Saturday 7th August

 Another warm day of light winds and intermittent, localised rain showers (some quite heavy) between brighter sunny spells.

Mark Shields heard a Greenshank high over Loch Gruinart and Margaret Brooke noted 5 Ravens, 2 Buzzards and 1 Golden Eagle over the crags at Kilchoman today, with a Ringtail Hen Harrier hunting over by the War Graves.

At the opposite end of the Island, Mary-Ann Featherstone counted 70+ terns including quite a few young birds, on the SE Skerries between Kildalton and Ardmore with others further out. Although Arctic Terns are generally a more common breeding species than Common Tern on Islay, the photo attached here looks like a juvenile Common Tern to me with its dark carpal bar and richer/heavier gingery-brown markings on the mantle and upperparts - though the bill isn't that long? Your opinions welcome!

Friday 6th August

 

A warm, humid and somewhat sultry day at times with rain in the afternoon, but a brighter evening.

 The only bird records today are from the Oa: a group of 34 Ravens using the thermals and heading NE seen by David Wood while David Dinsley recorded another Great Skua.

Thursday 5th August

 

It was “Nature Red In Tooth And Claw” yesterday as David Protheroe watched a Sparrowhawk take down an Oystercatcher on the 6^th fairway at the Machrie, while Mary Redman had a couple of Hen Harriers tussling with Hooded Crows at Currie Sands. She also noted a young Cuckoo being fed by a Meadow Pipit at Claddach. Margaret Brooke had a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting over the garden at Shepherd’s Cottage, Kilchoman yesterday along with increased numbers of Song Thrushes and Blackbirds feeding on the lawns after our first decent rain shower in many days.

Today, after a long spell of warm/hot dry weather we returned to cloudy and cool conditions with moderate ESE winds and a fair bit of rain throughout the day.

Today’s contributions continue the raptor theme with Andrew Kelly seeing a female Hen Harrier hunting and a Kestrel being mobbed by a pair of Arctic Terns all just south of Rhuvaal Lighthouse. He also recorded Peregrine and 2 Common Buzzards on the Bunnahabhain Road and a further ringtail Hen Harrier near Mulindry. Margaret Brooke also saw a Kestrel mobbing and being mobbed by the Jackdaws on the church at Kilchoman. Despite being one of the UK’s more widespread raptors, Kestrels are one of the least abundant birds of prey on Islay.

Wednesday 4th August

 

Visiting birder Andrew Kelly writes:

“I was very sorry to read of Ian's sudden passing: we made our first trip to Islay last August when I sent in some contributions, and Ian was so friendly and helpful. As a naive visitor, the blog has proved invaluable. I was looking forward to exchanging info again during this year’s visit, and was shocked to go on to the blog and read the news. My heartfelt commiserations.
At the time we left home, the blog was in suspension, and have only just caught up with its revival - great news.”

Some records from his visit this week (seeing 69 species so far) include:

Sunday Aug 1^st: Great Skua flying north near Kilchoman Bay

Monday Aug 2^nd: Flock of 12 Bar-tailed Godwit near Bowmore and 3 Red-throated Divers, 12 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling and “masses” of Ringed Plovers at Laggan Bay

Tuesday Aug 3^rd: Ardnave - 2 female Tufted Duck with 4 and 2 young respectively on the loch.

Another noteworthy record from yesterday is from Mary Ann Featherstone with a count of 7 Spotted Flycatchers in her garden at Kildalton. Spotted Flycatchers typically arrive late into UK from African wintering grounds and depart early – so these are likely to be the first migrants heading south. Once a common bird of gardens, orchards and parkland in the UK it is now Red-listed with a breeding population decline of 89% between 1967 and 2010.

Tuesday 3rd August

 

Nothing sensational of note today, though Mary-Ann Featherstone reports a build-up of Willow Warblers (c.50) over at Kildalton – presumably the start of autumn movements for this early migrant.

On a different subject: We are privileged to have fairly good numbers of nesting Hen Harriers on Islay. Some other parts of UK aren’t so lucky, with lots of suitable habitat but very few breeding birds due to ongoing illegal persecution. To highlight this and celebrate the species there is an annual Hen Harrier Day coming up on Saturday 7^th August that may be of interest to blog readers: https://wildjustice.org.uk/henharrierday/

(Photo courtesy of Armin Grewe)

Monday 2nd August

 

The only birds flagged up today come from David Wood: 3 Greenshanks at Kinnabus

Since Ian Brooke’s last post on the Islay Bird Blog on 8^th June, there has been a long gap in reporting birds of interest, so here is a summary of the more noteworthy sightings. This midsummer period has been a fairly quiet time for birds, but a series of Rose-coloured Starlings stole the show:

Mid-June: A Turtle Dove in Port Ellen

13^th June: A Spotted Crake heard near Gartmain at the top of Loch Indaal

14^th June: Grey Plover at Kintra

17^th June: Bright pink and black adult Rose-coloured Starling seen at Ardnave and Barnhill Jura. 2 Black-tailed Godwits at RSPB Gruinart South Hide

18^th June: Several Crossbills near Loch Skerrols

20^th June: Another (or the same) Rose-coloured Starling at Port Charlotte

22nd June: Single Carrion Crow at Kinnabus and the drake Velvet Scoter paired with a female Common Scoter back at Easter Ellister for another season

25^th June; Long-eared Owl at Kinnabus

26th June: 3 Grasshopper Warblers still singing at Cornabus/The Oa

30^th June: Two Rose-coloured Starlings appeared in a garden at Conisby plus one at Craighouse on Jura – so apparently at least 3 birds involved in this series of sightings. (These were part of a large influx this spring of this Asian/Eastern European species into Western Europe and the UK)

3^rd July: A Swift over Kinnabus with another on 10th

5^th July: A Great Skua over the American Monument at the Oa, with another on the Oa on 27^th

18^th July: Single Great Northern Diver off Port Charlotte

24^th July: A dark-phase Arctic Skua off Port Askaig, plus a Sandwich Tern

26^th:July 3 Greenshank at Kintra

29^th July: Post-breeding Twite flocks building up, with 60 near the Car Park at RSPB The Oa

In addition:

Ospreys continued to be seen occasionally throughout mid-June into late July in widespread locations across the island. Some seen fishing at Finlaggan, Loch Gorm, Loch Nan Chadian, Loch Gruinart

Several observers noted renewed singing in mid-late July from our warblers – Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaff included

(The Ardnave Rose-coloured Starling courtesy of Brian Small & Naturetrek)

Sunday 1st August 2021

 Mandy reports a Magpie in Port Ellen today that was seen and photographed by local, Susan McDougall. A scarce bird on Islay. A single Whimbrel near Gartbreck on Loch Indaal is perhaps the first of the autumn. Wader passage should be picking up over the next few weeks. James How was at the "Kilchoman Reserve" - aka Shepherd's Cottage today and reports 2 Kestrels plus a young Whinchat.