Sunday 20th May

A bit cooler here today, but fear not as the forecast for the week claims that is it is to warm up and be dry, so I went and cut some of the grass this afternoon. Bob had been out with Rob Young from Yorkshire yesterday down towards Laggan Point. Just as they came off the "low road", they had a Redpoll and a pr of Bullfinches. On the "laundry loch" they had a Whooper Swan, 2 Common Sandpiper,  saw a pr of Chough and also a Snipe. Other birds noted were Shag, a group of 14 Black Guillemot, around 80 Fulmars on nests, 1 Turnstone and out on Loch Indaal, 2 GND were seen. Today, they had the following birds down between the Moss road and Gartbreck, 2 GND, 4 Shag, 5 Greater Black backed Gull, 6 Herring Gull, 10 Common Gull, 84 Black headed Gull including 35 on nests, 23 Arctic Tern, 87 Eider mainly males, 1 Greylag, pr large Canada Geese, 11 Shelduck, 26 Red breasted Merganser, 58 Oystercatcher, 11 Curlew, 26 Whimbrel with 17 in one group, 6 Bar tailed Godwit, 46 Dunlin with 25 in one group, 16 Ringed Plover, 4 Mute Swan and 8 Redshank. Rob runs East Yorkshire Bird Tours and is over on Islay for a few days. Andrew who first saw the Dotterel, today had Spotted Flycatcher and 4 Cuckoos up the back of Port Askaig, later on at Loch Skerrols he had a male Crossbill. Here at home today the Cuckoo was calling away early in the morning, just to annoy the folk in the cottages! This afternoon there were 3 Collared Doves down on the cut grass.