Monday 21st April 2025 

Easter Monday, which was rather damp during the day, but clearing up in the late afternoon, has produced a new species for the island, but, before we get on to that, I'm happy to report the first Corncrake of the summer, heard yesterday at Conisby by Peter Dewar.

Val Peacock came round to see me for a chat early this afternoon and, on getting back home to Port Charlotte, phoned to say she had seen a very pale goose in a field with Greylag Geese close to Port Mor. She wasn't able to stop to look more closely so, although I wouldn't call myself a twitcher, I do tend to make an exception for odd-looking geese, and therefore drove along the road to Port Mor and there, in the first field on the left past the memorial, was an easily identifiable bird which I believe to be the first record for Islay of a Swan Goose. Well spotted, Val. I somehow doubt there will be a mass twitch to see it, as they are native to the far east of Russia, Mongolia and northern China, wintering further south in China, and not only not on the British List but rather unlikely to ever be on it. However, they are quite widely kept in captivity in the UK. We've recently had a spell of quite strong easterly winds, so perhaps some wildfowl collection on the mainland is wondering where one of their geese has got to.

And for those who want to know what it looks like, here it is.