Sat 12th Sept

While helping to hang the washing out from the cottages this afternoon, we were graced with a juvenile Golden Eagle soaring overhead, and also 4 Buzzards over the big crag. I think that the Buzzards are the family group that reared their brood of 2 young close by. Yesterday the Buzzards were keeping a close eye on the 2 Peregrines which have around for the last few days.

This evening on our way back from Bowmore, we stopped off at "smelly corner" for a quick look around. Apart from numerous Greylag geese that were in at the top of Loch Indaal, on the edge of a group of Black backed Gulls was a single Barnacle Goose, probably the same goose that been seen at Blackrock and Uiskentuie through the summer. Also on the mudflats was a group of 16 Herons, all resting up, I had to double check as I do not recall seeing so many together in one place at the same time. Further on, after Uiskentuie and before the spit a total of 38 Mergansers were counted. On the shoreline, and also along the grass on the Strand were a lot of Pied Wagtails. On the spit itself were 27 Oystercatcher, 2 Bar tailed Godwits and a single Curlew.