Sunday 21st June

The summer solstice and a scorcher of a day with bright sunshine all day with heatwaves predicted further south in the UK.

Malcolm O. reports hearing Corn Crake from his house in Bruichladdich last night - a bird moving closer to the village from Conisby perhaps.

Stephen Garner was up at Ardnave again today, primarily looking at orchids but sent in the following bird notes: 

Just beyond the lobster pens a flock of 4 choughs above the dunes. A bit further on two choughs working the tide line, one un-ringed the other colour ringed single green on the left leg, 2 rings, pale blue over orange on the right (photo available if needed). Adult White-tailed Eagle on the central dunes seen 3 times, with a splendid flyby next to the car park on our return. Female Hen Harrier also near the point but assume same one seen again scaring the young rabbits in the field above the car park and again beyond the loch. Return along the Gruinart side very quiet with a pair of Ringed Plover and a single Dunlin working the tide line.

Jackie Wedd is on a return visit and noted 2 Arctic Terns and 4 Red-throated Divers off Port Charlotte by the lighthouse.

Here at Bruichladdich the House Martins are belatedly back trying to make a nest on the house, but it seems a real struggle as the material they are gathering is so sandy that once it dries it falls off the wall.

Friday 19th & Saturday 20th June

 Drizzly on Friday, bright and sunny on Saturday.

Today David Jardine was on Jura and counted 66 Canada Geese plus 2 pairs with broods of 2 & 4 young on Eilean Glas - or is it Glas Eilean?

There were no sightings sent in yesterday, but regular visitor Stephen Garner sent in his records for the past few days:

16th June: Port Mor campsite - Corn Crake calling  all night

17th June: Ardnave Point - 2 male & 1 female Hen Harriers, 1 Cuckoo  and a Shelduck with very young ducklings. White-tailed Eagle and 8 Chough in group. 2 Great Skuas flew south from direction of Nave island. 1 Little Tern feeding near Nave Island and Eilean Beag

18th June: Big Strand to Laggan river - a party of 4 and another of 5 Sanderling, 1 Little Tern and 3 Chough near Laggan river mouth. Portnahaven - a Grasshopper Warbler singing near the Community Hall

19th June: Kintra - 2 Chough above the beach beyond the car park and 4 Twite. The Oa - 1 male Whinchat singing near to RSPB Car Park, 4 Twite and a pair of Reed Buntings just before car park

20th June: Killinallan - pair of Curlew displaying beyond the gate across the road end, 1 female Teal on the beach

Wednesday 17th & Thursday 18th June

Further days of mixed showers and sunshine with light winds from a mostly southerly direction, sometimes quite breezy.

No sightings for Wednesday, but some sightings for Tuesday from Rogan Wolhuter, visiting the island. Amongst other things he saw a Guillemot at Port Askaig, 27 Oystercatchers at Bowmore and 2 each of Little Grebes and Grey Wagtails at Loch Ballygrant.

Today was Nick Thomas's last day on the island before heading home. He found a few species of interest up at Loch Ballygrant and Loch Lossit - such as  a flock of Long-tailed Tits, 2 Common Sandpiper, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 Red-legged Partridges (it has been quite a while since the latter have been recorded on Islay).

Tuesday 16th June

More unsettled weather today, fine to start with but deteriorating into rain and blustery SE winds.

Val P. and friends went up to Ardnave for a walk and had 3 Swifts flying south overhead.

Simon Cunningham was on Jura and had an Arctic Skua, working down the Sound of Islay close to the Jura shore from Inver towards Feolin.  Sadly he lost sight of it before he could see if it showed any inclination to head inland, which might of course indicate breeding!

Sunday 14th & Monday 15th June

Two days of sunshine - very warm on Sunday, but windier from the SE on Monday.

Despite the gorgeous weather, there were few bird sightings on Sunday other than Steve & Lyn Rogers WeBS count at Loch an-t-Sailean recording many of the summer resident and breeding species and from David Livingstone who took this photo of a Lapwing escorting its chick across the high road at Leorin in the morning and a couple of Otters at Carraig Fhada in the evening.

Today Mary R. had a Swift an Currie Sands - always a good find on Islay.

Friday 12th & Saturday 13th June

Sunshine and Showers with southerly and westerly winds prevails.

Yesterday Jeff Duncan reported a Garden Warbler in the woodland at Gruinart - a very uncommon species on Islay. He also had a couple of Dippers at the Woollen Mill.

Nick Thomas wandered Bridgend Woods finding large numbers (50-60) of Chaffinches including young birds along with Bullfinch and Siskins.

Today I had the privilege of seeing Gordon Yates into a hide to photograph a pair of Hen Harriers bringing in prey to a nearby nest (all with due legal licensing in place of course!). Gordon has been filming, recording and photographing Islay's wildlife for 50 years - harriers, eagles, choughs, merlins, otters and all sorts of other special and iconic species. He feels this may be his last year. I hope not, but regardless, he is due a vote of thanks and gratitude for his long term dedication to promoting Islay's wildlife in such a creative way.

Wednesday 10th & Thursday 11th June

Rain and showers on Wednesday gave way to more or less permanent rain with SW winds on Thursday.

With weather like this is not surprising that there are few bird records to relay. There have been a few reports from our visiting birders - Jeff Duncan and Nick Thomas who have been braving the elements and seeing some of the regular species - Choughs, Hen Harriers,  Cuckoos, Common Sandpipers and Spotted Flycatchers dotted about the island.

Here at Bruichladdich I noticed my first group of Eider ducklings being escorted by two females and male Eiders now going into moult.

Tuesday 9th June

The day started rainy and finished sunny. Light winds from a southerly direction throughout but still quite cool for June.

Mary-Ann F. took a group of High School kids on to Texa today and reports both Greylag and Canada Geese with goslings there, plus Cormorants.

Jeff Duncan counted Treecreeper, Siskin and Goldcrest in Bridgend Woods. Mark Crisp had a White-tailed Eagle over Machir Bay, Nick Thomas had a Hen Harrier on the Glen Road. Mary R. saw the best raptor though, with a Marsh Harrier at Claddach this afternoon.

Sunday 7th & Monday 8th June

Two further days of mixed sunshine and showers with light south and south-west breezes.

Bird reports of anything unusual have been few - though lots of notes on how some of our breeding birds are faring. Clive McK. has been monitoring several nests - Meadow Pipit, Willow Warbler and Blue Tit included with mostly poor results, possibly due to wet and cool weather making feeding difficult.

Elsewhere others have been noting the usual good mix of summer species around the island. Jeff Duncan found a Kestrel and Whinchat at Claddach and Nick Thomas noted the same strange behaviour of a summering Whooper Swan at Gruinart chasing away Mute Swans.

The fields on the seaward side between Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte are littered with families of Greylag Geese with goslings in various stages of growth - all looking very vulnerable to a multitude of predators!

Friday 5th & Saturday 6th June

Two days of mixed weather - sunshine and showers (mostly showers!) with a moderate breeze from various, mostly  southerly directions.

The only report yesterday came from Clive McK. who noted 3 Gannets flying south down Loch Gruinart then heading "overland" presumably to go out to sea down Loch Indaal. This has been noted once before on Islay in 2019 and more regularly from the Ailsa Craig colony crossing over the 8 km of the Kintyre peninsula to the Atlantic side which saves them a 55km journey around its tip.

Today there was a report from Jeff Duncan of a few birds (single Great Northern Diver and Manx Shearwater and 3 Common Dolphins from the ferry across to Islay.

Thursday 4th June

Westerly breezes today with rain in the morning, but brightening to a sunnier afternoon, but back to grey and rain by evening.

Graeme Glass found a Great northern Diver off Port Charlotte this morning, then a Treecreeper and Great spotted woodpecker at Loch Skerrols woodland. Mary R. watched a Great Skua being mobbed by gulls at Claddach and at the other end of the Rhinns, Clive McK. had an adult pale-phase Arctic Skua at Loch Gruinart and counted 115 Bar-tailed Godwits and 14 Curlews there.

Wednesday 3rd June

A day with slightly stronger winds from various southerly directions bringing with it rainy conditions throughout much of the day - some rain quite heavy at times.

Bird records have been understandably limited: Graeme Glass had one, possibly two Corn Crakes calling at the start of the Woodland Trail, Gruinart again today and Nick Webb had 4 Greenshanks near Bowmore Power Station.

The brief dry and sunny spells bought out some butterflies - Marsh and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries to keep people happy - photo c/o Mary Ann F.

Tuesday 2nd June

 A fairly grey overcast day with drizzle and very light winds.

Late news from yesterday, 1st June came from Nick Webb who found one, possibly two male Ruffs in full breeding plumage displaying to at least 3 Reeves at the North Hide at RSPB Gruinart in the morning. He also heard a Corn Crake near the Woodland Trail gate at Gruinart and a Grasshopper Warbler calling from scrub on the east side of Loch Gorm.

Today, Graeme Glass reports a couple of Chough at Machir Bay, 12 Sanderling and 23 Oystercatchers on the beach there and a female Hen Harrier at Lyrabus. Nick Webb had another female Hen Harrier between Cnoc Fada and Loch Gorm and a Whinchat east of Loch Gorm.

I took a look at the hides at RSPB Gruinart in the afternoon but couldn't locate the Ruffs, though did see a pair of Wigeon and this fine White Wagtail.

David Livingstone photographed a fine male Hen Harrier on Duich Lotts on Sunday:

Saturday 30th, Sunday 31st May & Monday 1st June

As the annual Feis Ile comes to an end so does the good weather! There have been more unsettled conditions with overcast and rainy spells, increasing to be fairly good downpours by the evening of Monday.

No birds on the grapevine for Saturday and just one post from Martin A. on Sunday from the mouth of the River Sorn where he recorded a family of Grey Wagtails and young Great Tits along with Siskin, Goldcrest and Blackcap. Today Mary R. reports a summer-plumaged Turnstone on Currie Sands, Louise M. had a 2CY Golden Eagle at the three arch bridge on Jura and Clive McK. had a couple of Mistle Thrushes up at Creag Mhor.