Monday 26 March 2012

Monday 26th March

As I write it is around 19.45 and it is still daylight outside, now that we have changed the clocks what a difference it makes, mind you personally I would not thank you for the clocks not going back as talked about not that long ago. In my student days in Aberdeen, a long time ago, it was tried then and it was long dark in the morning, almost 10 o' clock before it became light, no thanks... Yes, like everywhere else, it has been a great day, outside working in my shirt sleeves, no jersey and it is only March, yesterday I even managed to quickly cut the grass, think that is only the second time in living here 12 years that it has been cut in March!!!


On to birds. Last week on the 20th & 21st the International Goose count was carried out by the team from SNH, the figures tallied through at 46,412 Barnies and 4,309 Whitefronts. The Barnoes are up I think while the Whitefronts are down. Thanks to the tem for their figures. Talking of geese, the Pink footed Geese were seen this morning along at Sunderland again. Steve and the visiting group from Speyside Wildlife headed back to the mainland this morning. Yesterday they had a few Golden Plover on the Rhinns, a small flock of 20 Fieldfare in the Loch Gorm area, and this morning off the ferry had a Black throated Diver amongst the Great Northern Diver coming up the loch into Kennacraig. An Iceland Gull had followed the ferry out of Port Askaig as they left... Steve had been speaking with a lady birder on the ferry and she told him that she had seen a Swallow on Islay yesterday, but she had not told him where it was. Many thanks to Steve for being in touch with his sightings. Our birders from Lancashire saw a Sand Martin at Ardnave today and a Sandwich Tern offshore. James had 18 Whoopers on the flats on the reserve today.

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