Monday 4th November

Loads of birds- Yesterday Bob and John O were out birding. At Laggan Point they had a White Tailed Eagle, at the Laundry Loch 1000 Teal, 400 Wigeon and 12 Whooper Swans. At Skerrols, Lots of swans- 54 Mute Swans, 52 Whooper Swans, 68 wigeon, 1 Little Grebe and a Coot, at Blackrock 158 Scaup and finally at Gartmain a Sparrowhawk. Also seen yesterday a Green winged teal from the hides at Gruinart. Today Micheal had - 59 Hoodies (the crow sort) at Rockside, 3 Hen Harriers, 54 Pintail and 280 Golden Plover at Gruinart. He then moved on to Ardnave- 15 Snow Buntings, 55 Twite, 29 Ringed Plovers and 14 Rock Pipits and on Loch Indaal 36 Red Throated Diver, 17 Great Northern Diver, 23 Slavonian Grebes, 80 Common Scoter, 13 Long Tailed ducks, 81 Red Breasted Mergansers and 34 Pale Bellied Brents. Amy on the Reserve at Gruinart also found 1 Redpoll and 40 Fieldfares.

Sunday 24th February

Another great day although Mike's weather station recorded 3 degrees of frost at 5 am today...Phil and Cath had a juv White tailed Sea Eagle over towards Kilchoman with a Golden Eagle seen shortly afterwards.On Loch Indaal, just in front of Loch Gorm House there were 12 Pale bellied Brent, further along at the mini market in Bruichladdich 2 Purple Sandpipers and a Red throated Diver were spotted. Just before coming into Port Charlotte a ringtail Hen Harrier flew across the road ahead of them. This afternoon, Peter had a great time looking out over Loch Indaal from the pier at Bruichladdich. His sightings were as follows, 17 GND, 1 Black throated Diver, 48 Red throated Diver, 5 Slavonian Grebe, 85 Eiders, displayng and "cooing" away, 26 RB Merganser, 3 Long tailed Duck, 67 Common Scoter, 6 Scaup, 2 Mallard, 3 Wigeon, 16 Pale belled Brent, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Whooper Swan, 1 Black Guillemot in breeding plumage and 2 Razorbill. All that I could muster was a Buzzard sitting on the garden wall, a Wren in the wood with a Collared Dove out on the grass in front of the house.