Robert MacMillan, Port Manager/Secretary
01687 462154 www.mallaigharbourauthority.com
Mallaig Lifeboat Log
No call outs for February 2013 for the Mallaig Lifeboat - a quiet start to the year!
On and Off the Rails
Big April Adventure
This is your chance to win your own April adventure by train or selected ferry companies in Scotland in a free ticket draw.
Over 15,000 free travel tickets are on offer fromScotRail, Caledonian MacBrayne and Northlink Ferries.
Register now to be in with a chance of winning. Here's how:
Go to visitscotland.com/BigAprilAdventures
Register with your name, full address and answer some simple questions about holidaying in Scotland.
Choose a type of travel - from ScotRail, Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries or Northlink Ferries (ferry tickets forfoot passengers only).
Select from the drop-down box your departure point, your destination and, from the calendar, your preferred date of travel for free travel. Tickets are valid for April departure dates only (valid for one month for return journey).
You can enter now. There is a weekly ballot of winners each Tuesday of March, on the 5th, 12th, 19th and 36th, and winners will be notified by email with their tickets being sent to them within 14 days. Each winner will receive two tickets.
You can also enter the ballot by telephone by calling 0845 859 1006.
If you don't win on any week, simply register again (by email or telephone) th next week to be in with another chance of winning a fantastic pair of return tickets for a free trip in Scotland in April 2013, do it now!! Good luck.
More trains for Oban from May 2014
For years now Oban has only had three incoming trains a day, Monday to Saturday, where we have four. They have had no direct evening link to the Caledonian Sleeper Service, where we do. No steam train service, where we have The Jacobite into Mallaig for six months of the year, Monday to Friday, plus an additional afternoon service three months of the year, and three months of Saturday and Sunday morning service. ScotRail also operates a Sunday service to Mallaig three times daily during the summer and (yes, I know you know) one Sunday train into Mallaig at 11.35 at night in the winter months (don't get me started) and one out at 4.05pm. plus we get The Royal Scotsman and half a dozen other touring train companies visiting us.
Now it can be finally announced that, thanks to intensive lobbying by Friends of the West Highland Lines, Argyll and Bute Council, local Oban North and Lorn Councillors, and Highland and Islands MSPs, discussions between ScotRail, HITRANS and Argyll and Bute Council have resulted in a 'compelling' case for six each day between Monday and Saturday from May 2014.
Funded by ScotRail, a new early morning service from Oban will reach Glasgow by 9am, a new evening service will connect with the southbound Caledonian Sleeper at Crianlarich, and an additional afternoon service has been included. one of the extra northbound services will depart Glasgow Queen Street at 5.10am, reaching Oban before 9am. It is likely that the extra stock of 156 Sprinter units required will come from the newly electrified Paisley Canal Line and Dunblane. Extra drivers will also come from the Glasgow area.
In the meantime, I keep lobbying for an improved Mallaig/Fort William Sunday service all year round (if not to Glasgow!).
Lochaber Transport Forum is now involved in my quest, and has written to Steve Montgomery, Managing Director, ScotRail, requesting a 10.10am departure Sunday service to Fort William all year round from Mallaig, returning into Mallaig sometime in the early afternoon, and forming the 4.05pm service (as it does now) to Fort William and onwards to Glasgow. He has now replied saying that ScotRail will take the suggestion forward and discuss this with Transport Scotland at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, I will contact HITRANS to hope to harness their support. Friends of the West Highland Line will be written to also.
But, in the meantime, if any individual, group or business feels that it would be a good idea (as I do) to have a daytime Sunday service to allow people (us) to travel to Fort William, plus allow tourists to visit us on a Sunday in the Winter and Spring, then please write to Mr Steve Montgomery, Managing Director, First ScotRail, ScotRail HQ, Atrium Court, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6HQ.
Community Councils and Road to the Isles Marketing Group could agree to come on board with this proposal too. I can only do so much. Your help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Model Rail Scotland proves to be a great success
Once again the SECC proved to be a great venue for Model Rail Scotland. As you will have seen in last month's West Word, I ran a competition to win entry tickets to the show and also a pair of ScotRail train tickets for travel to Glasgow.
I received lots of entries, all with the correct answer to the competition. The lucky winner of travel tickets and show tickets was Marion Carr from Mallaig. The winner of the a pair of show tickets was Mr J Cameron, also of Mallaig. I've spoken to them since the show, and they were delighted to have won, and said how much they enjoyed their experience.
The organisers said that over the 3 days of the show some 15,000 people have attended. I went on the Friday and saw several people from Mallaig and Morar enjoying the various stands and exhibits. Hopefully, I can run a similar competition next year!
Friends of the West Highland Line - Plus
The excellent magazine produced by FWHL is now out, full of interesting articles and photographs and costing just £2.99. it offers excellent value for money. Copies can be obtained from me, or at 'Bill's Place' at Fort William Railway Station.
The Society had an excellent stand at Model Rail Scotland, and showed a video of old and new film taken by Society member Norman MacNab. There were some good shots of Mallaig and the Harbour showing local boats landing sprats.
Network Rail Ballast Train visits Mallaig
On the morning of February 26th a Network Rail Ballast Train see left) came into Mallaig having left Fort William Yard loaded with fresh ballast stones. Arriving in front of the morning sprinter, it shunted into the 'up' platform until the 10.10am sprinter departed for Glasgow.
The Ballast train leaving Mallaig on 26th February behind English electric Diesel-Electric Class 37 Carl Haviland.
As a ballast train is rarely seen on the West Highland Extension. It created great interest with railway engine enthusiasts. At the front of the train was a splendid looking Class 37 owned by DRS (Direct Rail Service) named Carl Haviland and numbered 37419. Painted in DRS livery, it made for a good photo opportunity and attracted around 30 trainspotter photographers as it approached Mallaig. The locomotive, now some 53 years old, was originally numbered 37291 and was registered at Eastfield Depot in Glasgow, before moving to Inverness to take up duties on the far North line to Wick and Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh.
The driver of the sprinter from Fort William to Mallaig on that morning (Tuesday 26th) was Davie Simpson, who remembered driving the locomotive some 15 years ago, so he was 'reunited' with an old friend, as he aptly described it. So the opportunity for a photograph was not missed, as Davie once again sat in the driver's seat some 15 years on!
Davie Simpson, reunited briefly with the old friend he used to drive
between Inverness and Wick. Photos courtesy of Steve Roberts.
Improvements
Network Rail is carrying out the following essential maintenance and engineering during March 2013. Each weekend in March, the Friday night and Sunday night Caledonian Sleeper is cancelled departing from Fort William. All Sleeper and sitting up coach customers on these nights will be conveyed by coach to Kingussie to join the Inverness Sleeper.
The 16.05 passenger train from Mallaig to Glasgow on all Sundays in March will de-train passengers at Crianlarich and a coach will convey them on to Glasgow. Please go to scotrail.co.uk/engineering for full information on all stations affected throughout March, or call at your local Railway Station Booking Office.
See you on the train.
Sonia Cameron
Howling Events Announces Further Developments
Howling Events, the West Lochaber grouping working on a new ancestry database for the area, and a two week programme of heritage events for the Homecoming in 2014, has announced four significant developments in their programme.
Firstly, the project to create a new piece of musical theatre has been augmented by the decision of Fèis na Garbh Criochan to join HOWL and take on the lead role as an Associate Group. Air Falbh 's Air Adhart is intended to be a bilingual look at the process of emigration for those who have had to leave. The primary focus for the area is clearly the Clearances and surrounding periods. But the project is determined to look at the topic from the point of view of those who left, to understand their sense of loss and longing (ceanglach), but also celebrate their achievements in building new communities, societies, and nations.
Chas Mac Donald, Interim Project Co-ordinator, said, 'It's important that we bring together ideas and cultural artefacts from both groups involved in the disruption that was the Clearances. It was obviously hard on those involved - many did not make the journey, dying at sea - but the outcomes have been striking.' The involvement of Fèis na Garbh Criochan has been welcomed by Chas, who commented that 'the strength of activity in the traditional and musical arts in Acharacle and the wider Ardnamurchan peninsula has been phenomenal. To have the involvement of such a talent pool, both in terms of the youngsters and tutors is absolutely critical to our success.'
It is also anticipated that there will be an exciting array of old and new music and song featured, from both sides of the Atlantic, with Allan Henderson promising to write some new music when the project gets fully underway. There is also a desire to bring schools from all of the communities together, virtually, to contribute research, ideas, and material to the finished piece.
HOWL's input to the Diaspora Tapestry took a bit of a leap forward on the 22nd February, when Andrew Crummy, the tapestry designer, visited Mallaig High School to do a workshop with the children. He told them a bit about where the tapestry project is at the moment, how the template works, and also looked at some of their designs. It is fair to say he was highly impressed with the work being produced by these talented young people. The design ideas will hopefully contribute to his final tapestry panel layouts. However, of more immediate relevance, is that these designs are being produced for the 2014 Boisdale Art Prize. With what was presented to Chas and Andrew on the day, there are clearly going to be some very accomplished pieces of work in the final competition. Arisaig Games on July 31st this year will be the place to be to see them.
A real milestone has been reached for HOWL, too. Readers of West Word are contributing to the project by supporting West Word which is one of the Associate Groups involved with HOWL. At the group's AGM at the Clan Donald Centre on Skye on February 24th, Chas announced that the group had achieved charitable status to the satisfaction of the charities regulator, OSCR. When the amended constitution is submitted, a registration number will be issued. As Chas pointed out, 'It is not absolutely necessary to be a charity. However, for our purposes, and for the sums of money we hope to be applying for, it would have been much more difficult without being a registered charity. So this is a great fillip to our work, and a recognition that what we are doing is of value to the community.'
Chas was also keen to call on anybody who can volunteer to help with the compiling of the new ancestry database, An Diasporran. In addition to significant local databases, a major collection has been donated by the Mabou Pioneers research group in Canada. Worth in the region of £1.7m nominally, it's value is vastly greater in terms of the wealth of information it will bring to the area, encouraging people to visit. But it needs compiling, and while some of this can be done as a 'cut and paste' from one database to another, some parts will require significant human input. There is already a small team in operation in Arisaig, but more are needed.
Contact antilleadh2014@arisaighighlandgames.co.uk if you can give even a little time per week, or in blocks.
'Songs for Dawn' raises nearly £9000
Pictured here is the huge pile of equipment which was the donation made to the Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU) at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, bought with cash raised by Arisaig couple Robert and Maryann Bowman, with help from friend Steve Brown.
Clothes for premature and new born babies, in pink and blue - with a TV remote control to show the scale!
Robert and Maryann's daughter Dawn, now three years old, was born with a cleft palate, meningitis and other health issues. She also has a condition which means she has to be fed by a complicated procedure carried out by mum Maryann.
Robert and Maryann, who run the Old Library Restaurant in Arisaig, were so grateful for the help received from the SCBU, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and the Royal Aberdeen Sick Children's Hospital that Robert decided to put his considerable musical talent to good use to raise money for them.
A huge amount was raised from the sale of the 18 track album Songs for Dawn, featuring Robert (aka Bodie) singing a number of Bowie hits in Bowie style, together with musician Steve Brown of Wonderland.
Next came two 'Bodie and Brown' gigs at the Astley Hall in Arisaig, where Bodie dressed as Ziggy Stardust and the audience were encouraged to wear 70's and 80's fancy dress.
The total sum raised was £8790, which was divided between the three hospitals in the way each preferred - something to remember, if anyone wants to make a donation to an establishment, that sometimes cash is not the preferred option.
Dawn with SCBU nurses. She is winning the fight, though slowly
Raigmore's SBCU asked for clothes and supplies; Aberdeen asked for 65 portable DVD players and 100 DVDs; and Edinburgh, where Dawn spent five weeks just after she was born, requested a cheque to go towards accommodation facilities which allows children and their parents attending the hospital to stay over. 'Being able to stay just two minutes from the ward gave us one less thing to worry about,' said Maryann, 'we were looked after and cared for while we were distraught, not knowing if Dawn would be OK.'
Robert with SCBU nurses
On the 21st February, Robert and Maryann visited the SCBU and delivered £2930 worth of supplies which included blankets, shawls, premature baby clothes, feeding equipment, colouring books and crayons.
Maryann said 'We want to thank everyone in the Maternity Ward and SCBU who watched over Dawn in the first few days of her life. She is with us today because of Dr Alan Webb and his team.'
Both send a very special thank you to Steve (Mick Ronson) Brown. Robert said 'Without his technical and musical wizardry, we could not have had a charity at all.'
Songs for Dawn can be purchased online at www.songsfordawn.org and there is also a Facebook page.
The Sick Kids Friends Foundation in Edinburgh relies on donations. As well as the family accommodation, they provide medical equipment and much loved Clowndoctors who provide much needed laughter and entertainment to the youngsters.
The butcher in Arisaig
In last month's West Word we printed a letter from Doug Torrance, who reminisced about his childhood holidays in Arisaig. His main reason for writing was about the Manse trees, soon to be cut down, but he also told us that on the family' arrival at the station, the butcher collected their luggage along with his daily meat delivery and dropped it off at the Manse, where they were staying, on his way back to his shop, which was where the Smiddy Flats are now.
This mention caused the butcher's daughter to contact West Word! We put her in touch with Douglas and another anecdotes were the result!
Margaret MacIntyre wrote:
'I enjoyed Doug Torrance's memories of Arisaig in the early 1950s. The butcher who collected/delivered the family trunk was my father, Burnett Stevenson, who opened his butcher's shop in 1951.
I had never heard this story about my dad and did not know he used a handcart to collect his meat. I was only a child then and the family home was in Mallaig.
I am grateful to Mr Torrance for this memory!'
The cart, now on display outside the Land, Sea & Islands Centre in Arisaig.
We forwarded this to Douglas, who contacted his brothers and then wrote to Margaret:
'We all have memories of your Father's shop but the one that really stands out is when Jim, the oldest brother, he would be about 12 at the time, was sent down to the shop to pick up whatever we were having that evening.
'It was a particularly hot day, and perhaps Jim had ran down to the shop, but no sooner had he arrived in the shop, when he fainted.
'Was it the heat or the sight of blood dripping from the carcasses on the hooks?
You have probably guessed by now, but yes, he was loaded on to the handcart and wheeled back up the hill to the manse.'
See below for a reminiscence of a different kind from Doug.
SEA EAGLES TO RUM
Doug Torrance wrote to us last month about childhood holidays in Arisaig and Manse trees - but he has another connection with the area!
I noted with great interest in your February edition that Sea Eagles had been sighted in the Arisaig area.
As you may know, Sea Eagles had been hunted to extinction in the UK by 1918.
An RSPB led project to reintroduce Sea Eagles in to the UK began in 1968 with four Sea Eagle 'chicks' being delivered to Fair Isle by Loganair.
Unfortunately this project failed and it wasn't till 1968 that the RSPB sourced a supply of Sea Eagle chicks from their Norwegian equivalents from an area around Bodo.
This was at the height of the Cold War and Bodø had received international attention during the U-2 Crisis in May 1960, when it became known that the American U2 pilot, Gary Powers, had been shot down over the Soviet Union on his way from Pakistan to Bodø.
RAF Kinloss is situated some 25 miles east of Inverness, and from 1970 to 2004, Kinloss based Nimrod Reconnaissance aircraft regularly deployed to Bodo in search of surface and subsurface units of the Soviet Northern Fleet in areas of North Cape.
By pulling strings at a very high level, the RSPB arranged that their Norwegian counterparts, would hand over ten Sea Eagle chicks to the care of the RAF who, on their return from Bodo to Kinloss, would hand these birds to the RSPB who would transport them by road to the Isle Of Rum to be subsequently reintroduced in to the wild.
I believe my first flight with Sea Eagles was 11 Aug 1977 and the second on 21 June 1978. The photograph shows the Captain, Gordon Millar sixth from left and myself second from left.
Some twenty-five years later, I was still serving at RAF Kinloss and was called to meet an RSPB film team who wished to interview some of the crews who had brought these birds back from Norway. Not many of us left by then but they managed to include a clip in their film 'The Eagle Odyssey'
In 2004 a close friend bought tickets for an event in Eden Court in Inverness. The event was the world premier of 'The Eagle Odyssey'.
As I was leaving Eden Court after the film, I met the film production team. They insisted that I should meet their guest of honour, Chairman of the RSPB.
He asked me what I thought of the evening, I told him I thoroughly enjoyed the film but was a little disappointed with the evening.
'Why? ' he asked.
'Did Tom Cruise pay to get in to the premier of 'Top Gun ?' I replied, albeit rather tongue in cheek
The film is still available on the RSPB website and I look forward to seeing the descendants of the true stars of the film when I visit in the Spring
Doug Torrance
The MacLellans of Inverness County - 1871 Census
Compiled by Allan J. Gillis © 1997
The MacLellans of Inverness County came from the West Highland and Hebridean areas of Scotland. Those who settled in the county were mainly Roman Catholics, with the exception of one family grouping in the Whycocomagh area and several other isolated individuals elsewhere in the county.
It appears that the few MacLellans who originally settled in the Judique-River Denys Road-Glendale areas were not connected with those in the northern part of the county. I suspect that these MacLellans settled near their friends and relatives from South Uist. (This remains to be proven.) Also, some of these MacLellans might have been from Eigg.
The majority of the Inverness County MacLellans came from Morar, with perhaps a few from Knoydart. These MacLellans were, at first, concentrated in the Glenville-Broad Cove-Southwest Margaree areas and tended to intermarry with other Morar families, such as the Gillises and other MacLellans. If one consults MacDougall's History of Inverness County, it is mind-boggling to try to sort out the various family connections. However, it may be that certain persons have traced out and recorded their own families to the point where they can add to the sketchy information given in this census.
The day is pretty well past when one might readily visit individuals who could rhyme out from memory the highly intricate family connections of our people. (There are a few left, but they are disappearing quickly!) One should record any oral traditions from older family members as soon as possible - or even record your own. Every little snippet of family or local lore can add to our knowledge of our ancestors and our neighbours.
The census is merely an enumeration of the population but it can prove valuable when combined with land records, wills, probates and many family records such as Bibles, obituaries, correspondence and partially-completed genealogies.
(Genealogies are on-going and are never completed.) Ages given in the various censuses are not etched in stone; they can vary widely from one ten-year period to another and should be approached as being only a rough guide to each person's actual age. (See the 1871 ages and those of 1881 in small brackets to appreciate this.)
Sometimes, the census can give us unexpected little clues such as the inclusion of people of a different surname living with the family. Considering that our people operated their own welfare system, one might presume that these extra people might be relatives or distressed neighbours. It helps to have a look at the complete area census to see who the neighbours were as, often, the Scotch pioneers didn't go too far to find a husband or wife. Knowledge of one's in-laws can be helpful!
I hope that this compilation of the Inverness County MacLellans will be of some use to anyone trying to trace their roots to Inverness County and beyond. Good luck!
You can find at least one family from Eigg. There were a total of 652 MacLellans in Inverness County in 1871.
Allan J. Gillis, Ottawa, June, 1997
Space constraints mean we cannot print the census here but if anyone is interested in it Allan is pleased for them to contact him. His email address is gaoideal1772@rogers.com.
CROFTING ROUNDUP by Joyce Wilkinson
Crofters Commission Area Assessor and Scottish Crofting Federation Area Representative
De crofting applications halted due to a wording glitch
The board of the Crofting commission have found a wording glitch in the new Act referring to owner occupiers that could invalidate de crofting applications passed since the Act went through and has halted all new applications. On finding the glitch the board took legal advice and were told they would be acting against the law should they issue decroftings for owner occupiers.
Owner occupier is a new status of crofter since the Act and means someone who was a tenant first then bought their croft. It is not as is often thought, someone who has bought their croft on the open market, they are landlords of a vacant croft and must put in a tenant, usually a spouse.
In the spirit of the Act all crofters are to be treated the same whether they are owner occupiers or tenants. Often an owner occupier is a crofter who has bought his or her croft to give them security . To use a wording glitch that was not written into the Act in the spirit of treating all crofters the same as a Away to prevent O/O from raising money for a mortgage or a house site is very unfair and gives uncertainty to a lot of people. It is hoped that the Commission and the Scottish government can quickly sort things out, after all the new board only has the job of regulatory work now ,along side setting up the new register, and allowing a backlog of decrofting applications to build up can only slow things down further.
Croft Registration
From November 2013 any regulatory applications such as decrofting, assignations, bequeathing a tenancy etc will trigger the requirement to register your croft. Applying for grants will not trigger this requirement as grants are no longer managed by the Crofting commission but by the Dept of agriculture. It is not compulsory to do this and it will not be made compulsory as it is part of the new Crofting Act. If you do not plan to do any regulatory work then you do not have to register. Cost is £90 per croft plus cost of the map[ £16]. You have to put a notice up on your croft and there is a nine month challenge period to your stated boundaries . You do not, as is stated elsewhere, have to put an advert in the newspaper and you do not have to notify your neighbours. Once your croft is registered by the Registers of Scotland it will be available to be viewed on a map online along with the following details:
- the name, location, rent and the extend of each individual croft,
- the name, age and date of birth of the tenant and the landlord(s),
- the landlord's address and, where the tenant's address is different from the croft, the tenant's address, and
- details of any rights held in common grazings.
There are opportunities for some to make money out of crofters by offering to register your croft for you for a fee. There is no need for this as it should be a simple procedure and maps used can be ordnance survey maps, you simply mark your boundary on them. Do not use IACs maps as they will not accept them.
LOCAL DOG CLUB WINS PRESTIGOUS KENNEL CLUB AWARD
Lochaber & District Canine Society based in Fort William is currently celebrating winning first place in the General Canine Association category and deemed the overall winner of the Kennel Club's Good Citizen Dog Scheme (GCDS) Awards, which took place at the Kennel Club in London on the 8th February 2013.
Three representatives from the dog club travelled to London and were totally shocked to be presented with the Crystal Ornaments, framed certificates and also the Over All Winners Shield.
Kennel Club Chairman, Steve Dean, said, "The winners have all done marvellous work in promoting responsible dog ownership in their local community and all deserve a huge vote of thanks. We are grateful for their enthusiasm and dedication, and offer our appreciation for helping us make a positive difference for dogs and their owners."
Left to right: Morag MacKell, Vicky-ann Tompkins & Kayleigh Buchanan
Lochaber & District Canine Society was chosen as the overall winner of the GCDS Awards for their dedication, commitment and outstanding support in promoting the scheme in 2012.
Lochaber & District Canine Society exists to promote responsible dog owners and to help owners to enjoy the company of a well-behaved dog. It has worked closely with dog wardens, hosting micro-chipping nights throughout the year. It is heavily involved with the community, promoting the Open for Dogs Scheme, as well as the Green Dog Walkers Scheme.
'Three of us went to the Kennel Club in London as the Club was chosen as a finalist for the Good Citizen Dog Scheme awards. To come first in our category was a great thrill, but then to win the Overall Best Club was quite overwhelming,' said Morag MacKell, Club Secretary.
Morag MacKell plays a major role in promoting and instructing the Puppy Foundation Course; which is the first part of the Good Citizen Scheme ably assisted by Kayleigh Buchanan who is also a puppy instructor.
Vicky-ann Tompkins who is the club's Co-ordinator for the Good Citizen Scheme and who also teaches the Bronze, Silver & Gold levels, accompanied Kayleigh and Morag to London for this very special occasion.
Morag also went on to say 'We are a fairly small Club with about 70 members at present and we cover a wide geographical area, so to win something like this means we are getting it right with our various activities'
The dog club has a wide range of activities from Puppy Classes, to GCDS Bronze, Silver & Gold as well as a General Obedience class. During the Summer months the club also hosts outside activities which include Lure Coursing, Agility and Fly Ball as well as hosting a Breed Show in September which is always very well entered and a Companion Show for the more fun element.
If anybody is interested in joining the club please contact
Puppy class Morag Mackell 01397 772369
Good Citizen classes Vicky-Ann Tompkins 01397 701704
Lure coursing Vicky-Ann Tompkins 01397 701704
Obedience Christine Cameron 01855 821381
Agility and Flyball Jackie MacDonald 07795 294959 or
Lesley Stewart 01855 821519
Ringcraft Nan MacLeod 01397 700173
www.lochaberanddistrictcaninesociety.com
www.facebook.com/lochaberdistrictcaninesociety
Lynne Young
Birdwatch - February 2013 by Stephen MacDonald
For the most part, February was a fine and settled month, almost Spring for the last few days. Many birds were singing and displaying by the month's end.
Greater Spotted Woodpeckers could be heard 'drumming' in the woods around Arisaig and Morar on numerous occasions.
Shelduck numbers built up on Loch nan Ceall during the month, with at least 14 between Camus an't Allen and Millburn on the 15th. Two Black-throated Divers were seen together on Loch nan Ceall on the 23rd.
A few more Siskins reported from garden feeders and a Lesser Redpoll was seen on feeders at Rhubana View on the 15ht. Yellowhammers were reported from feeders in Arisaig and a Reed Bunting was seen at Rhubana View on the 19th. Bullfinches were seen feeding on peanuts inan Arisaig garden on several occasions.
Whooper Swans were present on Loch nan Eala throughout the month, along with Wigeon, Teal, Mallards and the occasional Goldeneye.
On one of the few windy days early in the month, a Sea Eagle 'spooked' approximately 40 Herons that were roosting in the reeds beside Loch nan Eala. There were reports of Sea Eagles from Back of Keppoch and Morar.
A male Hen Harrier was seen just west of Camus an't Allen on the 14th and it or another was reported from Gorten, Back of Keppoch, seen on several occasions.
Sparrowhawks were reported regularly from Morar and Arisaig. A female Merlin was seen at Achnaskia, Back of Keppoch, on the 28th.
Purple Sandpipers and Turnstones were seen on the rocks at West Bay car park on several occasions.
