By about 9am, the weather began to turn a little more pleasant and by the end of the day it was sunny and dry with a light wind, albeit chilly.
The Lesser Grey Shrike was searched for at Sanaigmore this morning, but we had no luck. It may be still on Islay, but who knows where?
At the far end of the island Mary-Ann Featherstone was watching a couple of Golden Eagles and David Dinsley had 15 or so Greenland White-fronts at Loch Kinnabus. Otherwise all the action was back on the Rhinns.
On Loch Indaal there was the usual mix of sea-ducks and divers plus a couple of Black Guillemots off Bruichladdich. Whooper Swans were again much in evidence. 60+ on the fields near Kilchoman and groups totalling 110 on Gruinart. The Barnacle Geese were beginning to wander further afield and White-fronts much more regular. James How did another count in the afternoon and tallied 15,760 along with 327 White-fronts and 41 Brent Geese - though these were coming and going in small groups during the day and probably exceeded 75 in total. Large Canada Geese were seen at Loch Gruinart and on Loch Gorm (where 2 splendid adult White-tailed Eagles sat in bright sunshine on old fence posts close to the water's edge). On the floods were 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Ruff, 6 Greenshank, single Little Egret, White-tailed Eagles and plenty of ducks and Snipe.
Bird of the Day goes to James who miraculously found a Red-breasted Goose amongst the vast flocks of ever-moving Barnacle Geese on the flats. Luckily for us we bumped into James after he'd found it and we relocated it briefly before everything moved off as the tide rose.
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