Thursday 18th October

Rather a lot of rain through the night, but it turned a not bad day once it cleared up... Yesterday afternoon, the Horwich birders had seen the following, 1 GND at Saligo  along with Black Guillemot, Guillemot, Shag and Eiders. Above Traigh Fleigien Beag were 90 Golden Plover and in the dunes behind were 2 groups of Twite on the grass, one tallied at 36, the other 12. Other visitors had told them of seeing Snow Buntings further up the coast from Saligo as well. Peter had a Sparrowhawk on his garden at Bruichladdich today and Bob saw his first Woodcock of the Autumn along with a few Snipe just up behind his house at Port Charlotte. Andrew and Jane had 8 Sanderling and 41 Ringed Plover down on Machir Bay, at Loch Gorm they had a male Goldeneye, pr of Tufted Duck and 8 Reed Buntings. They saw a Merlin opposite Kilchoman Distillery, a ringtail Hen Harrier and a Kestrel at Ballinaby and then a Peregrine at Grainel road end. Finally on the former distillery pond at Port Charlotte 2 Moorhen were present. Coming back home this evening we had a Barn Owl on the flats at Gruinart and another just before Sunderland Farm. There was also a reported sighting of an American Golden Plover down on Machir Bay by a visitor, but no more details apart from that. 

Thursday 27th June

Rather a dreich sort of a day outside. It started of with rain through the night and wet first thing this morning, then it stopped and then it became misty or was it a haar rolling in from the sea? The crag came into view for a while, although the tops were still shrouded, as I write this entry at around 9pm I cannot see any of the crag at all.... Luckily for you folk out there, I had forgotten to put on some birds through from Carl last night! Along at Crosshouses, Carl had seen some newly hatched Moorhen chicks. Back outside the Distillery at Bruichladdich, he spotted 2 broods of Eiders, and on Loch Indaal  off Port Charlotte a GND was present in full summer plumage. We saw a pr of Shelduck with 9 ducklings on Loch Indaal, just as we came into Bruichladdich yesterday evening. Bob had not seen the Sparrowhawk of late, but on Tuesday had seen it devouring a House Sparrow with a ring on its leg, one of possibly Euan's birds caught and rung last July!