Tuesday 10th February

Weather shouldn't be boring, but with the umpteenth day with easterly winds and some rain it it beginning to feel that way.

Ed B. reported a redhead Goosander on the Cornabus Burn in the morning, followed after lunch by a Lesser Black-backed Gull, his first migrant of the spring! A second one was seen around the same time by David Jardine just north of Bruichladdich. A single Pale-bellied Brent as seen by Nick Parsons in the Barnacle roost at Loch Indaal in the late afternoon, and visitors Arash Marashi and Craig Calladine reported that the 3 Ring-necked Ducks first seen on Loch Ballygrant in December were still present, though this time on the adjacent Loch nan Cadhan.

Visitor Rudolf has just posted a sequence of stunning photographs of a Sparrowhawk attacking a Hooded Crow which he took on January 20th. Here are three of them.

 

 

 

Sunday 10th February

Quite a damp day, with the wind still in the east.

Two visiting birders reported single Pink-footed Geese: Gill found one with Barnacles at Finlaggan in the early afternoon, while, in the late afternoon, Nick Parsons saw one in a Barnacle Goose flock just east of Bridgend Woods. They both agreed that they were different birds. 

Gill did well with raptors during the day, with, in the morning, a Merlin along the Glen road, and a young White-tailed Eagle and adult Golden Eagle at Bunnahabhain, while she had the same combination along the Glen road in the afternoon.

Here's Gill's Pink-footed Goose, an adult from the neat parallel barring on the wing coverts.

 P.S. Theo has kindly followed up the report of an Iceland Gull in yesterday's blog and informs us that it was submitted in error and has been withdrawn. So, in this so far very poor winter for white-winged gulls, we await the first sighting of this species. 

Friday 6th, Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th February

The easterly winds on Friday and Saturday relented a little on Sunday, while there were light showers or drizzle on all three days.

No observations were received on Friday or Saturday, but birders were obviously out on Sunday morning, starting with Martin A. who saw 4 male Goldeneye on Loch Indaal opposite Killarow, Bowmore, quickly followed by Mary McR. who had 3 Chough at Claddach first thing, a male Hen Harrier at Octofad, and a first-winter White-tailed Eagle sitting on the rocks at Carn, Port Charlotte. In the afternoon, Clive McK. spotted 5 Black-tailed Godwits in the field pool south of the north hide on the RSPB L. Gruinart reserve.

I'm grateful to birder and wildlife guide, Theo de Clermont, who is based on Mull, for spotting a list of birds seen on Sunday by visitor Craig Calladine and posted on the online eBird. The location was just given as "Loch Indaal", while, of the 29 species in the list, only 4 had information on numbers, which were 3 Pink-footed Geese, 5 Red-throated Divers, 27 Slavonian Grebes and 1 Iceland Gull. This last, the first reported this winter, follows closely on the first Glaucous Gull seen on 30th January. More information, in particular its age and exact location, are being sought. 

Thursday 5th February

 The wind, still from the east, increased to near-gale force throughout the day, stopping the afternoon and evening ferries, but it remained dry, which was some sort of blessing.

 Mary McR. continued with her eagle spotting this morning, seeing a young White-tailed Eagle "scraping the rooftops" in Port Charlotte, and, a minute later, as she travelled south there was a young Golden Eagle over Carn, just outside the village. Clive McK. posted a lovely bit of video to the Islay Birds WhatsApp page of a sub-adult White-tailed Eagle gliding over Loch Gruinart, which I'm going to try and add here, though I'm unsure of the maximum size allowed.

Around midday, Martin A. saw a Little Egret at the head of Loch Indaal and Ed B. reported a Merlin flying through Cornabus.

Here's the video. Thanks, Clive. 

 

Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th February

The easterly wind continues and it's been more or less dry.

No records were received on Tuesday, but, on Wednesday, Mary McR reported that there was a male Hen Harrier by her house in Port Wemyss earlier, and that a White-tailed Eagle was active between there and Octofad daily. She also said that there was a single noisy Oystercatcher hanging about between the field and the shire, which she hoped would soon find a pal! One wonders if it has perhaps recently lost a pal, hence all the noise trying to attract a replacement.

Monday 2nd February

As forecast, the east to south-east wind quickly returned, though so far only of moderate strength, plus one or two light showers.

The only records came from Gary T., who will definitely be missed when he leaves the island. In the morning, he watched a murmuration of 100+ Starlings at Finlaggan, and saw 4 Golden Plover flying down the loch, as well as a Barn Owl quartering the ground west of the visitor centre. On returning home, he added to the recent Yellowhammer records by having 4 visit his bird table.

Saturday 31st January & Sunday 1st February

The easterly wind blew all day Saturday and finally relented on Sunday when it was actually almost calm during the afternoon, though the relief was short-lived and the easterlies are set to return.

First, a Friday observation which I overlooked of the first Glaucous Gull of the winter, a juvenile among the gulls at the Gartbreck tip, seen by Gary T.

No records were submitted on Saturday, but, on Sunday morning, Dave W. saw 4 Bullfinches at Lenavore on The Oa, quite a long way from what one would regard as typical habitat for this species. Then, in the afternoon, Clive McK. photographed a very pale White-tailed Eagle which was sat waiting for a Barnacle Goose that it had hit in mid-air to reappear from the rushes into which it tumbled. His highlights of the day were a very unexpected flock of 45 Meadow Pipits in a field below his house at Craig Mhor, and a brief burst of song from a Mistle Thrush in Gruinart Wood, perhaps celebrating the (temporary) disappearance of the wind. 

Also on Sunday, following Friday's report of about 6 Yellowhammers just outside Bowmore, Billy S. had 4 in his garden at Caol Ila, 3 of which are shown below.