Monday 24th October

Before I forget, the monthly meeting of our local birders is tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, held down in the Islay Natural History Trust in Port Charlotte at 7.30pm. It is a completely informal meeting, no chairperson, no talk, but a great chance to catch up with each other. Often we head off the the local for pint afterwards, completely laid back..... any visitors around are made welcome!

Right, back to birds, earlier this evening while we were out, we had a Barn Owl out hunting close to Sunderland Farm and on the way home there was another one sitting on a fence post just after Erasaid heading up towards Gruinart. A visitor had seen 4 Snow Buntings at Killinallan today. Another visitor had 31 Pale belied Brent Geese at Blackrock, a Great Northern Diver close to the shore at Bowmore, 110 Golden Plover in the fields as you go into the golf course at The Machrie, and later on at Ardtalla, a Bullfinch and also a Goldcrest were seen. Another visitor had 85 Whoopers in the barley stubble down at Sunderland, with a further 22 seen on the edge of Loch Gorm, there were 13 adults and 9 young birds present. Down on Loch Indaal, 80 Scaup were noted along with 12 Red breasted Merganser and a Slavonian Grebe at midday. In Bridgend Woods, there were large numbers of Chaffinches moving through the trees and feeding on the track. There were 200 counted at one point, and a Brambling was also present with them. Close to The Woolen Mill, Tits were seen Goldcrest and a Treecreeper too. Mid afternoon at the hide at Gruinart, a ring tail Hen Harrier was present, along with a good mixture of duck and waders present, Pochard, 4 Dabchick, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon, Whooper Swan, Lapwing, Snipe, Redshank and Black tailed Godwit. On their way home they had 160 Golden Plover and also the Starling flock round at Ballinaby. Late afternoon they had 4 Snow Buntings at Machir Bay.