Wednesday 1st January

A Happy New Year to you all out there, wherever you may be... Not much to report today, but there was a flock of around 100 Lapwing out over the Machir around the War Graves' graveyard this morning along with a few Barnies and some Whitefronts too. A Sparrowhawk flew along the front of the cottages at a great turn of speed, and later on a Merlin was down below Rockside, possibly the same one that Marc had seen chasing after the Reed Buntings. The rain this afternoon, did not deter folk going down to Machir Bay for a walk!!

Monday 16th December

Heard this morning, that the Reindeer got off Islay safely yesterday, relief all round! Today James did a count at Gruinart of the Geese present.... 5,413 Barnies (up on the last count), 342 Whitefronts (high for December), 49 Greylags, 11 Whoopers and 640 Lapwing. James was saying that there appear to be a few Whoopers still moving through, certainly on Friday I saw 4 at Coull and about 2 hours later they had moved on. Down at Rockside feeding amongst the silage for the livestock were some Whitefronts with Barnies in the next field, no sign of any Golden Plovers today!

Thursday 22nd November

More whooper swans moving through today- 22 moved south through Loch Gruinart and Malcolm reported some past Bruichladdich.
Earlier in the week a count of Loch Gruinart revealed - 421 lapwing, 176 golden plover, 188 oystercatchers, 53 ringed plover, 126 sanderling, 42 dunlin, 385 bar tailed godwits, 110 curlew, just 8 redshank, 46 turnstones, 38 pintail, 31 shoveler, 95 shelduck and 96 wigeon.