Thursday 26th April

The Argyll birder kindly sent this image of a Shoveler taken at Gruinart yesterday. Also yesterday he had 6 Whimbrel down at Machir Bay, while at Gruinart he had a House Martin, Glaucous Gull, 1 Black tailed Godwit, 1 large Canada Goose, 132 Ringed Plover, 25 Golden Plover, 29 Dunlin, 1 Pale bellied brent & 69 Barnies.At Gartmain he had a Grey Plover and at Gortan, 6 Turnstone were present. Up at Ardnave, 106 Golden Plover and 22 Chough were seen. Carl had 4 Whimbrel at Gortan yesterday. On the reserve at Gruinart, James saw his first Lapwing chicks of the year, while down on Loch Indaal he had 3 Sandwich Tern. On Tuesday, our Hampshire birders recalled having seen "too many" Wheatears to count up at Sanaigmore, also there was a Common Sandpiper, 8 Whimbrel, 6 Ringed Plover, 10 Meadow Pipit, some Twite and Linnets too. At Ballinaby, they had 2 Whimbrel, Herring Gull with several Skylarks singing away with the good weather! Over at Coullabus, a Mistle Thrush was present. Yesterday they had a female Hen Harrier flying alongside them as they drove along past Rockside. On the River Sorn, they had 2 Dippers while at the feeders at The Woolen Mill, 3 Siskins were feeding. Down at Foreland, a male Hen Harrier flew across the road while at Bruichladdich, 2 Purple Sandpipers were seen along with 2 Rock Pipits, male and female Eider, 3 Ringed Plover and 4 Black Guillemot. Now, on to today, over close to the bonded warehouses at Laphroaig Distillery, there were 2 large Canada Geese along with a single Greylag, but they were all gone about an hour later on. Coming home late afternoon, on the low road, about a mile or so south of Island Farm 2 juv. White tailed Sea Eagles flew across the road, heading inland, just as well nobody was following, as we just had to stop and look as did the car about 100 m ahead of us... James today on the reserve at Gruinart had a Pectoral Sandpiper, Jack Snipe, 12 Whitefronts, 15 Golden Plover & 15 White Wagtails. Round at Ballinaby there were only arond 60 Golden Plover to be seen today. If you click on the link to the INHT blog, you can read all about the dead Ringed Plover which Pia found the other day.