Ardnamurchan Adventures 20th - 27th May 2019 (Part 1)

Look who came to tea! Pine Martin

This was our first real holiday in four years with a week spent around the most westerly part of the United Kingdom, the very wild Ardnamurchan Peninsula, wild Scotland in spring! The week was organised by Naturetrek (HERE) and perfectly led by Neil M and Matthew C with accommodation at the Ardnamurchan Bunkhouse (HERE). Looking after our dietary needs was chef Alan, with fantastic and plentiful meals. The group participants numbered 14 and were great to be with.

En-route to the bunkhouse, the tour got off to a great start with sightings, albeit distant, of the American Black Duck on Loch Sunart at Strontian. This bird is the only one in Europe and has been in residence for c13 years, mating with the local Mallards!

American Black Duck

After our late (ish) evening meal, a local and regular Pine Martin visited us for tea!

SIGHTINGS for the week! 

Mammals  Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Pine Martin, Wood Mouse, Otter, Bottle Nosed Dolphin, Common Seal, Fallow Deer, Pere David's Deer, Porpoise.

Butterflies Green Veined White, Small White, Orange Tip, Chequered Skipper.

Birds  Magpie, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Wood Pigeon, Rook, Feral Pigeon, LBB Gull, Herring Gull, Robin, Chaffinch, Swallow, House Martin, Great Tit, (Hybrid) Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Buzzard, Swift, Collared Dove, Hooded Crow, Common Gull, Grey Heron, Song Thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Siskin, Chiffchaff, Black Guillemot, Eider, Oystercatcher, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Golden Plover, Mallard, Red Breasted Merganser, Common Sandpiper, American Black Duck, Blue Tit, Mistle Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Wren, Greenshank, Blackcap, Common Tern, Dunnock, Coal Tit, Cuckoo, Wood Warbler, Lesser Redpoll, Raven, Golden Eagle, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, White Tailed Eagle, Great Northern Diver, Kittiwake, Curlew, Wheatear, Linnet, Sand Martin, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Common Whitethroat, Whinchat, Skylark, Manx Shearwater, Guillemot, GBB Gull, Yellowhammer, Goldfinch, Starling, Snipe, Rock Dove, Gannet, Shag, Cormorant, Tree Pipit, Grasshopper Warbler, Jay, Common Crossbill, Bullfinch, Pheasant, Fulmar, Rock Pipit, Twite, Razorbill, Puffin, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Garden Warbler, Teal, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Sedge Warbler, Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Reed Bunting, Sanderling, Lapwing, Shelduck, Whimbrel, Red Throated Diver, Goosander.

Red = Life Ticks

Green = Year Ticks

Another first for me was seeing Black Guillemot, Red Throated Diver and Great Northern Diver in their summer plumages!