First sighting of 'American' bird on Scottish island leaves birdwatchers astounded

The first sighting of a bird never before seen on one of Scotland’s archipelagos has left the twitching community giddy with excitement.

According to a pair of birdwatchers, an American Cliff Swallow has been spotted on St Kilda. They said it is only the second time the bird has been seen in Scotland, but a first for this group of islands.

The finding was reported in birdguides.com, the go-to website for ornithologists for new sightings.

The American Cliff Swallow, pictured on the St Kilda archipelago | Craig Nisbet/NTS

One of the bird watchers, Craig Nisbet, a seabird ranger with National Trust Scotland (NTS), said those lucky enough to see it had “an epic two-day encounter” with it.

Up to a dozen people saw the visiting bird, which has a short square-ended tail, rusty orange rump, pale reddish orange collar and throat, and orange patch on the forehead.

It is thought to be the second time the species of bird has been spotted in Scotland, and a first for St Kilda | Craig Nisbet/NTS

The sighting on Hirta - the largest island of the St Kilda archipelago - is thought to be only the second time the North American species has been recorded in Scotland. It was spotted in mid-August near the Manse and the slopes of Oiseval. The first sighting was recorded on Skye in 2019, Mr Nisbet said. Assuming all recent records are also accepted by British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC), Mr Nisbet said the sighting may just be the 19th on British record.

Birdwatchers were left astounded by the sighting | Craig Nisbet/NTS

Writing in birdguides.com, he said: “A group of five [people] came out with binoculars and, although we initially had the fear that it may have been an all-too-brief encounter, the swallow duly returned to its favoured location, hawking low over the grass and often coming within a metre of us as it zipped about in a typical hirundine fashion. On a few occasions, it also settled on the grass itself, allowing for more shots of it at rest in relatively close proximity.

“We watched the bird regularly for around an hour as darkness approached. It often investigated the rocky coastline and low cliffs in front of the Manse before seemingly going to roost on the steeper cliffs just beyond the head dyke on the side of Oiseval.”

The next day, Mr Nisbet and Tim Wallis, the second birdwatcher, who is a warden at Conwy RSPB in North Wales, again located the American Cliff Swallow without much difficulty further up the side of Oiseval.

Mr Nisbet said: “Up to a dozen people residing on the island at the time were able to connect with it on 12 August but, alas, further searches on the 13th were unsuccessful, and we were left to reminisce over what was an epic two-day encounter of a mega national rarity on our doorstep.

“It was an awesome experience to share with Tim and a bird that I'm sure will live long in both our memories.”

Another highlight in terms of Scottish wildlife was the rare sighting of a red squirrel in the Central Belt of Scotland last month. The squirrel was seen darting along a fence in a garden in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire.

Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels (SSRS), a project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said it was one of the most southerly red squirrel sightings in Scotland's Central Belt in decades.

The red squirrel population has fallen drastically in recent decades. The decline is, in part, due to the influx of grey squirrels. SSRS said this recent sighting could be due to conservation efforts in the surrounding areas.