Birds to See in Eilean Siar in May
126 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
126 bird species on our list for Eilean Siar are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Herring Gull, Common Starling, Common Gull and Meadow Pipit. New this month: Red Knot, Sedge Warbler, European Storm-petrel and Little Egret and 21 more.
New in May25
Leaving after last month6
Residents
(42)Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
Regularly Jan–Aug
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
Regularly May
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Regularly May–Oct
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly May
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Regularly May–Jan
Summer visitors
(61)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Regularly Mar–Jan
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Mar–Jan
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Twite
Linaria flavirostrisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Great Skua
Stercorarius skuaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Little Tern
Sternula albifronsLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly Apr–Oct
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Mar–Jan
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Mar–Oct
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
Regularly Jan–Aug
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Mar–Jan
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Regularly May–Jul
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Red Grouse
Lagopus scoticaLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
Regularly May–Jul
European Storm-petrel
Hydrobates pelagicusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly May–Jul
Winter visitors
(4)Present outside the breeding season
Passage migrants
(18)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Oct–May
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly May–Jun
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly May–Oct
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Regularly Dec–Jun
Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly May–Jun
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
Regularly May–Jun
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly May
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Long-tailed Jaeger
Stercorarius longicaudusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Regularly Jan–May
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Regularly May–Jun
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
Regularly May
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly May–Jun
Scarce visitors
(1)Recorded in some years but not every year
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made