Thursday 10th May

The weather took a turn downhill today, the wind turned round and we even had some rain, not a lot, but a dampness rather than a downpour. I heard this morning of someone down in Oxfordshire who had been saying that since the hosepipe ban came in, that they have not had a dry day, and this statement was backed up with a similar tale by somebody from Norfolk. We never seem to be happy with the weather....Back on Monday, Bob saw a Peregrine chasing after waders when he was over at Gartbreck, later on he had a Merlin at Kentraw. Yesterday, Bob came across a Teal's nest with a clutch of 10 eggs in it and on the "distillery pond", he had a Bewick's Swan. Malcolm had the GND out in front of his house, and while he was out with Merlin, his labrador, he had 2 Cuckoos yelling away, one was at the old lime kilns up from Tynacoille, with the other yelling back from the trees around Foreland House. On the reserve at Gruinart, James had heard 3 seperate Corncrakes calling and late afternoon, he had a Black throated Diver on Loch Indaal beside Uiskentuie. Along the strand from Uiskentuie, Peter had 4 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 6 Turnstone, 10 Sanderling and 2 Little Tern. On Loch Indaal from Bruichladdich. Peter had 2 Red throated Divers, both in winter plumage, and 2 GND, one in winter plumage, the other in summer plumage.