NOTES ON BIRDS OBSERVED IN THE SCOTTISH ISLANDS 7 



one Black Guillemot, two Eider Ducks, and a few other 

 common birds. 



June 16: As the weather was very stormy, I decided 

 to abandon my idea of returning to the Flannan Islands, 

 and to bicycle over to Stornoway (25 miles) whilst the yacht 

 went round by sea. As the road was extremely rough, and 

 it rained and blew the whole way, my ornithological observa- 

 tions were not worth recording, beyond the fact that I 

 heard the Cuckoo's note at 11 p.m. from the yacht in 

 Stornoway Harbour. 



June 17: I again bicycled over to Broad Bay to see 

 if the Sanderlings were still there, and found them. The 

 majority of the Terns on this bay are Arctic, but I distinctly 

 saw a few Common Terns amongst them. There was a 

 flock of six Turnstones on the rocks, and in the bay a Great 

 Northern and also a Red-throated Diver. Both birds were 

 in full summer plumage and allowed me to get very near 

 them. There were hundreds of Kittiwakes on Loch Braigh 

 na Uidhe, and a few Curlews on the shore. 



June 18 : I left for South Uist. Just after landing a Hen 

 Harrier got up close to me, and I saw several Red-necked 

 Phalaropes near some of the inland lochs, also great numbers 

 of Dunlin. On the western shore both Arctic and Lesser 

 Terns were breeding, and in addition to the above I noted 

 Reed Buntings, House Sparrows, Herons, Blackbirds, Mer- 

 gansers, Hooded Crows, Twites, Coots, and a few of the 

 common shore birds. 



June 20 : In the morning I went to one of the rocky 

 headlands and saw two Grey Seals in one of the inlets of 

 the sea near the yacht. Whilst watching these, six Grey- 

 lag Geese flew close past me, and a Great Northern Diver in 

 immature plumage and some Sheldrakes were disporting 

 themselves in the sea below. I put up two Song Thrushes 

 in the heather on this rocky, weather-beaten headland a long 

 way even from any crofter's crops. 



On my return journey to Stranraer, on the 21st, I saw 

 a Fulmar about half-way between Barra and Rum. 



The following Notes were made during a short visit to 

 the Western Hebrides in August : — 



