Tuesday 20th May

Breezy from the south-east with some rain.

Hannah D saw a Common Swift flying over Bowmore, the second of this spring. This species has never been found breeding on Islay, the nearest being small numbers in Campbeltown. David W spotted two Puffins in the Sound of Islay from the ferry, a species which apparently used to breed here in some numbers at the end of the 19th century but thereafter declined with the last probable breeding being in 1986. 

The only other sighting received was from Carl Walker who reported that two male Common Eider were still at Bruichladdich, which suggests that two females are perhaps sitting on nests at or close to the top of the shore.

Monday 18th May 

Mostly dry with an increasing easterly wind.

Hannah D had a Corn Crake calling at Kinnabus around lunchtime, and Emily Garva reported a White-tailed Eagle beyond Claddach Loch in the afternoon, while last night Portnahaven harbour was full of swallows and a couple of house martins, with Gannets in closer than usual in front of the islands. Carl Walker saw a male Hen Harrier north of Kilnaughton Bay and 2 male Common Eiders at Bruichladdich.

Following on from yesterday's photograph by Billy Stitchell of a Black Guillemot in the Sound, here's one by David Livingston of another Black Guillemot at Port Ellen with a beakful of what appears to be a crustacean of some kind.

 

Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th May

 The weather, still unseasonably cold, has become more changeable, with winds veering all around the compass and bringing more occasional,  heavier rain showers.

Yesterday's only posting comers from James H. up at the RSPB Gruinart floods where he saw again the/a drake Garganey, 2 Pintail, 4 Wigeon, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 58 Dunlin, and 8 Canada Geese. There were 104 Whimbrel on the Flats and a late flock of 22 Whooper Swans dropped in. He was also pleased to note the first Redshank chicks of the season amid plenty of Lapwing chicks.

Billy Stitchell was up on the Sound of Islay and photographed this fine looking Black Guillemot:

The only reports today are from Carl Walker who, amongst other things heard a Corn Crake at Upper Killeyan farmhouse. 

Friday 15th May

A basically dry, sunny,  cool day with northerly winds, decreasing by evening. Just a few sprinkles of rain mostly in the morning.

Mary R. had a White-tailed Eagle fly by Port Wemyss this morning and later noted 20 Greylags on Claddach Loch with a suspiciously domestic-looking white goose. Ed Burrell scored a much more interesting goose at Cornabus - albeit a feral species. He found Islay's first, and Argyll's second Egyptian Goose!

Kath Butterworth had a Golden Eagle at Killinallan and a Great Northern Diver in Loch Gruinart there. Later she found a male Hen Harrier at Loch Gorm and another Great Northern Diver off Port Mor on Loch Indaal. Emily Garva was at Porntahaven listening to Corn Crakes there.

Thursday 14th May

The cool northerly breeze continues along with predominantly dry sunny weather.

All the birding news today comes from Kath Butterworth who heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the woodland near Cluanach along with a male Hen Harrier nearby. Later she heard Corn Crakes at Portnahaven and Port Mor near Port Charlotte and finished the day with a great sighting of 2 Long-tailed Skuas flying north up Loch Indaal off Port Mor. If only I'd been looking out of my window here at Bruichladdich at the time I might have them to my "garden list"!

Wednesday 13th May

Some quite heavy, squally rain showers overnight and into the morning coming in on a continuing, quite brisk NW and westerly airstream producing cool but mostly sunny conditions.

Whimbrels are back on the menu, with 89 counted in a single field between Loch Gorm and Gruinart by James H. this morning. Mary R. counted 20 on her patch around Claddach and Paul Ward added another 25 early on around the Machrie golf course. 

Clive McK. had another sea-watch off Gartbreck in Loch Indaal this morning but didn't conjure up any more skuas. His best birds were a single Fulmar and good views of both Arctic and Common Terns. Steve & Lyn Rogers counted a raft of 60 Shags off Kilnaughton - quite a concentration of presumably feeding birds.

I noted the first couple of broods of small Greylag Goose goslings in the seaward side fields between Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte this afternoon and plenty of Gannets feeding in Loch Indaal.

Tuesday 12th May

The N or NW wind blew a little colder and stronger today, which remained dry, but cloudier until some short heavy rain showers in the evening.

Louise M. noted the first Redpoll seen in her garden at Craighouse on Jura.

Clive McK. keeping a watchful eye on weather, especially wind direction, to produce the right conditions for certain species to show up on migration, hit the jackpot this evening. He watched from Gartbreck on the east side of Loch Indaal this evening for 2.5 hours and connected with a flock of 7 Pomarine and two Long-tailed Skuas moving north up the Loch. This just about equals the best ever count of a single group of Pomarine Skuas on Islay, and all the previous higher counts have been from Frenchman's Rocks. The Long-tailed Skuas are the first since 2018.