Wednesday 12th November

A day of varied weather - overcast with persistent drizzle between brighter sunny drier spells. Light winds throughout.

With quite a lot of visiting birders on Islay at the moment, the weather didn't put people off venturing out. Stuart Ainsworth found 3 Grey Plovers at Loch Indaal first thing and a/the Cackling Goose near to Gruinart House. Robbie Brookes noted a White-tailed Eagle near Bowmore and a couple of Little Egrets and a Sparrowhawk at Gruinart. Clive McK. counted a substantial flock of 2,000 or more Golden Plover at Gruinart, plus 380 Lapwings and a Merlin. Georgia Platt had 3 Snow Buntings at The American Monument on The Oa, while Clive McK. saw 4 more near Blackrock on Loch Indaal. Richard Lamb had a Golden Eagle at Kintra and Barn Owl at Glenegedale. 

But it turned out to something of a "red letter" day, with Keith & Rosie Barnes recording a Red-necked Grebe near Blackrock, Laura Edwards-White reporting a female Ring-necked Duck on Loch Skerrols and Will Miles and Martin Culshaw finding a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Portnahaven - all of these are a locally very scarce species. Trumping these exciting finds was a report of a juvenile ELEONORA'S FALCON over Gruinart, seen by Will Miles and Martin Culshaw. I believe this would be a first record for Argyll. Possibly the same bird was seen by Andy Cox later on.

Needless to say, all of the rarer species in bold above require descriptions to confirm their identity if they are to be accepted into the annals of birding history! The grebe, duck and flycatcher descriptions are required by Argyll Bird Club as regional rarities (email to: abcrecorder@outlook.com). The Falcon and Goose are national rarities and so detailed descriptions are needed by British Birds Rarities Committee. So please make the effort to submit notes otherwise these excellent sightings will be lost.