Hot, dry and sunny with light winds and high temperatures - our own little Islay heatwave with temperatures up in the low 20sC.
Despite the glorious weather (if you overlook the likelihood that it is all due to global warming!), it is a quiet time of year for birding and there were no sightings for Monday. Yesterday Steve & Lyn Rogers noted, amongst various regular species, Spotted Flycatcher at Cairnmore Woods, Kilnaughton.
Clive McK. was over on Jura and had a group of 5 Swifts over the southern end of the island. This species has only been recorded on 8 previous occasions on Jura between 1974 and 2024, with 2-3 the previous maximum number - so a good record by all counts.
Today Jo Rosser-Owen reported continued nesting of Swallows in her garage up at Bridgend, while MaryAnn F. had a family of Red-breasted Mergansers (6 ducklings) at the Dower House, Kildalton. David D. saw a juvenile Cuckoo at Upper Cragabus and 2 Greenshanks on Loch Kinnabus where he heard 2, possibly 3 calling Quail this evening. Clive McK. had a further 6 Greenshanks at Bun an Uillt, Gruinart, a just -fledged Common Tern on Oitir Riabach (the small perilously low-lying shingle island in Loch Gruinart where terns often try, and often fail to breed due to flooding). Most odd was an observation of an Oystercatcher trying to feed a Common Gull fledgling with lugworms.
Roger Broad kindly sent in a report regarding White-tailed Eagle on Islay. Apparently Morven Laurie, NatureScot found the fairly freshly bird dead bird near Loch Gorm, back on 28th April 2026. It was good to know that the bird tested negative for HPAI. The bird was ringed by Roger as a chick on Mull 20 years previously on 29th June 2006. It was a female and was fitted with yellow wing tags. It was later seen at its subsequent breeding site on Islay with a male (also with yellow wing tags) in December 2009. These became the first breeding pair on Islay in 2010 when they bred successfully near Finlaggan. This bird was presumed to have bred in the same area in the following years - so may have been one of our pioneering breeding birds for 16 or more years.
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