The fine weather continued on Thursday - dry, sunny, light breeze from the SE. This continued into Friday morning, but, as predicted, the clouds came in, the wind increased and began turning to come from the NW and it became colder.
For yesterday there were two reports, both from Jura - a Wheatear seen by Louise M. and a flock of 45 Skylarks at Ardfin golf course noted by Malcolm O. On Islay, Billy Stitchell had a drumming Great spotted Woodpecker at Lily Loch up at Dunlossit - the site where breeding was first proven in 2013.
The first posting today was from Clive McK. in mid-morning who was alerted by his neighbour, Kate Hannet, to a Hoopoe in their garden, which obligingly popped into his garden too. I went up after lunch with Val P. David & Ruth Beaumont to try and find it. No luck for ages, checking form Clive's at Creag Mhor all the way to Ardnave. Back at Clive's we gave up and started driving down to Gruinart when it popped up on the road in front of us. It seemed fixated on feeding on the grass growing down the middle of the road, gave some fine views and only flew up when it dodged a passing Hen Harrier. Malcolm O. points out that this is Islay's 12th record, six of them being in spring with the previous earliest on 22nd April.
Morven Laurie from NatureScot kindly sent in the last goose count of the winter, carried out on 18th & 19th March. Totals were:
31,566 Barnacle Geese; 4,268 Greater White-fronted Geese; 1,364 Greylag Geese.
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