Tuesday 19th November

Yesterday, the Burbage birders had seen 3 Lapland Buntings down below Rockside. Over at Gruinart, they had a Peregrine sitting on top of a fence post at the Visitor centre. Up at Ardnave Loch, 23 Whoopers and a Long tailed Duck were present. Also there were were 43 Chough. They also saw a male Hen Harrier just at dusk as they returned to Port Charlotte. Dave down on the Oa had a White wagtail yesterday and also a White tailed Sea eagle. Today over the reserve, ave had a flock of around 50 Fieldfare and another of 16 fly past, and also  40 Redwing overhead! Here at home I had to be content with a Brambling on the bird table!

Thursday 19th September

Thanks to James for writing the entry for the blog for the last couple of days while I was over in Glasgow... Yesterday Louise had a Lapland Bunting when she was out past Loch Gorm yesterday. Also yesterday, Bob had been out with the German visitors again, this time a walk round Ardnave Point. On their walk, they had 130 Sanderling, 2 Redshank, 3 Barwits, 20 Turnstone and a Peregrine. Returning back towards the farm steading they had a flock of 80 Twite together, and had also seen several smaller groups before that. They also counted 35 Chough there too. Visitor Andrew who is over for a few days had a Buzzard on top of a rocky outcrop out past Ardbeg towards Kildalton. I, too had my fix when I was away, a Magpie... rare here on Islay, and on Tuesday afternoon, a Fox out in a garden in Bearsden, a major twitch that would have been here!

Thursday 9th May

A miserable sort of a day out here, but it has not really hindered folk out birding, so another good lot of birds  have been sent through. The other day, Carl had a Corncrake down at Shorefield, Bruichladdich. Bob had 12 Collared Doves at his house yesterday and today he saw an imm female Marsh Harrier fly past. George counted 30 Whimbrel fly past and also heard the Corncrake. Up at Ardnave Mary had a Lapland Bunting. Andrew and Jane had a good day starting with 3 Gannets on Loch Indaal off Port Charlotte and also a dark phase Pomarine Skua, along at Bruichladdich Pier they saw 2 Black Guillemots. Up at Ardnave Loch, a female Merlin was seen, a male Hen Harrier present, 15 Whimbrel, 20 Chough, 2 Barnies, 2 Canadas, 1 Greenland Whitefront and a male Whinchat. From the old hide at Gruinart, 6 Blackwits, a Mallard with ducklings, a Lapwing with young, 3 Sedge Warblers, "a lot of Swallows and Sand Martins" hawking over the floods were seen. Finally along the flats, Andrew and Jane heard a Corncrake, Whitethroat and also Whooper Swan still present as well as 3 Roe Does. This morning we had "a lot of Swallows and Sand Martins"  swooping along the road in front of the trees at Erasaid. Back here at home we are now up to 10 Redpolls, boy they can't half eat....The birds appear to eating more now than they were earlier on, another order away in the other day for more food....

Monday 29th April

Just some of the Black tailed Godwits in flight taken over at Gruinart by the "Argyll birder"! James this morning had a count between the floods and the flats of 891 Blackwits and also 90 Pale bellied Brent Geese. Later on he carried out a Goose count with Emily and had 5205 Barnies, 6 Greenland Whitefronts, 10 Greylags and 75 Pale bellied Brent Geese. Today the "Argyll birder" had 3 Lapland Bunting down in a newly germinated barley field at Rockside. Round at Ballinaby, he had a count of 710 Golden Plover. At Toronmore, there was a flock of 25 Linnets present and also 16 Ringed Plover. A total of 14 White wagtails were round Loch Gorm. Later on at Bun an Uillt, 69 Pale bellied Brent were present and a Peregrine at the  reserve at Gruinart. A single Redwing was at Gruinart and another down at Portnahaven. Just to spoil Islay's figures, John Bowler on Tiree had 1520 Blackwits and 11,320 Golden Plover, so that has blown away the previous Argyll record for Blackwits! Just after lunchtime, we had a striking male Hen Harrier fly across the road in front of us down close to Foreland House and then another past Sunderland, but this one was further out over the moor.
Remember to come along to the Bird nerds get together at 7pm at the "old hide" at Gruinart on Tuesday, if you are around.

Monday 21st October

The Rochdale birders yesterday had been a walk round Ardnave Point where they saw a Swallow, Wheatear,  Whinchat,  6 Sanderling,  2 Purple Sandpiper, 10 Twite and mixed flocks of Rock and Meadow Pipits. Back at Rock Mountain they saw a Merlin. Mike and Elspeth from Edinburgh had seen a ringtail Hen Harrier on their way up to Killinallan, also 4 Reed Buntings there too with another ringtail at Gortontoid. They had seen a total of 6 Buzzards, including a juv. bird with a huge rabbit up in the dunes!At the mouth of Loch Gruinart, they saw a Lesser Black backed Gull. The Leigh birders had seen 2 Goldeneye (male and female), 1 ad GND and 2 juv GND, Turnstones, R. b. Mergansers, Eiders, Barnies and Cormorants from the harbour at Bowmore. Amongst the Barnies as they came out of Bowmore, they had a lesser Canada Goose. Below Rockside they had a Merlin, over at Gruinart  a juv Golden Eagle. Up at Ardnave Loch, a pr of Mute Swans with 4 young as well as a pr of Whoopers with 1 cygnet, the male Mute was harassing the male Whooper trying to get it to leave. Also on the loch were 14 Tufted Duck and a Little Grebe. Over the dunes 60 Chough were seen. Heading back round Loch Gorm was a small flock of 18 Lapwing and just before that a count of around 200 Golden Plover. Coming home last night we saw 3 Barn Owls, one close to Sunderland, another further along the road and the final one was seen between Rockside and the Coastguard's. Today Bob had seen 2 Golden Eagle up behind Port Charlotte. Andrew Harrop who saw the Red breasted Goose yesterday had seen it again this morning along at Sunderland, and down on Machir Bay, he had a first winter Mediterrean Gull and round at Toranore beside Ballinaby 11 Lapland Buntings and a Greenland Redpoll were seen. Danny and the team had seen 34 Pale bellied Brent Geese at Blackrock today, and as they came back to the ferry at Feolin on Jura, they had an Otter. Mike and Elspeth had 80 Scaup at Blackrock this morning as well as 5 Slavonian Grebes.  On the Oa they had a Peregrine and also 20 Fieldfare. They counted a further 12 at Cluanach and also commented on the numbers of Stonechats that they have seen so far. On the reserve at Gruinart James had a count of 19,000 Barnies, 516 Whitefronts, 44 Greylags, 7 Pale bellied Brent, 1 Canada hutchinsii sp., 1 Golden Eagle 2nd  yr., 1 ad and 1 juv Peregrine, 1 ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk and 52 Whooper Swans.