A warmer day with little rain, light winds and a bit of sunshine - also quite humid.
A Great Northern Diver was present off Port Charlotte yesterday and this morning Alistair H. saw a couple of Swifts near Claddach, and a male Hen Harrier and 30+ Skylarks near Gruinart. I was up at Finlaggan where there was a group of 14 Pied Wagtails.
Friends who came over this morning on the Kintyre Express from Ballycastle report 2-3 Minke Whales between Rathlin and The Oa.
Monday and Tuesday were miserable - drizzle, low cloud, mist and breezy. Wednesday saw a turn for the better with bright, calm and sunny weather by mid-morning.
On Monday Alistair Hart reported Grasshopper Warblers calling at Portnahaven.
There were no records for Tuesday.
Today Alistair reported lots of the usual species from his wanderings around the Portnahaven/Cladville area in the much better weather.
David Wood reports a Quail at Kinnabus and confirms that the Tree Sparrows reported a few weeks ago have successfully bred with fledged young in the Glen Astle area. This species only occurs erratically, with little pattern to their appearances on Islay and is even more erratic as a breeding bird - the last confirmed breeding (also on The Oa) was 2009.
Over on Jura today, David Jardine reports Yellowhammer, Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 singing Blackcaps at Port an Tarbairt. Girish Patel, also now on Jura saw a Yellowhammer at Cnocbreac and a singing Whitethroat at Inver Cottage.
The weather has been awful - cloudy, raining and breezy, with Port Ellen apparently being the wettest place in the UK a day or so ago!
Needless to say, that has meant no bird notes sent in and the three day gap in bothering to write the blog.
However, we welcome a new resident birder to Islay, Rogan Wolhuter, who pointed out that this day 13 years ago was a true "red letter day" for Islay's ornithology:
This was the second UK record - both in Argyll, the first 60 years before the Islay one - so not long to wait until the next!
Very variable, quickly changing weather over the last three days. Mostly with cloudy conditions and light rain and stronger winds, but brightening up considerably by lunchtime on 2nd.
There were no bird notes posted for Tuesday or Wednesday.
Today Girish Patel was at Claggain Bay and reports 2 Red-throated Diver and one Great Northern Diver, along with Black Guillemots, Eiders and a Red-breasted Merganser.
A mostly overcast rainy/drizzly day with light winds.
Mary R. reports a total of 9 Ravens along with the regular White-tailed Eagle at Claddach. Girish Patel watched a Golden Eagle at Ballymeanach, while Ruaridh Fotheringham saw 3 0r 4 Bottle-nosed Dolphins this evening off Port Charlotte.
Two days of mostly decent warm and sunny weather with occasional rain showers.
Thanks to Malcolm O. for covering the blog for me while I was over on Colonsay and Oronsay where we saw Oronsay's first confirmed breeding Hen Harriers and visited "Pig's Paradise" on Colonsay - a very spectacular seabird cliff packed full of Kittiwakes, Razorbills and Guillemots that we can only dream of here on Islay.
The only bird reports for yesterday came from Mary Redman who saw a fine male Kestrel down at Currie Sands the day before. Billy Stitchell sent in some interesting photos from a walk around Lily Loch.
Today, Martin Armstrong found a family of Whinchats along the Glenastle track on The Oa, plus a pair of Mistle Thrushes.
There were also various messages about lepidoptera sightings including this fine photo of a Common Blue butterfly taken by Girish Patel on The Oa yesterday.
Friday 26th June
It was several degrees cooler today, After some spectacular lightning during the night, it was mainly overcast with a breeze varying between north-west and east! A handful of light showers occurred in the morning.
David D, on the RSPB's Oa reserve, reported a Treecreeper, a juvenile Cuckoo, and a Great Skua, as well as a pod of Harbour Porpoises below the American Monument. Andy and Clare Sharman had a flypast by 2 Grey Herons and a male Hen Harrier while sitting on the beach at Port Ghillie Greamhair, just to the west of Sanaigmore Bay, where they later saw 2 Black Guillemots, 5 Choughs and 12 Oystercatchers.
An enquiry about Corn Crake numbers on the island this summer was responded to by David D with information that it isn't a great year for them, with the number of calling males around 25, though some of these are as yet unconfirmed, with 12 of them on RSPB reserves.
The summering Whooper Swan is still present on the flooded fields at Gruinart.
The attached photo was taken by Tony Church, then warden of the Islay Youth Hostel, back in 2007. He was driving along a road and spotted this bird on top of a wall. It ignored him as he stopped his car and backed up until level with it to take this photo.
