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.
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