Following the success of our 2023 cruise that marked our 21st anniversary of running birding tours, Ashley is offering the opportunity for an exclusive group to join him on this exciting Hebridean Cruise in conjunction with St Hilda Sea Adventures on board the Seahorse II! We have long dreamt of taking a tour to St Kilda, one of the most remote outposts in the British Isles, and this will, weather permitting, be the pinnacle of our adventure in the Hebrides. Join us as part of an exclusive small group with our own crew and on board chef, as we set sail from Oban to Mull and then on to the Small Isles, North Uist and St Kilda. Along the way we will sample some of the finest birding in the Hebrides, joining land based guides for excursions on Mull and North Uist, and stepping ashore on remote islands to explore on foot and witness some of the most spectacular seabird cliffs, and scenery, in the British Isles. We know these islands well after running many tours there over the years, but we will also be visiting some new spots never before set foot on by Oriole groups!
Accommodation throughout is in comfortable cabins on board Seahorse II, some of which offer en suite facilities which will be allocated on a first come first served basis. We will moor in scheluded bays and dine on board ship, enjoy dusk rafting of Manx Shearwaters and even witness Storm and Leach’s Petrels coming ashore at night to breed. Migrant birds should abound and could include skuas bound for the Arctic, and maybe, just maybe, a Snowy Owl! Throw in Golden and White-tailed Eagles, more Puffins than you can shake a stick at and exciting land based birding searching for Corncrake, Short-eared Owl, Hen Harrier, Wood Warbler and a variety of other small birds and you have the recipe for a once in a lifetime trip. Ashley Saunders will be leading this trip assisted by local guides on land and you can expect to see over 100 species.
*NB – The itinerary stated is totally subject to the weather and we cannot guarantee that it will run in the order stated, or that we can visit all the places mentioned.*
DAY ONE
The tour meets in Oban, gateway to the Hebrides. At 1.30pm, we will meet our friends at St Hilda Sea Adventures and board Seahorse II, ready for the first leg of our journey. We sail across the sound to Mull, where we will moor up in secluded Loch Spelve. Here, Otters play along the shoreline at dusk and Common Eider and Red-breasted Merganser are a familiar birds on the loch. We should see our first Black Guillemots and Arctic Terns too, and perhaps one of the local White-tailed Eagles which are breeding nearby will make a fly past. Overnight at our mooring in Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull.
DAY TWO
We make an early start this morning to meet a local birding guide and driver for a 5hr excursion ashore. This will take us first down towards Loch Buie a stunning spot and good place to find Red-throated and Great Northern Divers which will be gathering here prior to their northward departure. Bottle-nosed Dolphins are also a frequent site, and the hillsides around are excellent for Golden and White-tailed Eagles. We will spend the rest of the morning concentrating on small birds, which are hard to see from ship! Tree Pipit, Redstart, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler, Wood Warbler and Common Redpoll are targets, while we should also find both Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl. In the meantime, our vessel will be moving its mooring up to Tobermory, where we will rejoin it for lunch. Afterwards, we sail north for approximately 5 hrs, to the Isle of Rhum. On the way we pass Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly on the British Mainland. Seabird activity will increase as we head into the open sea, and Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Gannet, Kittiwake, Fulmar and Puffin should all be seen. In the evening, we moor close to the Small Isles and hope to witness huge flocks of Manx Shearwaters rafting on the water ready to come ashore to their breeding colonies at night. Overnight near Isle of Rhum.
DAY THREE
In the morning, we have a relaxing start before heading ashore by tender for a walking tour on Rhum. There will no doubt be more chances for viewing seabirds and raptors here, as well as generally enjoying this remote Scottish island. After lunch, we set off on the long trip across The Minch to Lochmaddy on North Uist, which may present some excellent opportunities for seabirding and also looking for cetaceans. Minke Whale, Common Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise could all be seen, and we should expect both Arctic and Great Skuas. Maybe something rarer, like a Leach’s Petrel, may also be spotted. We moor for the night in the harbour at Lochmaddy.
DAY FOUR
An exciting day awaits us as we meet a local birding guide for a full day excursion by minibus around North Uist. Our primary aim here will be to visit the excellent RSPB reserve at Balranald, where we hope to see newly arrived Corncrakes calling in the short vegetation. Waders are also going to be on the agenda, with the stunning beach at Aird an Runair giving close up views of swarming flocks of shorebirds, all bound for the Arctic in breeding dress. Dunlin, Sanderling, Turnstone and Purple Sandpiper sqaubble among the seaweed, and we may also find Glaucous or Iceland Gulls and perhaps the odd lingering Long-tailed Duck offshore. Corn Bunting should be singing on the machair, a strip of wind blown shell-sand cultivated using seaweed as fertiliser. Ringed Plovers may be seen here in hundreds, getting ready to push on to their breeding grounds further north, and small flocks of Twite are a common sight. North Uist is one of the wildlife gems of the British Isles, and their is so much to see we won’t fit it all in during one day – but perhaps we will end our afternoon watching displaying Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl or Golden Eagle in the hills, Black-throated Divers in breeding plumage on one of the lochs or Arctic Skuas nesting on remaote moorland. It would also not be out of the question for a rarity to be on the cards – we have seen Lesser Yellowlegs, Ring-necked Duck, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Dotterel and Garganey on previous visits. Overnight at our morring in Lochmaddy harbour.
DAY FIVE
Today is a big one! After breakfast, we depart Lochmaddy and if the weather is fair, attempt to cross to St Kilda, which lies around 40 miles west of the islands. We will be able to see its conical peak looming on the distant horizon, tempting us even further, and finger’s crossed we will be able to make it. This will be the pinnacle of the trip, as we appraoch the island of Hirta the sea will be foaming with breeding birds. Huge colonies of Gannets adorn the cliffs here, and there will be auks and kittiwakes galore too. It may well feel an emotional experience to witness this remote outpost up close, once home to a small population of people who eked out a living here from the very seabirds themselves. If we can moor for the night, we have a chance to see and hear Storm and Leach’s Petrel’s coming ashore to their nesting colonies, an amazing experience. Overnight St Kilda.
DAY SIX
Today we will head ashore onto St Kilda by tender and explore the island on foot. This will involve some fairly steep climbs on rocky paths. It will be all about the amazing breeding seabirds, but who knows what else we might find. Impossibly rare vagrants have been known to make landfall here, especially in mid May. A Snowy Owl is also seen frequently, and perhaps we will get chance to speak to the National Trust rangers and find out if there has been any sightings. At the end of the day, we dine aboard our vessel and once again moor for the night in these magical islands. Overnight St Kilda.
DAY SEVEN
Today will be mainly a travelling day, weather permitting, as we cross back east towards the Western Isles. If we are able, we will travel via the Monach Isles, a remote uninhabited group which lie just west of North Uist (indeed we will have seen them on the skyline when we visited Aird an Runair a few days earlier). If we can tender ashore, it will certainly be another feather in our cap as few birders will ever set foot here. We should keep a close eye out for both Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas on the crossing – both are now in peak periods for migration up to the Arctic. Overnight again in Lochmaddy harbour.
DAY EIGHT
Today we must re-cross The Minch, passing close to the dramatic Isle of Skye which will be a constant feature on the skyline, the rugged peaks of the Cullin Hills being visible for 50 miles or more. No doubt we will spend much of the crossing on deck keeping an eye out for seabirds and cetaceans, especially if we are lucky to have a calm day. Our mooring point tonight will be at Canna, one of the Small Isles. There are some excellent seabird cliffs here which we can explore by boat. Overnight near Canna.
DAY NINE
This morning we make our final open sea crossing back down to Mull, and we moor in Tobermory harbour in time for lunch. This beautiful town, with its multicoloured houses, is a must visit location but is also good for wildlife too – perhaps an Otter will be fishing, and we can look for Dipper and Grey Wagtail on the burn. In the afternoon though, we meet up again with a guide and driver, to do a few hours birding on land in the North of Mull. Our targets will depend largely on what species we have seen already, but we could have further chances for Hen Harrier, White-tailed Eagle, Wood Warbler and others. In the evening, we may like to check out the town and maybe have a drink in one of the pubs or visit the distillery. Overnight Tobermory.
DAY TEN
We say farewell to these amazing islands, as we make the relatively short journey down the sheltered Sound of Mull, passing the Morvern peninsula where Golden Eagles often play on the wind. Oban will finally loom into view, and we will dismbark around 1230 where the tour will conclude.
*Ashley will travel North on 19th May with the Oriole van and can make free pick ups en route for anyone who requires a lift. He will be staying overnight at Lockerbie on the 19th May and again on 29th May. Pick up at Glasgow airport is also possible on 19th May.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Nine nights accommodation on board ship. There are a combination of en suite cabins and those with shared facilities. The services of the St Hilda crew and chef, land based guides, ground transport, all meals from dinner on day one to breakfast on day ten and services of leader.
GENERAL INFORMATION
