Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th June

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.

 

 

Thursday 25th June

Today was hot! The temperature at the airport, where there is an official met station, reached 27°C (80.6°F), which, if Google is to be believed, is a new record for Islay, the previous highest being 26°C (78.8°F) in June 2018. Light and variable winds, mostly from the south and east, helped a little bit.

Andy and Clare Sharman reported that, the day before, on their walk at Killinallan, they came across a Sand Martin colony in the dunes, counting 14 birds, which prompted Steve R to say that he thought that the recently reduced access to Kilnaughton beach had benefitted the Sand Martins breeding there. Andy and Clare were on The Oa today seeing both Golden and White-tailed Eagles (see photo below). They also counted 8 Choughs by the American Monument and saw 14 Gannets offshore.

Fiona McG, over on Jura in the last 3 days, reported 1 definite Quail, but more probably 2. As already mentioned, this is a good year for Quail all across the country. 

Local resident Jo Rosser-Owen has been walking through Bridgend Woods with the Cornell University bird identification app, Merlin, on her phone, which heard the songs or calls of 14 different species, including Siskin and Blackcap. This appears to be the only regular site for Blackcaps on the island.

Clive McKay on the west side of Loch Gruinart was surprised to see a Great Skua swoop low over his garden. He also saw a Pink-footed Goose flying south from Ardnave with 4 Greylags.

 

 

 

Wednesday 24th June 

Warm and mostly sunny with light mostly westerly wind.

Jackie Wedd and Dave departed today, seeing 3 Common Dolphins from the ferry, while yesterday they saw a White-tailed Eagle at Finlaggan, where a Common Whitethroat was singing nonstop. 

Another departing visitor, Stephen Garner, saw 5 Red-throated Divers off the Port Mor campsite, Port Charlotte, a Golden Eagle over the Gruinart Flats and a leucistic Collared Dove near the entrance to Aoradh Farm on the RSPB Loch Gruinart reserve

Clive McK reported a dramatic increase in Curlews on L Gruinart, from 25-30 two weeks ago to 147 today. Common Swifts continue to turn up, with David W. seeing two at Loch Kinnabus in the evening.

Andy and Clare Sharman had a walk along the beach at Killinallan and reported seeing a White-tailed Eagle, 5 Ringed Plovers, 17 Sanderlings, 1 Redshank, 4 Lapwings, about 20 Oystercatchers, and 3 Black-backed Gulls, the size, and therefore species, of these last not stated.

Tuesday 23rd June

A hot day with plenty of blue sky and sunshine with very little wind, though becoming fairly overcast and cooler by late afternoon.

Late news from yesterday from Clive McK. who was returning to Islay on the ferry and saw a Minke Whale off Ardtalla and a juvenile Great Tit sat on the ferry on the crossing!

Today's news started with reports of Common Dolphins off Jura and a range of interesting dragonflies and butterflies until Clive McK. reported a Quail calling at Gruinart near Creag Mhor. There has been quite a big influx of Quail into the UK this spring and this is the first for us on Islay. In the afternoon Fiona McG. heard another Quail over on Jura at Inver.  There had previously only been reports of the species back in the 19th century and this is the first modern record of the species on Jura.

Some of us were out overnight doing the second Corn Crake survey with David D. hearing a couple over near Gartbreck on Loch Indaal and myself noting 3 birds on my stretch of the Rhinns between Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte.

Andy Sharman noted a colour-ringed Oystercatcher at Kilnaughton which hopefully can be identified in due course. We've had a number of these sightings over the years of birds from Ireland and wintering birds in S, Wales and the south coast of England.

Stephen Garner was out and about and sent in the following account of his day: "This morning we stopped off at Bridgend Woods for a walk in the shade. Nice assemblage of woodland birds - Blackbird, Wood Pigeon, Chaffinch, Treecreeper, Robin (including juveniles), Coal Tit, Blue Tit, a fly-past by 3 Siskin and a Spotted Flycatcher hawking insects from a large conifer next to the meadow area.

Onward to Saligo via north side of Loch Gorm: female Hen Harrier just below the road over to Gruinart. On the right hand side wires beyond the junction but before the White House being painted on the left, a male Cuckoo and a male singing Whinchat. At the parking area for Saligo a Sedge Warbler was calling from the common reed fringe upstream of the bridge".

Monday 22nd June

Quite warm, but with a mix of cloud and sunshine with an attempt at rain in the morning.

Yesterday Jackie Wedd saw a couple of Spotted Flycatchers at the Ardmore House jetty and  3 Red-legged Partridges by Cattadale Farm - presumably released birds for shooting? David D. had 2 Swifts over Ben Mhor this morning.

Mary-Ann F. commented that there seemed to be plenty of sand eels in the shallows at Kildalton and David D. saw similarly good numbers at Ardtalla yesterday, while Jackie Wedd commented that she saw Arctic Terns carrying sand eels in suspected courtship feeding.

Stephen Garner was over on Jura successfully finding Otters and hearing Cuckoo calling, and noting the usual Willow Warblers, Redpoll and Yellowhammer around Inver Woods.

Sunday 21st June

The summer solstice and a scorcher of a day with bright sunshine all day with heatwaves predicted further south in the UK.

Malcolm O. reports hearing Corn Crake from his house in Bruichladdich last night - a bird moving closer to the village from Conisby perhaps.

Stephen Garner was up at Ardnave again today, primarily looking at orchids but sent in the following bird notes: 

Just beyond the lobster pens a flock of 4 choughs above the dunes. A bit further on two choughs working the tide line, one un-ringed the other colour ringed single green on the left leg, 2 rings, pale blue over orange on the right (photo available if needed). Adult White-tailed Eagle on the central dunes seen 3 times, with a splendid flyby next to the car park on our return. Female Hen Harrier also near the point but assume same one seen again scaring the young rabbits in the field above the car park and again beyond the loch. Return along the Gruinart side very quiet with a pair of Ringed Plover and a single Dunlin working the tide line.

Jackie Wedd is on a return visit and noted 2 Arctic Terns and 4 Red-throated Divers off Port Charlotte by the lighthouse.

Here at Bruichladdich the House Martins are belatedly back trying to make a nest on the house, but it seems a real struggle as the material they are gathering is so sandy that once it dries it falls off the wall.