Friday 24th April

A repeat of yesterday's weather, dry, sunny and getting warmer.

Peter Gill's dawn chorus on a stroll below Lyrabus consisted of 3 Cuckoos, 5 Grasshopper Warblers, 4 Sedge Warblers and 2 Common Whitethroats. A little later, he saw 2 Long-tailed Ducks off Bruichladdich. James How added to the songsters with a Grasshopper Warbler and no less than 3 Water Rails calling at Gruinart.

Peter Gill later had the delightful experience of the Little and Large of the raptor world when watching a Merlin on a roadside fence near Ardnave as a White-tailed Eagle flew past. 

Louise M reported at least 30 Great Northern Divers in the Sound of Jura, on the east side of the island, and, later in the afternoon, Ed B saw a Moorhen and 3 Whimbrel at Cornabus. Moorhen is an elusive bird on Islay, with comparatively few breeding pairs, perhaps no more than 20. Cornabus would be a new site if Ed's bird can find a mate.

Billy Stitchell has been out with his camera again and contributed this fine one of a Pied Wagtail. I particularly like the lighting on it.

 

Thursday 23rd April 

The nice big anticyclone persists, giving us blue skies and a southerly breeze, and very slowly getting warmer during the day.

Paul Miller saw what could well turn out to be the bird of the year, a Black Kite, floating in the wind above Sanaig, and heading up the coast towards Ardnave. This record has, naturally, to be scrutinised by the relevant rare bird committee, but, if accepted, will be the first for Islay and just the 5th or 6th for Argyll, as there's a pending record from last year seen on Kintyre, the full details of which are still awaited.

Paul also saw a Common Whitethroat at Sanaig, the first for the year duly clocking in, while Peter Gill had a Whinchat at Lyrabus. In the afternoon, James H. spotted 4 Ruffs from the Loch Gruinart south hide, Fiona McG found a brood of 8 Mallard ducklings at Shorefield, just outside Bruichladdich, while I watched 2 Sandwich Terns flying in front of the village. Grasshopper Warblers were vocal in the evening, with 3+ below Lyrabus heard by Peter Gill and 2 in Glen Astle, together with 3 Cuckoos, reported by David D. Mary McR also had a Cuckoo near Gearach earlier in the day.

Butterflies on the wing included a Red Admiral at Shorefield (Fiona McG) and Green Hairstreaks on The Oa (David D). 

Wednesday 22nd April 

Dry and sunny, though the persistent easterly breeze kept it cool.

The birds of the day were undoubtedly the pair of Garganey seen and photographed by Mark Livingston from the RSPB Loch Gruinart south hide. One or two, occasionally more, of this lovely small migrant duck turn up here most springs, with breeding proved in 1997 and suspected in five years since, the last time in 2014.

David Jardine, on the ferry to Colonsay, saw a single Puffin flying north off SE Jura and then c.15 Manx Shearwaters north of Rubha Mhail lighthouse. David Wood reported the first Whinchat of the year from Kinnabus, while, also on The Oa, David D spotted a White-tailed Eagle, in his words "performing pest control on a Greylag Goose nest." Over at Kildalton, Mary-Ann F saw a Redpoll, and also a Speckled Wood butterfly on the wing. 

In the late afternoon, Mark Livingston found 3 immature White-tailed Eagles at Ardnave, while Ed B had a high count of 38 Wood Pigeons at Cornabus. 

David Wood reported that an adult male Linnet killed by a cat in Port Ellen yesterday was wearing a ring put on 49 days ago in Wiltshire, so not a very nice Islay welcome for it. 

And here are Mark's photos. 

 

Tuesday 21st April    

A dry and sunny day with a blue sky, but also white horses on the blue sea because of a strong easterly wind.     

Only a few records today, of single Whimbrel at Saligo from Louise M and at Cornabus from Ed B, and of 3 singing Sedge Warblers near the south hide at Gruinart from James H.

Gordon Langsbury took this cracking photograph of a Sedge Warbler.

 

 

Monday 20th April

Sunny with blue skies, and white fluffy clouds gradually giving way to overcast and even a few spots of rain in the evening, with light variable winds.

Last night on the Gurinart Floods, Clive McK watched 70 Redshanks behaving like migrants, with 35 flying off to the NW in a tight flock, followed by 57 Golden Plover on the same track. There were a further 100 which stayed on the Flats, together with 7 Whimbrel, 28+ Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Greenland Whitefronts and 1 Common Sandpiper.

Records from different parts of the island included the first Sedge Warbler of the summer at Loch Gruinart (Paul Miller),  a Cuckoo and Common Sandpipers at Kinnabus (David W), a single Golden Plover at Frenchman's Rocks (Mary McR), a Grasshopper Warbler at Lyrabus (Peter Gill), and a White Wagtail and a Whimbrel at Machir Bay (Clive McK).

To end the day, Mary McW reported a Corncrake calling away at Portnahaven. Around this time of year, one has to decide whether it was calling or singing!

 

 

Sunday 19th April 2026

I don't know whether to whisper it or shout it from the rooftops, but the sun shone all day, the skies were their bluest of blues, and the wind was a light breeze. What's more, these conditions look like continuing for the week, gradually warming.

This lovely weather brought with it the summer's first Corncrake, at Portnahaven, reported with delight by Louise M. Cuckoos were reported from Jura (2 on stereo at Ballard, according to Louise) and Ardillistry (Mary-Ann F).

Steve Rogers sent in his WeBS count from Loch an t-Sailein, finding: Oystercatcher 18, Greylag 25, Herring Gull 8, Heron 2, Curlew 2, Canada Goose 4, Shag 3, GBB Gull 2, Shelduck 2, RB Merganser 9, GN Diver 2, Dunlin 98, Sandwich Tern 2, and Common Gull 2, also seeing 2 Otters and 15+ Common Seals, while a Willow Warbler was singing close by. Steve also had his first-ever Twite in the mixed finch flock in his garden at Emerivale on The Oa side of Port Ellen. Thanks, Steve.

At lunchtime, Ed B reported his first Orange Tip butterfly of the summer at Cornabus and the 'ping' of his WhatsApp message disturbed me as I was watching my first one at Bruichladdich. 

 

 

 

Saturday 18th April 

High pressure moving in, at last, with the wind dropping and the sun coming out, though still not warm.

New migrants arriving by the day, with Ed B kicking off with a Grasshopper Warbler singing at Cornabus, and Clive McK seeing a Little Tern at Killinallan, as well as a Whimbrel there, with a single Curlew.

Peter Gill saw a Cuckoo fly over Lyrabus in the morning, while Ed B had a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming for the first time at Cornabus where he has seen them but not heard them before.

Here's a Gordon Langsbury photo of a Little Tern.