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.