Mon 17th - Tues 18th March

Apolgies for not doing an entry yesterday, but for some reason or another I was unable to gain access through Internet Explorer....

At this point I would like to welcome another new contributor, Louise Gregory. Louise lives on Jura and "commutes" every day, weather permitting, to her job with SNH based in Bowmore, but her area takes in Islay, Jura and Colonsay. She hopes to give a weekly update of what she has been seeing whilst travelling back and forward to work.

"Spring has sprung and finally I am commuting in daylight! The horozontal rain has also let up and conditions are much better for bird spotting. At home, at Gatehouse, I have seen my first Great and Blue Tit on the bird table, the first since moving here". This past week, there were 12 Whooper Swan in Tarbet Bay, 20+ Fieldfare at Ardfin, also at Ardfin there was a Golden Eagle seen as well as a pair of Kestrel while at Inver there was a juvenile White-tailed Eagle. Still on the Birds of Prey, on a 3 mile stretch of the road one day, there were 3 separate female Hen Harrier. One evening, there were 50+ Barnacle Geese returning to the roost at Inver Fish Farm.

Apart from the Great and Blue Tit on the bird table, there was also a pair of Siskin. Snipe were also heard drumming up at Gatehouse. LG

On Monday, there were 62 Whooper swan on the floods at RSPB Loch Gruinart reserve, while on Loch Kinnabus on the Oa reserve, there was a count of 250 Greenland whitefronts and 50 Barnacle Geese. Several Meadow Pipits were heard singing and a single male Hen Harrier was spotted at Glen Astle. 14 Chough in total were seen in different groups around the reserve. A single adult Golden Eagle was seen flying overhead, about 30 metres above us at the end of the day. CF &MS

A late entry for Sunday was the sighting of a Bumble bee at Gruinart reserve, whist today there was a White tailed Sea Eagle soaring on the thermals. This bird had yellow tags, which year that is I will check on tomorrow. The Jura bird had white tags indicating it was a 07 bird. Primroses are starting to flower now and there has been a slight increase in the number of Song Thrush seen. JRH & RAS

Finally, back here at home, I was watching a pair of Chough taking nesting material back to their nest site, and also here on Monday was my first Bumble Bee of the year. IKB