Thursday 30th October

The day didn't start too badly - moderate southerly winds, dry with a bit of sunshine. But it deteriorated by late morning into a nasty day of near-gale force southerly winds with driving rain and thick cloud, enough to cancel most ferries and the evening flight.

There was another report for yesterday coming in from Mike Bell who had a late Swallow and 8 Yellowhammers in a large flock of Chaffinches at Keills then a high count of 1790 Golden Plover at Gruinart.

Today Ed Burrell reported an influx overnight to Cornabus of Greenland White-fronted Geese (up to 135 from 28 previously). Amid various tagged and marked birds was one from the winter of 2014/15.

Noel Hand left Islay today on the last ferry out before the inevitable cancellations. On the way to the ferry he had 2 families of Whooper Swans with young.

Mike Hill braved the elements and found a few birds including Hen Harriers to the rear of Kilchoman House and  near Port Ellen, plus a female Blackcap in the scrub along the burn beside the cottages.

Wednesday 29th October

Heavy rain and strong winds overnight gave way to lighter westerlies with occasional showers during today, brightening as the day went on and the wind dropped away. 

Bird sightings kicked off with Sophie Jackson reporting a Little Egret at Crosshouses and later a Great Northern Diver up at Bunnahabhain. Down at Portnahaven Mary R. watched an adult White-tailed Eagle trying hard, but failing, to predate a young Great Black-backed Gull. She also had a Peregrine zip by her her house. Noel Hand was a Gruinart and was watching more predation going on - this time a successful catch of a Starling by a Merlin. He also found a Grey Plover and 2 Greenshank at the North Hide plus the Green-winged Teal.

Gary T. was birding Loch Indaal and was pleased to see that the stick perches he had put out for passing Kingfishers up at Bridgend merse was working well with two of the little beauties making use of them today. Other finds included 2 Common/Arctic Terns fishing the shoreline at Carnain, 2 Snow Buntings and 2 Knot at Gartmain and 2 White-tailed Eagles on the grassy islets on the flats at Bridgend.

Fiona McG. had a latish Swallow in Bruichladdich and other birders were happily watching their garden birds - Blue  and Long-tailed Tits for Clive McK at Creag Mhor and a very active day for Billy Stitchell up at Caol Ila with Goldcrests and a Treecreeper foraging in a plum tree, numerous Goldfinches in Sycamores, Blackbirds on the lawn at various tits at the feeders and a sunset Bullfinch. (photos below).

Mike Hill  was out birding today and amongst various sightings he saw two Black-throated Divers, a single Great Northern, three Slavonian Grebes and a dozen Common Scoter along with lots of Red-breasted Mergansers and Eiders on Loch Indaal. He also found a Canada Goose in amongst a Barnacle Goose flock on the Kilchoman Road, which he thought looked more compact than 'normal' Canada Geese and wondered if it was the 'parvipes" race that was reported recently? (photos below). I leave it to those who love to agonise over races of Canada Geese to comment!

Tuesday 28th October

Weather from the west producing rapidly changing conditions all day - from dry and sunny with a moderate breeze to some heavy isolated downpours and stronger winds by evening.

Neil McMahon with his Naturetrek group on their last day got lucky finding a Waxwing at the Port Askaig ferry terminal. Gary T. found Crossbills up at Caol Ila, while Noel Hand counted 6-7 Little Egrets at Gruinart. I was up at RSPB Gruinart this afternoon and found the Green-winged Teal among large numbers of Common Teal and 4 Black-tailed Godwits close to the N. hide, plus a pair of White-tailed Eagles out on the flats eating a large fish. Val P. found us a lone Brent Goose in with the thousands of Barnacle Geese on the fields, but no sign there of the Red-breasted Goose. Mike Hill had a Barn Owl hunting along the road verge at 5.30pm between Bowmore and Bridgend.

Monday 27th October

Weather systems moving rapidly through meant a very windy, wet night giving way to a drier, almost calm middle of the day reverting to rain and wind again by the evening.

Mike Hill is visiting and saw 3 Hen Harriers in the Ballinaby/Kilchoman area, a White-tailed Eagle on a fence post at Gruinart where he counted 200 Golden Plover. The Oa in the afternoon produced a distant Golden Eagle.

Neil McMahon's group were active again, first finding the Kingfisher over at Bowmore Harbour along with an Otter. Another Otter was found at Kilnaughton and then a pair of Golden Eagles, a couple of Choughs, 35 Twite and 8 Whooper Swans on The Oa. Their day concluded with 4 Hen Harriers hunting then off to roost at Gruinart.

David Dinsley was also on The Oa and had an immature Glaucous Gull over the American Monument - our first of this coming winter. Elsewhere, Ed Burrell saw his Treecreeper again at Cornabus and Mary Redman had a group of 7 Chough at Claddach where she found a Long-tailed Duck on the loch - an unusual location for this species.

The calm conditions in the afternoon made for a count of Eiders off Bruichladdich - 125 in total.

Sunday 26th October

The day started overcast, light winds and drizzling. By the afternoon the sun broke though occasionally but the wind increased to be quite stormy from the NW with heavy rain showers by the evening.

Most of us stayed indoors under such unpleasant conditions, but Neil McMahon with his Naturetrek group had to make the best of their time here and have provided us with the bulk of the day's sightings. They started with 30 Brent Geese in Loch Indaal, seen from the Gaelic College and a White-tailed Eagle at Crosshouses. Later at Ballinaby they found the Lesser Canada Goose picked out by Steve Percival (photo below - and apparently of the parvipes race). Back at Whin Park they spotted a Pink-footed Goose with the Barnacle Geese , 6 Whooper Swans, a Grey Plover and had seen 3 Hen Harriers up at Gruinart. They finished with a late Swallow at Bruichladdich. Thanks for all your efforts on such a dreich day!

Saturday 25th October

A quite cold day with a good breeze from the north and occasional, sometimes quite heavy rain showers between bright sunshine.

Late news from yesterday was from Neil McMahon who saw a Barn Owl near Cluanach. Neil also provided a couple of splendid pictures of his Naturetrek group's Otters from Jura yesterday. This one of an Otter eating an octopus is particularly interesting.

More arrivals and passage of Whooper Swans was noted to day with David W. seeing 15 south over The Oa, and I counted 12 at Bridgend Merse while looking for a mystery wader seen all too briefly by Martin A. and described as about the size of a Redshank but with bright yellow legs. The obvious thought was that it might be a Lesser Yellowlegs and coincidentally one turned up just to our south on Rathlin Island. While looking for the wader there was a flash of blue and orange from the resident Kingfisher and 2 White-tailed Eagles squabbling out on the sands over a bit of unidentified carrion. Clive McK. also took a look for the wader, again with no luck, but a good count for Loch Indaal of 10 Greenshank. Clive had earlier seen a Mealy/Common-type Redpoll in his garden at Creag Mhor.

Later into the day and David W. reports a Garden Warbler at Kinnabus - a scarce bird on Islay, the last in 2022, though easily overlooked. Mary R. had a Merlin chasing Snipe at Port Wemyss, and Billy Stitchell was busy taking brilliant photos of Crossbills at Cluanach and a lovely Redwing in his garden at Caol Ila.

Neil McMahon got Bird of the Day, finding 2 Waxwings (the first since 2023) near Lagavulin this morning where 2 White-tailed Eagles were also noted, then a good runner-up of 2 Pochard on Loch Skerrols this afternoon, where there were 60 Tufted Ducks and a female Scaup. In other wanderings today his group found 2 Great Northern Divers at Claggain Bay, and 2 more along with 4 Red-throated Divers, 9 Slavonian Grebes, 30 Common Scoters, 64 Red-breasted Mergansers and 2-3 Great Skuas in the mouth of Loch Indaal harassing the gulls.

Friday 24th October

A dry, day with bits of sunshine at times, but slightly breezier with a cool wind from the north.

Malcolm O. sent in a count of 32 Light-bellied Brent seen at Gartmain yesterday.

Today, Alan Bowie started things off with 2 White-tailed Eagles at the top of Loch Gruinart, with another at the top of Loch Indaal seen by Neil McMahon/Naturetrek.

There was a passage and influx of Whooper Swans today with small groups coming in to Loch Gruinart during the day, with Clive McK. seeing, what looks like a total of possibly 71 birds, there being a further 20 seen by Robbie & Stuart Langsbury at Loch Gorm (where they also had 3 Golden Eagles over Kilchoman), 27 seen by Mary R. at Port Wemyss and c.30 seen at Cornabus - so a putative island total of 148 birds?

David D. had a group of 4 Pink-footed Geese drop in to Loch Kinnabus briefly before heading off again. He also commented on large numbers of Fieldfare and Redwings on The Oa this morning with Song and Mistle Thrushes and Blackbirds mixed in for good measure. Other bird news from the Oa came from David W. finding Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcaps, 11 Long-tailed Tits, 6 Coal Tits, 2 Goldcrest and a Grey Wagtail.

James H. reports a build up of geese at Gruinart this morning with 18,780 Barnacle and 378 Greenland White-fronted Geese. He also had a big count of Linnets with 240 in a flock. This evening he reported "Bird of the Day" - our first Green-winged Teal of the winter seen from the North Hide at RSPB Gruinart.

Gary T. noticed actively feeding gulls in Loch Indaal again today, this time off Bridgend, plus Chaffinch flocks and a single Brambling and 36 Brent Geese at Gartmain. He was also recording colour-ringed/tagged Barnies, the details of which we'll get in due course from Steve Percival.

Neil McMahon took his Naturetrek group over to Jura where the big attraction was finding 7-8 different Otters over the course of the day. He noted the feral Canada Geese at Craighouse plus 3 Great Northern and single Black-throated Diver at Loch na Mile. Kittiwakes were noted in the Sound of Islay and up at Ardlussa were 2 Hen Harriers and a Yellowhammer.

Thursday 23rd October

Another day of light winds and "sunshine and showers".

The Naturetrek group led by Neil McMahon found the Kingfisher in the usual spot on the merse at Bridgend this morning along with 15 Whooper Swans and 2 large Canada Geese. Later they walked out to Ardnave Point finding 5 White-tailed Eagles (photo below) towards Nave Island, plus Hen Harrier, 35 Chough and Great northern Diver, a Great Skua and a Brambling.

Gary T. was up at Finlaggan and encountered 3 Crossbills and 2 Swallows over the conifer plantation there. Clive McK. noted 100+ Icelandic Redwings up at Creag Mhor, while Alan Bowie found a lone Snow Bunting at Saligo.

Robbie & Stuart Langsbury (sons of the late Gordon Langsbury whose super photos we often use on this blog)  had an adult Golden Eagle at Ardnave Loch (and a Chough or two see photo), a male Merlin sat on a fence post near the RSPB Visitor Centre and a flock of 20 x Redwing. On the Low road just past the airport they found a male Hen Harrier and further on, a flock of 50 x Fieldfare over the Port Ellen Maltings.

Up at Caol Isla Billy Stitchell took the photo below of his resident Treecreeper.

Wednesday 22nd October

 Fairly calm conditions, but some heavy rain showers in the morning giving way to a brighter afternoon.

Bird notes today kicked off with Ed B. reporting a Brent Goose on the loch at Cornabus - an odd "inland" record for the species. Clive McK. noted a couple of small groups of Whooper Swans totalling 10 birds passed through Loch Gruinart in the morning, with a 9 Pintail arriving a little later. James H. had a Water Rail at Gruinart in the evening.

Gary T. was birding around Loch Indaal finding a "feeding frenzy" of gulls, Black and Common Guillemots, Razorbills and divers at Bruichladdich. This continued into lunch time when I watched large numbers of Black-headed Gulls successfully taking small silver fish from leaping shoals close in by the pier, while there were 40+ Common Scoter a little further off. Gary later watched one of two White-tailed Eagles take a goose at the head of the loch, plus 4 Little Egrets, 5 Greenshank and the seemingly resident Kingfisher present at the mouth of the River Sorn. Also on Loch Indaal at Carnain, Louise Muir found 20 Twite. 

Elsewhere on the island, Mary R. had a lone Swallow at Port Charlotte, Mary Ann Featherstone had 20+ Coal Tits over at Kildalton and out on The Oa there were two reports of Red Grouse: David D. had 2 while gathering sheep on the reserve and Robbie & Stuart Langsbury had 6 by the boardwalk out to the American Monument where they watched a lovely Golden Eagle.

Monday 20th October & Tuesday 21st October

Monday saw a slight improvement in the weather, with lighter winds, but still very grey and damp and raining more heavily by the evening. The rain continued through the night into a further damp grey Tuesday with rain and westerly winds having picked up a bit. However it did dry out and brighten up by mid-afternoon with plenty of blue sky showing for a change - but it didn't last long!.

On Monday morning a flock of 15 Whooper Swans were seen by Malcolm O. as the flew down Loch Indaal past Bruichladdich. Ed B. had a couple of Treecreepers out at Cornabus - a first for that site. Gary T. was out finding 3 White-tailed Eagles scattered across Loch Gruinart and a Goldie over Creag Mhor.

The poor weather on Tuesday further limited observations, though Clive McK. up at Creag Mhor had a Blackcap, a Brambling, 2 Coal Tits and a couple of Goldcrests in his garden. James H. nearby at Gruinart also had a Brambling plus a Chiffchaff, 60 Chaffinches, 15 Reed Buntings and a Jack Snipe.

Later in the day Clive McK. was out at Loch Gruinart and counted 9 Greenshank and 3 Little Egrets all feeding together. Down at Portnahaven Fiona McG. had 5+ family groups of Whooper Swans passing south and Ed. B. over at Cornabus had 8 large Canada Geese.

Alan Bowie was back for a visit and reported from Gruinart where 2 Bullfinches, single White-tailed Eagle and Peregrine, flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwing were noted, finishing with a pre-roost murmuration of Starlings at Coullabus.

Sunday 19th October

An unpleasant day of overcast skies, fairly strong SE winds and almost constant, quite heavy rain. 

The only bird sightings reported under such conditions came from Theo and Nature Scotland who found the Richardson's-type Cackling Goose in fields at Rock Mountain, Loch Gorm in the morning and a Woodcock flushed from a roadside ditch at Loch Gorm in the afternoon.

Saturday 18th October

The wind beginning to pick up from the SE, still cloudy with a threat of rain. 

Theo with his Nature Scotland group saw a Cackling Goose below Gruinart Visitor Centre with some suggesting it looks like Taverner's race, but another/same bird claimed to be Richardson's showed up at Loch Gorm, while a report on Birdguides claims a possible minima race. Given the published papers stating the apparent impossibility of ascribing these birds 100% to any race, I'm not delving or discussing any further!

Gary T. found 2 Snow Buntings with Chaffinches and a flock of 30 Twite at Carnain/Crosshouses. A further flock of 24 Twite were seen by Eddie Devlin at the Oa RSPB car park along with a Merlin. Michael Cook was noting White-tailed Eagles down at Port Ellen while David D. had 11 Whooper Swans including 3 young birds on Loch Kinnabus. Mary Redman had a group of 20 Fieldfare at Tormisdale.

Bird Of The Day goes to Martin Armstrong who discovered the presumably returning Red-breasted Goose with Barnies on the flats near the RSPB Visitor Centre this afternoon (photo below courtesy of Michael Cook).

Friday 17th October

A slight change in the weather today with a hint of a breeze and a threat of drizzle at times, but still almost total cloud cover.

Theo reported the Yellow-browed Warbler still present at Kilchoman this morning. Gary T. had a large count of 33 Mistle Thrushes perched on overhead wires up at Ballygrant, a Merlin at Torrabus, 2 Crossbills and a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Finlaggan and  5 Whooper Swans on stubble fields near Persabus. Clive McK. noted another family of Whoopers (2 adults with 2 young) at Gruinart along with a "small" Canada Goose and a further 6 Whoopers later on in the day. Michael Cook  found a Jack Snipe with 12 Common Snipe up at Ardbeg and encountered the usual 2 White-tailed Eagles sat on the sands at the top of Loch Indaal. Up at Ardnave, Teresa Morris had a good count of 28 Chough feeding on the strandline plus a Snow Bunting (photo below). At Bridgend Mary R. found the Kingfisher. Gary ventured to Gartmain later and found a Barnacle/Canada type hybrid goose. Over on The Oa, David D. had 3 Whooper Swans on Loch Kinnabus and Bill Bealey had 2 Golden Eagles on the cliffs. Eddie Devlin counted 20 Pink-footed Geese at Sunderland Farm with a further 12 Whoopers - so probably 30 present today.

Michael Cook sent in a photo of the  Brambling seen by him yesterday, and Billy Stitchell forwarded several photos of birds around Bruichladdich yesterday:

Thursday 16th October

Another largely overcast and calm day on Islay.

The first report of the day was of a second Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn found by Theo at Kilchoman. Theo also noted a slight build up of Tufted Ducks to 60 on Loch Gorm along with 14 Pink-footed Geese, a juvenile White-tailed Eagle and the "Chinese Goose".

Gary T. had several other Pink-footed Geese and one or two large Canada Geese towards Gartbreck, with various birders reporting White-tailed Eagles at the head of Loch Indaal causing a stir amongst Barnacle and Greenland White-fronted Geese that were moving about and arriving on the island in variously sized flocks during the day.

On The Oa David D. had a latish Blackcap and a Brambling at Kinnabus. Up at Craigens Teresa Morris had a flock of 24 Lapwing moving south and also around Loch Gruinart Theo had a late Curlew Sandpiper amid 120 Dunlin a Grey Plover, 40 Snipe and 7 Black-tailed Godwits. Here too the waders were harried by 2 adult and an immature White-tailed Eagle, and single Peregrine and Hen Harrier.

Michael Cook found another Brambling with a large mixed flock of Chaffinches, Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers and House Sparrows towards Machir Bay. Michael also noted that he'd now seen a respectable 100 species during his few days on Islay.

Over at Carraig Fadha/Singing Sands Bill Bealey saw another two White-tailed Eagles pursuing, but missing a gull.

Later in the afternoon at Kilchoman Teresa counted a flock of 30 Twite, then found 3 Greenshank at Bun-an-Uillt (possibly the same as two at Ardnave seen by Clive Mck.). Gary T. had the Kingfisher again up at Bridgend, Theo had 6 Crossbills over Loch Skerrols and Michael Cook had a Merlin over the road between Bowmore and Port Ellen. David D. noted an increase to 57 Greenland White-fronts at Loch Kinnabus.

Two other good finds today were a 1W Mediterranean Gull with Common Gulls found on Loch Gorm  in late afternoon by Theo and a report via Theo of 4 Velvet Scoter apparently seen off Ardnave Point by Jack Morris - though no idea of when as he doesn't post on our WhatsApp or Blog.

Wednesday 15th October

The weather continued basically flat calm and overcast all day.

Firstly - many thanks to Malcolm O. for writing the blog for me while I was birding in Angola. I left just as a an influx of birders and a resulting bunch of great birds appeared, keeping Malcolm more than busy in my absence.

I was down at Easter Ellister this morning in the hope of catching up with the Veery, but had no luck. Theo, Gary T. and I were there for a total of 4 hours (8am-12 midday) with no sign.

Michael Cook noted a latish Wheatear on the Oa where he also video-ed a perched Golden Eagle. Mark Livingston saw another perched Goldie at Dunlossit.

The calm conditions are perfect for counting birds on Loch Indaal and Theo did a count from Port Charlotte right around to south of Bowmore. Notable tallies (several at the high end of peak annual counts) were: 228 Eider, 96 Common Scoter, 153 Red-breasted Mergansers, 120 Golden Plover, 100 Bar-tailed Godwit, 50 Knot, 14 Razorbill, 28 Guillemots, 37 Slavonian Grebes, 98 Red-throated Divers (the highest island count on record) and 175 Shags. (Surprisingly, there were only 5 Great Northern Diver). There was also a Kingfisher and a Black-tailed Godwit at Bridgend and the Todd's Canada Goose south of Bowmore. 

Teresa Morris was over at Kintra and noted amongst other things 2 GBB Gulls, 35 Black-headed Gulls, 28 Mallard.

In the afternoon, Theo happened upon, and posted on our WhatsApp group a report of a Yellow-browed Warbler at Bruichladdich seen by Jack Morris. I spent an hour around the back of the dense cover between my house in Bruichladdich and beyond Gleaners but couldn't relocate it.

Tuesday 14th October 2025

The weather was a repeat of yesterday, being dull and overcast with light and variable winds.

The Veery was seen again at Easter Ellister the morning, but was reported as "very skulking", which I would take as meaning that it is a bit shy.

There was plenty of other birding activity, starting with a report from David D. of a flock of 45 Ravens at Kinnabus. Several new birders have arrived on the island, some at least perhaps hoping to see our American visitor. In the middle of the day, Bill watched 6 Choughs towards Killinallan, while Margret was happy to see 23 Choughs at Ardnave Point. Just before 15.00, Michael Cook spotted a feeding frenzy just south of Bruichladdich with 7 Red-throated and 2 Black-throated Divers, 1 Little Gull and 1 Common Scoter along with Common Gulls and auks.

Later in the afternoon, Margret saw 2 Ravens at Finlaggan, where Theo counted 3 Tufted Ducks and a Little Grebe on the loch, having just seen 43 Tufted Ducks and a female Scaup on Loch Skerrols, and later he counted 66 Tufted Duck on Loch Gorm. At 16.10, David D. saw a Yellowhammer and 80 Fieldfares in Glen Astle, then, at 17.41, Michael Cook saw 2 Swallows over the Bowmore distillery.

Teresa Morris paid a visit to Jura today and saw a Wheatear at Lagg and a Willow Warbler at Ardlussa.

Today's photograph of a Dipper was taken by Billy Stitchell on the Margadale River north of Bunnahabhainn. We've some 10-20 pairs on the island, 3-4 pairs being on the River Sorn, the rest very scattered along the rivers and burns.

 

Monday 13th October 2025

A dull and overcast day with light and variable winds.

The weather may be on the dull side, but the birding wasn't, with the appearance of what can only be termed a mega-rarity, a Veery, an American thrush about the size of a Song Thrush, which, if accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee, and this photograph suggests that that won't be a problem, will be just the 12th time it has been found anywhere in the UK. The last one to appear was in Shetland in 2023, while the one before that was back in 2015 in Orkney. Its preferred habitat in the United States is wet woodland, which is exactly what it had found at Easter Ellister when it was spotted just after 14.00 by visitor Jack Morris. The last sighting of it was around 14.50 and, although searched for during the afternoon, it has not, so far, been seen again.

Back to more usual birds, David D. reported first thing in the morning that there were several Redwings and 2 Mistle Thrushes moving through Kinnabus and, a little later, a flock of 9 Greenfinches, now a relatively uncommon bird on the island. Apparently, there has been a small influx of them, with small numbers seen on Tiree and Rathlin. I had 2 in my garden in Bruichladdich at the end of last week, the first for 2-3 years. More Redwings were seen at Gruinart by Mike Taylor and at Creag Mhor by Clive McK., who also saw 9 Song Thrushes getting up from bushes, climb high and head SSE across the loch. Around 10.00, he watched a flock of 23 Choughs flying S down the loch before heading towards Sunderland Farm beside Loch Gorm. Back on The Oa, David had some other less common birds for the area, 8 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Coal Tit, 11 more Mistle Thrushes and 4 Redwings at Upper Killeyan and a pair of White-tailed Eagles at Lower Killeyan.

Teresa Morris, at Craigens Cottage around lunchtime, watched a WTE putting up the geese, had 4 Whoopers on the stubbles there, a Sparrowhawk in the garden and a Stonechat. Then, at 13.00, Theo spotted a Canada Goose among the Barnacles on the Gruinart sand, this time a Cackling Goose, about the size of the Barnacles (see photo below). He then moved to Sanaigmore and found a bright juvenile Willow Warbler in the bushes there, as well a Mistle Thrush, 4 Choughs and 4 Great Northern Divers. Meanwhile, Gary T. counted a large flock of 57 Collared Doves at Ardlarach, south of Bowmore. Mike Taylor saw a flock of Twite at The Oa carpark, while a Golden Eagle flew over.

Also at lunchtime, Steve R. carried out the monthly WeBS count at Loch an t-Sailein and found: Grey Heron, 9 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Herring Gulls, 23 Curlews, 10 Shags, 17 Greylag Geese, Common Snipe, 8 Wigeons, 27 Knots, Oystercatcher, Redshank (call only), and a probable Little Grebe

Early afternoon sightings included 18 Whooper Swans at Gartmain, seen by Teresa, and a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap at Glen Astle, seen by David D. Later on, Teresa saw 25 Whooper Swans, with 6 juveniles, on the Rockmountain stubble field, and David D. watched 27 Fieldfares at Kinnabus which then flew S over Ben Mhor, while, shortly after, Clive had a flock of 55 flying south at Creag Mhor, by which time some mist had rolled in, having earlier seen a Kestrel on the lane over to Loch Gorm, his first for months, while 5 Common Snipes flew over very high, just below the cloud base. Mike Taylor was on the Big Strand north of Knockangle Point where he counted 25+ Red-throated Divers and 1 Great Northern Diver on the sea and 22 Sanderlings and 51 Golden Plovers on the shore.

Gary T., at Easter Ellister looking for the Veery at 18.35, didn't find it, but did see good numbers of Robins, Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrest, plus a Grey Wagtail minus its tail feathers, which must have looked rather strange. Teresa carried out a late afternoon count at Sanagmore and found: 2 Choughs, single Wren and Robin, 2 Meadow Pipits, 2 Rock Pipits, 7 Jackdaws, 40 Herring Gulls, 4 Oystercatchers, 28 Ringed Plovers, 38 Bar tailed Godwits, 1 Ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 Buzzard, 2 Sanderlings and 4 Cormorants.

Here's Theo's photo of the Cackling Goose, taken at extreme range but clear enough to identify.

 

 

Sunday 12th October 2025

A mostly sunny, dry and even quite warm day under the high pressure that has now arrived and is forecast to stay around all week.

 A quieter day for the birders, too. Ed B. noticed lots of Icelandic Redwings around Cornabus first thing, while, at about 10.00, Clive McK. saw 9 Redwings flying north (!) over Gruinart. At 10.40, Theo counted 19 Slavonian Grebes, c. 60 Common Scoters and 2 Scaup at Blackrock and, at much the same time, Teresa Morris saw several Redwings and a ringtail Hen Harrier at Craigens Cottage. From 0900 to 10.50, Clive McK. noted a steady trickle of small flocks of Barnacle Geese (mostly <10 birds) arriving from the north at Gruinart in lovely conditions. The largest flock was 21, with a total of just 117 birds.

Loch Indaal became mirror calm around lunchtime, allowing me to see 25-30 Common Scoters about a kilometre away straight out from Bruichladdich. I couldn't get an accurate count because they were diving all the time, but, as usual, not synchronously, so never all in view together. In calm weather, I regularly see them feeding in this area, almost year round.

The final report of the day came from Teresa carrying out an afternoon count near Killinallan Point, where she saw 1 ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 female Merlin, 1 adult White-tailed Eagle, 2 Pied Wagtails, 2 Ravens, 2 Choughs, 27 Oystercatchers, 8 Rock Doves, two flocks of 27 and 58 Lapwings flying in from the north, the first flock landing while the second one headed up Loch Gruinart, 6 Twites, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Whooper Swans and 1 Gannet.

Thankfully, no-one seems to have noticed that yesterday's blog was headed Friday not Saturday! Perhaps no-one is reading it......! 

Thank you Billy Stichell for this cracking photo of a Bar-tailed Godwit at Gartmain.

 

 

 

Saturday 11th October 2025

High pressure is settling in, giving a quieter, overcast and dry day with lighter winds, still mainly from the west.

Gary T. was out and about round the head of Loch Indaal in the morning, seeing Turnstones, Knots and Bar-tailed Godwits by the Gartmain burn before finding a total of no less than 85 Scaup in several small flocks offshore from the Carrabus burn. This is many more than have been seen here in the last few years, so one hopes that they stay and are not just passing through. Teresa Morris spotted the Glossy Ibis which had moved back to Craigens, and Gary now at Loch Gruinart saw 11 Little Egrets on the west side - the most seen together so far this autumn.

Mid-morning, Theo found a Canada Goose among the Barnacles on the Gruinart flats which led to a long discussion on WhatsApp as to its subspecies and how one ID'd it as such. The consensus was that it was B.c.interior, aka Todd's, though it was noted that the BB Rarities Committee currently don't separate this from B.c.parvipes (Lesser), the two races having also been known to interbreed. Earlier on, Theo had seen a Carrion Crow with Hooded Crows at Ballinaby, and also 22 Golden Plover. He then saw the Glossy Ibis back below the visitor centre at Gruinart. I suppose there is only 1 and not 2? A little later, Theo saw a Curlew Sandpiper with Dunlin on the Gruinart flats, as well as 13 Black-tailed Godwits and a Ruff from the hides. He also saw a female Merlin along the Ardnave road.

Around lunchtime, Mike Taylor saw 10 Brent Geese near the mouth of Loch Gruinart which flew towards the head of the loch and also had a Greenshank in the south-east corner. Then, at Killinallan in the early afternoon, he found 5 more Greenshanks, 1 ringtail Hen Harrier, 4 White-tailed Eagles, 2 perched on top of the highest sand dune and 2 out on a sandbar in the middle of loch, while there were 4 Little Egrets near the Oyster Shed. Meanwhile, Teresa had made her way to Claggain Bay where she saw 3 Great Northern and 2 Red-throated Divers, and 1 Red-breasted Merganser. 

Later in the afternoon, Mary McR. watched a Wheatear feeding on the road outside Bowmore, having earlier been on the Big Strand where she found that there had been a huge wreck of thousands of by-the-wind-sailors (Velella velella), which, sadly, won't provide food for the birds there as they are apparently quite toxic and so not eaten. Around the same time, Theo counted 78 Tufted Duck on Loch Gorm and saw a domestic Chinese Goose among the Greylags at Rock Mountain, which George J. had reported earlier in the day. The origin of the Chinese Goose is unknown, but back in the summer it spent some time with Greylags south of Bruichladdich.

Here's a photo taken by Theo of the much-discussed Canada Goose - taken at a considerable distance, hence not completely sharp.

 

Friday 10th October 2025

A mostly overcast day with some little bits of drizzle, while the persistent westerly wind began to ease as the day went on. 

David D. started the day off with some potentially good news, noting 10 juveniles in a flock of 33 Greenland Whitefronts at Kinnabus. If this is a harbinger of a good breeding season, then this goose needs it because the last three years have all seen very low production of young and the population has declined quite seriously as a result. David also saw a female Greenland Wheatear in The Oa car park. Gary T. reported hearing Redwings and Fieldfares going over his house during the night and this morning, obviously not too bothered by the continuing west winds as they flew from Scandinavia.

The Glossy Ibis was still in the field below the RSPB Gruinart visitor centre most of the day, being seen by Tom G., and by Jim Wells with his group of Northern Ireland birders over for the day on the rib from Ballycastle for the first time this autumn, while Marc Eden saw 9 juveniles in a flock of 34 Whooper Swans at Rockmountain.

At lunchtime, Mike Taylor counted c. 1,700 Barnacle Geese at Bridgend, 2 White-tailed Eagles at the water's edge and a single Greenshank. Theo visited Loch Skerrols and found a female Scaup (once wintering in hundreds but now pretty scarce), 23 Tufted Ducks and a Little Grebe. Later in the afternoon, Marc Eden reported more Whooper Swan breeding success, with 10 juveniles among 37 at Gartbreck.

Teresa Morris carried out an afternoon watch on the Killinallan shoreline which produced a fine list comprising 4 Curlews, 58 Starlings, groups of 7, 12, 9, 15, and 12 Barnacle Geese flying in over the point, 4 Redshanks, 2 Grey Herons, 5 Whoopers flying south over the point, a flock of 62 Lapwing which flew in over the point, landed on the beach for about an hour, then flew south up the loch, an immature Golden Eagle, a ringtail and a male Hen Harriers, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 6 Oystercatchers, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, and 1 Meadow Pipit. She also posted photographs of extensive erosion of the sand cliffs round the point.

Today's photograph from Billy Stitchell is of two Greylags, nicely showing the differences at this time of year between an adult and a juvenile (the nearer one).

 

Thursday 9th October

Much the same weather as yesterday, westerly but with fewer showers.

David D was at Gruinart mid-morning and found a (the) Glossy Ibis in the small field below the Visitor Centre, the first time one has been seen away from the field at Craigens. Visitor Tom G. was at Ardnave Point watching three "Goldies" which I am interpreting as Eagles rather than Plovers (!), while Gary T. was at Port Ellen finding 42 Ringed Plovers and 7 Pied Wagtails on the beach in front of the White Hart, plus an Otter just offshore of the distillery warehouses. He later moved to the Big Strand where there were 2 Purple Sandpipers at Knockangle Point and 30 Golden Plovers and 20 Sanderlings just north of there.

At 11.25, Clive McK. reported a fresh arrival of Barnacles at Loch Gruinart with c. 309 arriving in the previous 30 minutes while, by 12.50, he was up to 1,300+ and still arriving. The high pressure that's building over us is extending to southern Iceland giving light to moderate westerlies for the whole route.

At 13.50, Teresa Morris was at Rockmountain, close to Loch Gorm, and counted 29 Whooper Swans, 56 Greylags, 29 Greenland Whitefronts and 4 Barnacles in a stubble field, with a further 152 Greylags in a nearby rushy pasture. A little later on, there were 39 Whitefronts swimming on Loch Gorm on the south side while the stubbles at Coull held about 360 Barnacles and 59 Greylags and those at Ballinby another 57 Barnacles. Nearly completing her circuit of the loch, she had a male Hen Harrier at Culbuie.

Clive continued to count arriving Barnacles and reached a grand total of 2,002 Barnacles arriving in 90 flocks up to 14.25. He confessed that the total was actually an exact 2,000, which is every counter's nightmare, as such a nice round figure is going to damage one's reputation of being known to produce very accurate counts. So, he added another couple for good measure! I have been faced with that dilemma more times than I care to confess. While also counting geese, Clive noted a small movement through his garden of 4 Coal Tits, 3 Blue Tits and 2 male House Sparrows, which he classed as "mega rarities" for that location.

Teresa Morris, at Gruinart around 16.00, watched a flock of 110 Bar-tailed Godwits below Kilnave and then, at Tayovullin, counted 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Redshanks, 1 Grey Heron, 4 Choughs, 4 Oystercatchers and 1 each of Black-headed Gull and Meadow Pipit.

Mike Taylor visited Claggain Bay in the afternoon and found 5-7 Great Northern Divers, 1 Red-throated Diver, 4 Black Guillemots, 2 Razorbills and 1 Wheatear.

Here's another Billy Stitchell photograph. One gull is saying to the other: "We're safe up here, as it can't see us."

 

 

Wednesday 8th October 2025

The quite strong westerly winds continued today, plus blustery showers.

Gary T. kicked things off mid-morning with a Wheatear beside Gartmain burn and 2 Brent Geese with Wigeon on the tideline, before finding 30 more Brents among more Wigeon below the old smiddy just west of Gartmain. Clive McK. had a Redwing at Gruinart, where he had seen 2 on Monday, and Mike Taylor saw a White-tailed Eagle at Kilchoman, while another was seen by Gary on the usual grassy islet at the mouth of the River Sorn at Bridgend, as well as a Greenshank in the creeks on the east side of the merse.

George J. was at Ballinaby at midday, failing to find the Buff-breasted Sandpiper but seeing 12+ Greenland Whitefronts near some Barnacle Geese in a stubble field, while there were 12 Whoopers on a flood by the Machir Bay parking area. In the afternoon, Teresa Morris watched 7 Whooper Swans arrive on the merse in front of Craigens Cottage, Gruinart, seeing a male Hen Harrier there later on. David D. on The Oa saw a Merlin at Kinnabus and 8 Mistle Thrushes at Lower Cragabus, while there were 7 Choughs and a Peregrine at Kintra.

Billy Stitchell visited Machir Bay during the day, seeing a Wheatear, a Turnstone and a flock of c. 25 Sanderlings and 11 Ringed Plovers. He kindly sent some more of his wonderful photos, from which I've chosen this Stonechat.

 

Tuesday 7th October 2025

A reasonably sunny day with moderate westerlies and a handful of showers.

Ed B. noted a small passage of Whooper Swans over Cornabus in the morning around 10.00, with 29 heading south in about 20 minutes, while, at much the same time, Clive McK. at Gruinart saw 14 also heading south. He also spotted two Chiffchaffs in the scrub by his house. Just before 10.30, Teresa Morris watched several small groups of Barnacles Geese coming in from the north over Ardnave as well as 6 Whoopers, also noting 7 Choughs by the loch. At the other end of the Rhinns, Mary McR. reported Greenland Whitefronts coming over Port Wemyss/Portnahaven in the morning.

Gary T. reported a build up of Blackbird, Mistle and Song Thrush numbers coming out of the Auchnaclach woodlands (north of Ballygrant) in the last few mornings, then saw a male and a ringtail Hen Harriers quartering the moorland on the east side of Loch Finlaggan, followed by a Merlin on a power pole towards Mulreesh.

Just before 13.00, David Hunter saw 20 Tufted Ducks on Loch Skerrols which were apparently very flighty and wondered if this was because an otter was there hunting. David D. confirmed that otters have been recorded predating shag, ducks and other waterbirds, but another possibility might be shooting in the neighbourhood, which Dan Brown had wondered about having seen 4 Tufted Ducks at the head of Loch Indaal yesterday, as this duck isn't often seen here on salt water. David Hunter also saw a female Hen Harrier over Loch Skerrols, which definitely don't predate adult Tufted Ducks, though I suppose it could scare them.

Gary T., still in the Finlaggan area at 13.00, soon after had mixed flocks of Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Reed Bunting at the road entrance and of Goldfinch, Siskin and Redpoll moving through the willows in the marsh in the dip before the entrance. He then saw a flock of 50+ Long-tailed Tits moving through the willows, which is the largest flock ever reported on the island, most being between 10 and 25, but with a few in the 30s, and one of 50 back in 1971. This likely indicates good breeding success last summer. While watching these flocks of passerines, Gary noted Whitefronts were flying in over Keills coming from the north.

Also at 13.00, new visitors, Mike Taylor and his wife, saw a (?the) Buff-breasted Sandpiper from the south hide at Gruinart RSPB with Golden Plover and other birds on the edge of the main pool, having also seen the one with the Golden Plover flock at Ballinaby yesterday. So, is there one or are there two? 

Teresa Morris was out in the early afternoon counting birds on the west side of Ardnave with good success, finding a ringtail Hen Harrier, 15 Bar-tailed Godwits, 34 Sanderlings, 210 Starlings (counted from a photograph - that's dedication for you!), 32 Choughs interacting with the Starlings feeding along the tops of the dunes, a Golden Eagle mobbing 4 Choughs, 4 Pied Wagtails, 2 Ringed Plovers, 1 Turnstone, 2 Grey Herons, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 5 Meadow Pipits, 3 Curlews, 2 Cormorants, and 1 White-tailed Eagle. She also counted the several small flocks of Barnacles flying in from the west of Nave Island, namely, 12, 10, 17, 29, 8, 15, quite typical of how the geese fly in quite small groups, though often in sight of each other, making a continuous stream of arrivals.

The photograph today, of a Gannet taking off, was taken by Teresa yesterday at Ardnave. Thanks, Teresa.

 

 Monday 6th October

A quieter day in every way, the wind mainly from the W or S having dropped a lot, plus an occasional shower.

Little goose and swan movement was in evidence, though plenty of other observations were received, for which thank you, as always. Dan Brown started the day off with an adult and juvenile White-tailed Eagle coming in from the east over Kilnaughton bay and heading off SSW along the coast. Soon afterwards, David D. reported 10 Whooper Swans on Loch Kinnabus, including one juvenile, and a Merlin was busy hunting finches there, while Clive McK. had 2 Icelandic Redwings and a Chiffchaff at his home on the west side of Loch Gruinart.

Mid-morning, Dan was at Ballinaby where he refound the juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper back in same field as before but all by itself, commenting that it hasn’t been there the last four days! He also counted over 50 Skylarks in a stubble field. He then spent his time counting the birds at Loch Indaal, where he had 2 adult WTEs, 3 Greenshanks, a  Blackcap calling from scrub in the NE corner, 1 Golden Eagle flying over, 7 Whooper Swans and 4 Tufted Ducks, while at Loch Gruinart there was a Grey Plover on the estuary, 3 Gadwall on the floods, 1 juvenile Pale-bellied Brent on the Flats with the Barnacles and 1, perhaps 2, male Hen Harriers. Still at Gruinart, Teresa Morris watched a flock of 64 lapwing over the floods.

At the other end of the island, somewhat neglected of late, David Hunter found 2 Black-throated Divers off Claggain Bay around lunchtime, while Dan, back at Kilnaughton in the afternoon, had the other two divers, Great Northern and Red-throated, in the bay. David D. saw a juvenile WTE, 2 Swallows and 11 Chough at Kintra, and Teresa was on the east side of Loch Gruinart towards Killinallan seeing 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Curlews, 24 Barnacle Geese heading south (the only movement seen today), 2 Cormorants, 1 ringtail Hen Harrier, 5 Little Egrets, 1 Redshank, 1 Grey Heron, 4 Kittiwakes, and 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Later in the afternoon, Dan saw a Carrion Crow plus a hybrid Common X Hooded on the Gruinart flats, and 2 Peregrines were spotted, one at Cornabus seen by Ed B. and one at Kinnabus seen by David D.

After mentioning Whooper Swans migrating at speed yesterday, over the weekend, a Barnacle Goose tagged in Iceland was measured flying this way at 93 mph (or 150 kph, which somehow seems much faster in those units!). 

Here's a superb photograph of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Ballinaby photographed by Dan on the last day here of his present visit. Thanks Dan, and for all your sightings.

 

 Sunday 5th October 

Storm Amy slowly moved away overnight and today, leaving behind a brighter day with some sunshine and a few showers, but with continuing strong to galeforce NW winds which brought lots more geese.

As people woke up and got out soon after 09.00, more migration was noted, with David D. seeing 8 Whoopers over Kinnabus, and Clive McK. noting 138 Barnacle Geese coming into Gruinart from the NW in the previous hour, mostly in small flocks of 5-10. Also, 26 Common Snipe in a single flock, which is sizeable for that species. Meanwhile, at Kilnaughton, Dan Brown, in the hour up to 09.30, had 3 flocks of Barnacles going north and 4 flocks of Whooper Swans totalling 20 birds heading south. Very soon after, Patrick Styles on Oronsay reported hundreds of Barnacles, mostly in small groups of 10/20 birds, and some small flocks of Whoopers, heading for Gruinart, a movement which was picked up by Clive as 200+ Barnacles arrived there soon after, followed in the couple of hours by at least 1000 more, likely coming from further north. At 11.25, David D. saw a female Merlin at Kinnabus, followed an hour later by the first 15 Greenland Whitefronts arriving there. Summarising his Gruinart counts up to 12.45, Clive reported 2267 Barnacles, 2 Greylags, 21 Whoopers, 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, the 26 Common Snipe, 4 divers, and a Merlin. Still in the morning, Fiona McG. saw a Wheatear at Port Wemyss.

In the afternoon, Teresa Morris was back at Ardnave seeing a ringtail Hen Harrier by the loch and 8 Sanderlings, 13 Ringed Plovers, 5 Oystercatchers, 13 Bar-tailed Godwits and 15 Choughs on the east side of the point, while Ed B., at Cornabus, reported 2 Shovelers, 1 Jack Snipe, 2 White-tailed Eagles and 30 Whoopers. 

James visited Gruinart around 15:30 and counted 16,630 Barnacles, 385 Whitefronts, 1 Pinkfoot, 55 Whoopers and 9 Greenshank on the floods. Later on, Dan Brown had slightly lower goose counts, but then birds were arriving and moving on all the time, with an estimated 13,000 Barnacles, 1 Pinkfoot, 335 Greenland Whitefronts, 48 Whoopers on or flying south over the flats, 2 ringtail and 2 male Hen Harriers, a juvenile peregrine on a kill, a Water Rail calling below the visitor centre, 2 Curlew Sandpipers on the sand, 6 Greenshanks on the floods and no less than 9 Little Egrets, 5 on the floods and 4 on the merse. Also in the evening, Teresa saw 12 whoopers on Craigens farm stubbles.

Marc Eden didn't repeat his seawatch at Sanaig, though large auks, Kittiwakes and Gannets were moving past in reduced numbers and mostly a lot further out than yesterday. He noted 6 Leach's Petrels early on, then found the Pectoral Sandpiper with 40 Golden Plover at Ballinaby at midday. He then toured the island (but no further south than the Avenvogie bridge on the High Road), and found over 120 Whooper Swans on the ground/water including a dozen in a stubble field near the highest point of the Glen Road. 

Compared with yesterday, noticeably fewer seabirds were seen moving by all observers.

David D. heard from a chum at WWT that a satellite-tagged Whooper Swan had been clocked travelling at 101 mph at one point yesterday, and that it took 8 hours to travel from Iceland to Northern Ireland, the shortest possible distance being c.670 miles. This brought to mind the famous observation back in December 1967 when an air traffic controller in Northern Ireland saw a radar echo from a flock of birds to the north-west of Islay flying at c.27,000 feet and travelling south at c. 85 mph. In order to check this out, he diverted a nearby aircraft to take a closer look (!) and the pilot reported a flock of c.30 swans. The meteorological data at the time revealed that the swans were in the jetstream which was reaching 115 mph, but more astoundingly the temperature was minus 48 degrees Celcius while, at that height, there is only about 40% of the oxygen at ground level, which speaks volumes about the physiological capabilities of these birds. Colin Pennycuick, an expert on bird flight, pondering about the effort required for the swans to climb to that height, suggested that, perhaps, when sitting on the ground in Iceland, they could actually hear the jetstream, which would give them such a tremendous boost on their migration. His calculations on wingloading and weight of birds had suggested that the Whooper Swan was close to the largest size that a bird could be to successfully fly the distance from Iceland to the British Isles and so would need all the help from the weather that it could get.

After that digression, here's a photograph from Billy Stitchell of Whooper Swans which have successfully arrived feeding on a stubble at Storokaig.

Saturday 4th October 2025

A windy day, 50-55 mph W to NW all day as Storm Amy moved slowly away, with mainly sunny spells and a few showers.

My suggestion yesterday that there would be movement from Iceland was amply fulfilled, as this long account will show. Clive McK. kicked things off at 08.54 with 2 + 10 Barnacle Geese, 13 Brent Geese, 2 Great Skuas, 1 Arctic Skua and several Gannets moving up Loch Gruinart in the previous half hour. An hour later he reported 2 more Great Skuas and 2 small skuas, too brief to identify, while 100 Kittiwakes had just headed up the loch. Then, at 10.36. James counted 670 Barnacle Geese on the sand, new arrivals from Iceland, while by 10.45, Clive had recorded 7 Great Skuas, 3 Arctic Skuas, 66 Barnacle Geese, 13 Brent Geese, 155 Kittiwakes, 7 Gannets and a Sparrowhawk flying into Loch Gruinart from the north.

Moving away (very briefly) from arriving migrants, just after 11.00 Teresa Morris counted 6 Little Egrets on the Gruinart Flats, while, soon after, David Hunter, in the South Hide, saw the first Greenland White-fronted Geese of the autumn,  6 of them, plus 2 Greenshank and a Merlin. Then, at 12:06, Clive had a "fantastic view" of a Leach's Petrel flying south low over his house on the west side of Loch Gruinart. Clive had planned to do a seawatch at Frenchman's Rocks in the morning but a broken down vehicle meant he was instead, and frustratingly, confined to the Gruinart area. But, as Dan Brown pointed out, at least he was at home to see this lovely addition to his garden list!

Dan Brown was down the Rhinns in the morning and reported a Grey Phalarope flying between the islands at Portnahaven, four small flocks (15, 9, 3, 2) of Barnacles flying north over Portnahaven/Loch Indaal, so clearly overshot and trying to reorientate, a female Hen Harrier near Lossit, and a Whooper Swan with Greylags just south of Bruichladdich. Also at Bruichladdich,  Gary T. found 10 Bar-tailed Godwits on 10 Barwit on the sandy areas between the pier and the village hall, an unusual species for that location.

Meanwhile, Marc Eden spent the morning from 07.45 to 13.00 sea watching at Sanaigmore, doing this from indoors, having sensibly rented accommodation there! All the birds were heading south and comprised: many thousands of Razorbills, Guillemots and Kittiwakes, up to 1000 Gannets, 23 Red throated Divers, including a flock of 6, 2 Great Northern Divers, 1 heading S, the other in the bay, 47 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 first-year Sabine's Gulls, 4 Arctic Terns, 2 Great Skuas together, 2 separate Arctic Skuas,  no less than 23 Leach's Petrels, 1 Grey Phalarope, 3 Teal, 30 Barnacle Goose to the west over the cliffs, and 1 Black Guillemot. Obviously not quite content with that wonderful list, Marc pointed out that he didn't see a single Fulmar and wondered why not.

At 13.38, Ed B. found the Glossy Ibis still at Craigens, while Dan compared the photograph of his posted in yesterday's blog with photos of the 2 seen last month and concluded that, unless it had moulted around the head, it probably wasn't either of them even though found in the same field. At much the same time, Gary T. found 250+ Barnacle Geese on Bridgend merse, including 1 Brent Goose among them, 2 Little Egrets on the merse, and several more small flocks of Barnacle Geese flying in from the north. Dan was now at Sanaigmore reporting that the Pectoral Sandpiper was still present, together with 61 Golden Plover, and then moved to Ballinaby where there were 9 Whooper Swans in the fields with Greylag Geese. He then went back to Gruinart where, from the visitor centre, he could see 5 Little Egrets, the Glossy Ibis at Craigens, a Gannet flying over the floods, 41 Kittiwakes, a ringtail Hen Harrier, and a Pink-footed Goose on the sand with lots of Barnacle Geese.

By 14.00, Teresa had walked out to Ardnave Point and was rewarded by seeing 18 Gannets feeding, and then, a little later, a Golden Eagle over towards Killinallan and an Otter on the east side of Ardnave. At 14:42, Clive saw 19 Whoopers flying south at Gruinart. By 15:08, Gary was at Finlaggan seeing 2 Sand Martins, a juvenile Swallow and a very pale Wheatear, three migrants that one would have thought should be using the northerly wind to make tracks to the south, and then 2 White-tailed Eagles.

During the afternoon, a still mobile Dan saw a Leach’s petrel over Loch Gruinart from the Killinallan road plus a first-winter Arctic Tern, with c. 250 Kittiwakes (in lots of smaller groups) and 35 Gannets, as well as a ringtail Hen Harrier and a female Merlin, then counted 27 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Ruffs, and 4 Greenshanks from the South Hide, before finding 19 Whooper Swans on Loch Indaal off the Bridgend merse, finishing with a male Hen Harrier along the High Road. He noted that there was a continual arrival of Barnacle Geese all afternoon, the majority in small flocks from the N, and, even at 17:16, flocks were coming in from the south over Port Ellen, likely more overshoots.

Although stuck in the Gruinart area, Clive didn't waste his time and has posted his totals of everything he saw coming into the loch from the north (including the ones mentioned above), namely 13 Brents, 225 Barnacles, 31 Whoopers, 3 Common Scoters, 322 Kittiwakes, 60 Common Gulls, 40 Herring Gulls, 3 Arctic Skuas, 3 Great Skuas, 1 Razorbill, 3 large auks, 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Leach's Petrel, 41 Gannets and the Sparrowhawk. Clive mentioned that most of the seabirds that entered the loch from the north U-turned at the head of the loch and came back out again.

The continuous arrival of Barnacle Geese noted by Dan was well proved by James who, towards the end of the day, counted 4185 at Gruinart, together with 32 Greenland Whitefronts. 

Finally, for those of you who have read this far, at 19.39, Dan posted this intriguing note which I have copied in full "More Barnies heading north over Kilnaughton 20 mins ago plus an Otter". 

While leaving you pondering that last entry, I would like to thank all the observers for contributing the sightings of an exciting day and leave you with a photo of Dan's of Barnacles arriving in Gruinart after their flight from Iceland.