Tuesday 25th August

 Andrew Kelly sent this through to me earlier on today, bit of a shame that he is now back home as I felt that it was "refreshing" to get anther person's sightings and views of the island... 

"Last report, as we travelled home to Yorkshire yesterday.  The views

were fabulous, and the sea was the proverbial millpond - so easy to pick

out wildlife on and in it.

 No new sightings on the island itself, but the ferry from Port Ellen was

productive, starting with a single Razorbill in the harbour, followed by

a steady stream of Razorbills and Guillemots (my first of the trip),

several sightings of Dolphin, and one each of Black Guillemot and Manx

Shearwater (sat nicely on the water!).  Into Loch Tarbert: a flock of

around a dozen Sandwich Terns, a single Red-breasted Merganser, and

flock of c15 Eider Ducks.  We also saw a Golden Eagle driving up Loch Fyne!

 All in all, our species list (ferry to ferry) came to 75, with 73 on or

from the island itself.  I'm sure other, more assiduous, birders would

have clocked up a lot more, but for us that was a very satisfying list,

especially as it included several not seen for a while (especially the

eagles!), and represented a fascinating week's exploration.  It was

certainly a wonderful holiday, and we both can't wait to return to what

is already high on our list of favourite places.  Neither of us can get

over how much of the island we have yet to explore - barely scratched

the surface.  It would be fun to explore the seasons too."

So many thanks to you Andrew for your sightings, much appreciated...