Birds to See in Highland in May
155 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
155 bird species on our list for Highland are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, Blackbird, Eurasian Oystercatcher and European Robin. New this month: Common Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, Sedge Warbler and Arctic Tern and 12 more.
New in May16
Residents
(86)Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
Recorded all year
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Recorded all year
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Red Kite
Milvus milvusLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
Recorded all year
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Recorded all year
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Recorded all year
Red Grouse
Lagopus scoticaLC
Recorded all year
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
Recorded all year
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Recorded all year
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Crested Tit
Lophophanes cristatusLC
Recorded all year
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Recorded all year
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Recorded all year
Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufaNT
Recorded all year
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
Recorded all year
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
Regularly May–Jun
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
Regularly Feb–Oct
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
Regularly Mar–Jun
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
Regularly May
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Regularly Aug–May
Summer visitors
(46)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Recorded all year
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Recorded all year
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Regularly Mar–Sep
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Recorded all year
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly May–Sep
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly Dec–Sep
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly May–Sep
Great Skua
Stercorarius skuaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly Apr–Oct
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Wood Warbler
Phylloscopus sibilatrixLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Ring Ouzel
Turdus torquatusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Twite
Linaria flavirostrisLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Grasshopper Warbler
Locustella naeviaLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleucaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
Regularly May–Aug
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
Regularly Feb–Oct
Little Tern
Sternula albifronsLC
Regularly May–Aug
Winter visitors
(17)Present outside the breeding season
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Recorded all year
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Recorded all year
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Regularly Jul–May
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Regularly Oct–May
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Recorded all year
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Recorded all year
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Jul–May
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Jul–May
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Regularly Jul–May
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
Regularly Dec–May
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fuscaVU
Regularly Aug–May
Passage migrants
(6)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
Regularly Apr–Jun
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly May
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
Regularly May
Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly May–Sep
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