Thursday 22nd September

A better day today, even managed to cut the grass this afternoon without the lawn mower choking up with damp grass as it often does in late September. The farmers had their combines out trying to cut some of the barley crop when the weather was with them too. Yesterday, James had a Yellowhammer on the reserve at Gruinart, just opposite the Craigens roadend. David one of the vols at Gruinart counted 119 Lapwings along with 3 Golden Plover and 23 Ruff on the flats today. The other vols had carried out a count on Loch Gruinart itself today. Their birds were as follows, 19 Heron, 9 Wigeon, 45 Mallard, 28 Eider, 25 Red breasted Merganser, 8 Shoveler, 266 Oystercatcher,144 Sanderling, 700 Dunlin, 239 Bar tailed Godwit, 429 Curlew, 89 Redshank, 219 Black headed Gull, 139 Common Gull, 3 Lesser Black backed Gull, 288 Herring Gull, 312 Greylags, 58 Barnies & 100 Pale bellied Brent Geese.