard, Peregrine Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel and Merlin. Again it is a matter of luck if you see one of these ! Cuckoos arrive in the spring to predate on the ubiquitous Meadow Pipit. The Ring Ouzel is another spring arrival, along with the Wheatear and Whinchat. The Stonechat and Twite are here all year, the Twite flocking in Winter, and often seen at low levels, or even on the shore, and moving in Spring to the hillsides to breed. In long snowy winters, we may see Snowbuntings at lower levels , but they are more usually on the tops, along with Ptarmigans and Red Grouse. Snipe may also be found in some of the boggy areas on the hill sides.

Coast
Lochcarron has a very extensive shoreline so is an interesting area for wintering waders and ducks. Wigeon and Golden Eye are our winter duck visitors, and over the hill on the shores of Loch Kishorn, there are Teal. Wader numbers increase in winter, with Oyster Catcherss heading the list. From the few who try to breed on the shoreline the numbers go up to between 200 - 300 in the winter. there are also small flocks of Ringed Plover and Turnstones, and a small number of Redshank and Curlew, and when the waders are moving, to and from their breeding areas, we may be lucky enough to see Durnlin, Greenshank Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Golden Plover and Spotted Redshank.
In summer months, Mallard, Red-Breasted Mergansers and Eiders breed round the shore, as do Oystercatchers, Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper.
There are Great Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls and Cormornats here all year. In the breeding season, Black Throated Divers come to feed in the Loch. Grey Geese are here all year and in the Winter they may be joined by one or two Pink - Footed Geese.
These are some of the birds of the Lochcarron Area, but you never know what may appear !