I asked Ben to choose a favourite place for me to write about this time, and he almost immediately said "what about Balranald?" The RSPB reserve at Balranald on North Uist is indeed a favourite place to visit for both of us. It's also one of the RSPB's most remote reserves - and the people at our local reserve are rather jealous we have been there! In fact, rather than just having been there, we consider it one of our favourites - we always visit at least twice when we are on Uist.
I asked Ben why he'd chosen Balranald, and indeed why we kept going back "there are so many different landscapes in one small area, and such a diverse range of birds too - from ground nesters such as Lapwings & Skylarks - of which there are ALWAYS several singing! - to Waders, Pipits and sea birds - Skuas and Petrels are regularly seen off the coast there" he said. It's also the home of several rarer species - the Corncrake can be heard here most evenings in the breeding season, and Corn Buntings are regular visitors too. Ben also mentioned Twite - a very sweet, and very LOUD little bird - which visits Balranald hundreds at a time and makes a deafening racket singing from the fences near the small visitors centre!
Robyn
Ps - please note, we are still not in ANY way to be considered "birders" .....
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