Scottish Island choice May/June 2020

I am thinking about going to a Scottish Island(s) next year for seabirds and other wildlife and my choice is between :-

1) Shetland Isles because of Skuas, Otter and Red Phalarope

2) Orkney because of the greater number of Birds of Prey

3) Lewis and Uist because of white tailed sea eagles.

Any recommendations? Which might be cheaper? From London what is the best way to go? Also would I need to hire a car?

Sorry for a broad question but I am not sure what is best.

Don't discount Mull either. Lots of wildlife, land marks and some great tours.. From London you could fly to Glasgow, hire a car (absolute necessity)) and ferry across from Oban.
We spend a week there every February and love it

Photo from bildeb0rg's gallery.
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Photo from bildeb0rg's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (839873)

Id say Uist.. because i live there!
Loads of birds to see here, Golden eagles and even more White Tailed ones
Lots of Short Eared Owls , just recently they have photographed a Barn Owl here which we don't usually have and there is also a long eared Owl near to where i live, i haven't seen it yet though.
Hen Harriers, buzzards and Kestrels are very common

I have attached an info form of a local wildlife guide, if nothing else it shows you where to go to see certain things..
http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com …%20and%20Skuas%​202020.pdf

Thank you all for that, I have food for thought.

Hebridean wrote in post #18943765
Id say Uist.. because i live there!
Loads of birds to see here, Golden eagles and even more White Tailed ones
Lots of Short Eared Owls , just recently they have photographed a Barn Owl here which we don't usually have and there is also a long eared Owl near to where i live, i haven't seen it yet though.
Hen Harriers, buzzards and Kestrels are very common

I have attached an info form of a local wildlife guide, if nothing else it shows you where to go to see certain things..
http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com …%20and%20Skuas%​202020.pdf

.
What an excellent post!

This kind of detailed information is the very epitome of excellent internet forum content. . It actually helps people to plan trips and get better photos in a very tangible way.

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From London you can fly to Glasgow and then car + ferry to most of the islands. There are also flights to many of the islands from Glasgow and a few from other airports , such as Aberdeen. These will be on small planes, so not for the nervous. Lewis and the connected Harris also have fantastic beaches. If you get there, I would recommend trying to get a boat trip to the Shiant Isles (uninhabited) which are a few miles south east of Harris. There are a multitude of sea birds here, with over 100,000 pairs of puffins and guillemots, razorbills, little auks, skuas, kittiwakes, fulmars, etc, plus the white tailed eagle. A true bucket list location. I have been there twice.

There are a lot of ferry links between the Outer Hebrides, so if you have time, you could take in several. Mull is also interesting, being known for white tailed eagles and from there you can get on a trip to Staffa (Fingal’s Cave) that has a large number of puffins. From boats you will have the chance to see more sea birds, plus dolphins, basking sharks, Orcas and minke whales. A lot of the birds can also be seen from many places on the west coast of Scotland.

Are you just looking to shoot wildlife? There is also a lot of fantastic scenery on the islands and mainland. Lewis has some sensational beaches and the Callanish Stones. Orkney has Iron Age Brochs.

An alternative travel route would be to get the train to Mallaig on one of the most picturesque railway journeys in the world, including the Harry Potter viaduct. From Mallaig you can get a small ferry across to Skye, but you would need a car here.

Honey Monster wrote in post #18994132
Are you just looking to shoot wildlife? There is also a lot of fantastic scenery on the islands and mainland. Lewis has some sensational beaches and the Callanish Stones. Orkney has Iron Age Brochs.

An alternative travel route would be to get the train to Mallaig on one of the most picturesque railway journeys in the world, including the Harry Potter viaduct. From Mallaig you can get a small ferry across to Skye, but you would need a car here.

No scenery is good but I think my wife has changed my plans so now we will be going somewhere else, not somewhere bad but different.

Thanks for all the help though - and it is fascinating - although your information although very helpful definitely does not say go to place x - more like go everywhere!!!

Fortunately, I have lived in Scotland for 20 years and have been visiting for more than 35. That has given me lots of opportunity to travel to the Highlands and Islands. I still have many places to go, including many of the islands. We also have some great beaches and wildlife on the east coast and there are castles and distilleries everywhere. The wildlife is not as easy to get close to as in some places (e.g. Florida), but it is worth the effort. Because the water and the wind is cold, many of the beaches are deserted and most are not developed.