Saturday 7th November

A mostly overcast day with little or no wind, the smoke from a bonfire nearby going straight up into the sky.

Today's birders concentrated on the geese - and why not? In the early afternoon, Martin Culshaw and Will Miles searched through a large flock of Barnacle Geese at the head of Loch Indaal and found an adult Red-breasted Goose, which immediately poses the question whether this is the first recorded visit to Loch Indaal by the bird which has been present at Loch Gruinart every winter since 2021-22, or a different bird. They also saw a Cackling Goose, a slightly larger Canada Goose, so possibly Lesser, parvipes, and single Pink-footed and Light-bellied Brent Geese.

Just after lunch, Fiona McG was at Loch Gorm and was amazed to see thousands of Barnacle Geese sitting on the loch (see photo), a rare sight, also noted by Catherine F the previous day. There's been a lot of night-feeding by the geese under the moon this last week, hence the large flocks at the head of Loch Indaal during the day, and the ability of the Loch Gorm geese to take time out from feeding in the middle of the day.

The one non-goose report of the day came from David D who saw 9 Black-tailed Godwits from the north hide at Gruinart.

 

Friday 6th November 

Dry and mostly sunny with a variable light wind.

Bird of the day was a female Common Redstart seen south of Gartbreck by Sue Berrecloth and Brian Lyon of RAFOS. This is the first record since 2020 of this scarce visitor. Slightly more regular is Ring-necked Duck. Rogs had a first-winter bird on Loch Skerrols on 25th October, while today visitor Martin Culshaw found a male on the same loch.

During the morning, Mary McR noted a flock of 7 Snow Buntings out near Frenchman's Rocks at Claddach, while David D on The Oa reported a Golden Eagle feeding on an unidentified carcass with no less than 11 Ravens and 15 Hooded Crows in attendance, as well as 23 Twites, 17 Redwings and 19 Fieldfares around the RSPB carpark. In the afternoon, David saw 4 male and 3 female Long-tailed Ducks off Blackrock.

Beth W, Rogan's wife, watched two White-tailed Eagles flying over Port Askaig and also reported 2 Long-tailed Tits at Lily Loch.

Finally, one of the RAFOS group saw an as yet unidentified tern at Machir Bay. 

 

Thursday 5th November

Yet another sunny day, with the easterly wind increasing into the afternoon.

Mike Bell, early on his last day, found a Hoopoe at Ardnave, the 13th recorded here as well as the latest (previously 13th October), the most recent being in March/April 2025. It was in with a flock of thrushes (55 Redwings, a few Fieldfares and Blackbirds and a Mistle Thrush) at the farm. After being disturbed several times by 3 different Hen Harriers, he last saw it flying off towards Traigh Nostaig, where he couldn't find it again, but noted 47 Ringed Plovers and a Grey Plover as well as a solitary Snow Bunting giving very close views. In the late afternoon, Mike had 2 Gadwalls, 11 Little Egrets and 6 Black-tailed Godwits on the Gruinart floods.

Sue Berrecloth and Brian Lyon, here on the regular RAFOS (Royal Air Force Ornithological Society) visit, found 1,700 Greylags and 14 Whooper Swans at Kilchoman, some of them on Loch na Cachie. Newly arrived regular visitor, Martin Culshaw, sighted the Red-breasted Goose on the Gruinart Flats, while, in the afternoon, Nicholas Watts was in the north hide at Gruinart seeing 4 Black-tailed Godwits and 12 Common Snipes, as well as Shoveler and Pintail. 

I was at Ronnachmore south of Bowmore in the morning where a flock of c.600 Golden Plover were feeding on the pastures, perhaps the same flock that Fiona McG reported from Bridgend two days ago, 

Finally, Neil McMahon of Naturetrek, who was here last week with a group, and who has always told his clients that, if you see what you think is a Golden Eagle sitting on a fence post it will be a Common Buzzard (aka a 'tourist eagle'), had to eat his words on seeing, and photographing, this:

Wednesday 4th November

A bright, sunny and dry day with cool  but light easterly winds.

The Two Naturetrek groups departed on the ferry today watching a Golden Eagle and they went and an escorting pod of 8 dolphins.

Rogan W. noted 40 Greenland White-fronts flying down the sound before heading off on a ferry himself - possibly the same one as he watched a Golden Eagle too. On the crossing were 14 Black Guillemots, 7 Razorbills, 1 Common Guillemot, 3 Great Northern Divers, single Red-throated Diver, 8 Goldeneye, and 23 Red-breasted Mergansers.

Mike Bell had, in his words: "Another super day. From Bridgend Woods to Lily Loch he noted  Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Goldcrest 4, Long-tailed Tit 6, Treecreeper 3. A flock of 175 Redwing and 9 Fieldfare at Keills, another 29 Fieldfare at Skerrols House and 15 Redwing at Sanaigmore, with small flocks elsewhere. At Rock Mountain were 71 Whooper Swans and 232 Wood Pigeons with some Rock Doves. Finally I caught up with the Red-breasted Goose at Gruinart in the late afternoon."

The Wood Pigeon count is significantly large. There have been flocks counted of up to 50 birds until 2018, and only six previous flocks over 200, all between 1977 - 1988.

Thank you to Rhona Galway, one of the group who came across from N. Ireland yesterday, who sent in some photos of the Snow Buntings they saw at Ardnave - 

Tuesday 3rd November

Another very pleasant day - dry, sunny and with a very light easterly wind.

Rogan W.'s watch this morning at Port Askaig over the Sound of Islay produced some movement - 217 Redwings in groups up to 50, smaller numbers of Fieldfare and 28 Wood Pigeons. Nearby were 5 Bramblings and c.65 Chaffinches, 5 Crossbills and single Great Spotted Woodpecker and Tawny Owl. In the afternoon he saw a Kestrel on the Glen Road.

The two Naturetrek groups were busy zooming about the island: Neil McMahon noted 8 Red-throated Divers off Port Charlotte, 50 Common Scoters off Bruichladdich, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Kingfisher at Bowmore harbour and 2 Yellowhammers, c.25 Reed Buntings and a few Skylarks in stubble fields behind the Round Church. Later they found 6 Great Northern Divers, 37 Ringed Plovers and an Otter in Kilnaughton Bay and Golden Eagle, 2 Merlins and a Peregrine plus 20 Twite at The Oa. In the evening at the Gaelic College the Chinese Goose reappeared and there were 57 Tufted Ducks and 2 Pochard on Loch Skerrols. Mick Durham's group had 19 Brent Geese at Blackrock, Little Grebe at Port Wemyss, 200 Golden Plover at Craigens with 3 White-tailed Eagles loitering on the flats and 40 Chough at Ardnave (see photos below).

Other contributions came in from Steve Percival who found the Red-breasted Goose on the saltmarsh with Barnies at Craigens, and from David D. who saw a Greenfinch at Kinnabus (uncommon over there and across much of Islay these days). Fiona McG. counted 600+ Golden Plover an the mudflats at Bridgend and Nicholas Watts noted 8 Long-tailed Ducks and 2 Slav. Grebes at Blackrock and a high count of 70 Choughs leaving a roost at Ardnave early this morning. He also had a Woodcock near Lyrabus and a Water Rail dead on the road there. Later Nicholas saw 4 Mistle Thrushes and 3 Stonechats at Coullabus.

Mike Bell visited the Big Strand (aka Laggan Bay) and counted 22 Great Northern and 8 Red-throated Divers, 20 Eider, 6 Black Guillemots and 5 Long-tailed Ducks. These will almost certainly be additional birds to his major count of Loch Indaal yesterday. 

Jim Wells came across on a calm sea by boat from Ballycastle with a group of birders today and amongst other records had 6 Snow Buntings at Ardnave and 4 White-tailed Eagles and 11 Little Egrets at Gruinart.

As always - thanks to everyone for their contributions.

Monday 2nd November

A very pleasant day with very light south/south-east winds and sunshine with a high pressure system dominating.

Mike Bell made a very useful, detailed and complete survey of birds on Loch Indaal from Gartbreck all the way round to Port Charlotte (a proper, all-in-one-go WeBS count!) producing some substantial totals:

66 Red-throated Divers, 38 Great Northern Divers, 5 diver spp., 32 Slavonian Grebes, 198+ Shags, 2 Cormorants, 15 Mute Swans, 19 Whooper Swans, 10 Canada Geese, 43 Brent Geese, 2 Shelduck, 830 Wigeon, 405 Teal, 144 Mallard, 135 Eider, 107 Common Scoter 14 Long-tailed Duck, 4 Goldeneye 91 Red-breasted Mergansers, 860 Golden Plover, 143 Ringed Plover, 14 Sanderling, 44 Dunlin, 225 Bar-tailed Godwits, 53 Curlew, 54 Knot, 2 Little Egret 3 White-tailed Eagles.

Elsewhere Rogan W. had 2 Crossbills, single Water Rail and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers near Port Askaig. At Gruinart Neil McMahon's Naturetrek group saw 3 White-tailed Eagles and 7 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a Barn Owl at Eresaid. They did a walk in the fine weather to Ardnave Point finding 4 White-tailed Eagles, single Golden Eagle, 10 Choughs, and single Snow Bunting and Purple Sandpiper - the latter at the point. Also 6 Goldeneye and a Little Grebe on the loch.

Mick Durham with a second Naturetrek group was on Jura for the day finding a Brent Goose at Craighouse.

Rogan sent in this photo with the caption "As autumn turns to winter the Grey Heron stands quietly amongst the fading colours of the season"

Sunday 1st November

A generally bright, dry and sunny day with light northerly winds.

Mick Durham with his Naturetrek group were on The Oa today finding 2 Golden Eagles by the American Monument and a couple of White-tailed Eagles over the car park  (photos below).

Billy Stitchell was at Cluanach plantation finding 2 Bullfinches, 8 Siskins and 2 Redpoll. Along the Glen road were several flocks of Redwing and a few Buzzards (photo below).

Rogan W. was at Port Askaig in the morning noting Sparrowhawk (with another later at Storakaig), Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Greenfinch and 3 Brambling, 26 Wood Pigeons and a Carrion Crow with the Hoodies.  He also commented on a constant movement of Blackbirds and Redwings coming in. Watching the Sound from Port Askaig he noted a single Great Northern Diver and 38 Greylags flying over Islay to Jura. 

David W. was at Kilnaughton Bay finding 16+ Great Northern Divers plus a flock of Fieldfares and single Brambling at Risabus. James H. was at Ardnave in the afternoon seeing 2 White-tailed and one Golden Eagle plus 7 Snow Buntings. Paul Handyside upped the White-tailed Eagle count there to 3 - possibly the same three he'd seen on the other side at Killinallan in the morning - but Mike Bell notched up 4 in the same area. At Rockside Mike tallied 171 Whooper Swans, a Peregrine, 120 Redwings and 2 Yellowhammers. At Loch Gorm were 9 Pink-footed Geese and 1,450 Greylags along with further singles of Golden and White-tailed Eagles, 2 more Goldens with an immature at Beinn Dubh and 8 Fieldfares at Neriby.

I checked out the two hides at RSPB Gruinart where there were substantial numbers of Barnies and Teal but no Red-breasted Goose or American Wigeon visible with them.