Monday 4th May

Another pleasant, dry day with lots of sunshine and light winds, though clouding up a little towards evening.

There was a lot of chat on the WhatsApp group about sightings of all sorts of lepidoptera today, but I'll stick with the bird sightings.

Jack Mitchell started things off with a Whinchat seen on The Oa, followed by Kath Butterworth noting a cuckoo at Port Mor campsite. David D. saw a White-tailed Eagle carrying a Fulmar off inland on The Oa - they have to be careful in taking Fulmars, in order to avoid being covered in regurgitated oil that fouls their feathers. Nick Bone had Chiffchaffs singing at Gruinart, plus 42 Whimbrel and 27 Ringed Plover. David Shallcross was down at Bruichladdich watching the Black Guillemots (8 of them) around their nest sites on the pier. While at Bruichladdich he also found a Garden Warbler - far from a regular species on Islay with only 11 records in this century. Later, David Shallcross found a Kestrel at Portnahaven. Late still he found another scarce species for Islay - an adult Little Gull at Bowmore along with 2 Sandwich Terns. Steve & Lyn Rogers noted 5 Whimbrel over Kilnaughton and Clive McK. had a Great Skua heading north up Loch Indaal at Gartbreck. Down at Cladville Mary R. had an adult White-tailed Eagle. Janice & Tim Scott took a hike out to Traigh Bhan and found 4 or 5 singing Whitethroats, a male Whinchat, 2 Golden Eagles, 10 whimbrel and noted a Sand Martin colony in the dunes. 

Sunday 3rd May

A greyer, cooler but dry day with light winds from a more northerly direction.

Late news from yesterday came from Clive McK. who revised his Whimbrel total down to 114 from from 122 and added a sighting of a pale phase Arctic Skua at Loch Gruinart that flushed 162 Bar-tailed Godwits and where there were 300 Dunlin and a Brent Goose.

Today Clive had a much higher count of Dunlin on Loch Gruinart - 900 in total along with 78 Shelduck, 60 Ringed Plover, 10 Whimbrel, and a Curlew Sandpiper (the latter not at all common as a spring migrant on Islay). There were 3 Little Terns doing courtship feeding at Gruinart in a site where they do try to breed but which is prone to flooding at high tides. 

Also birding at Gruinart was Kath Butterworth who noted 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 130 Whimbrel and later at Ard Chruaidh (Gartnatra) on Loch Indaal found a further 85 Whimbrel, 8 Knot and 140 Bar-tailed Godwits.

I took a look at Gruinart from the two hides this morning and noted a Whooper Swan that seemed to be lacking any primary feathers, but which was trying to pair up with a Mute Swan. I also counted 11 Great Northrn Divers, a Red-throated Diver and 16 Red-breasted Mergansers off Blackrock in Loch Indaal. Visitors David Shallcross and George Pike took a look at Blackrock later in the day finding a passing White-tailed Eagle and a flock of 17 Eiders. Up at Gruinart David found 42 Whimbrel and a Little Egret and Martin Hughes was at Ardnave Farm and heard a Corn Crake calling in adjacent rushy fields

Away from the Rhinns, David D. had a male Bullfinch and 3 Spotted Flycatchers at Cairnmore Woods on the edge of Kilnaughton Bay and a Corn Crake at Upper Killeyan.

Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd May

The weather slightly on the turn with light to moderate SE winds and more cloud cover on Friday, turning to fairly overcast conditions on Saturday with a hint of rain, especially by the evening, and winds dropping but turning to the west.

The expected passage of Whimbrel through Islay was evident on Friday with Clive McK. counting 35 at Creag Mhor, Gruinart, Ed B. with 32 at Cornabus, Mary R. with 11 at Claddach, Ian Littlewood finding 55 near Ardnave Loch and 15 here at Bruichladdich. Assuming they were all different, that is a tally of 148 birds minimum.

Clive also saw 2 summer-plumaged Black-tailed Godwits at Creag Mhor, Ed added a couple of Whooper Swans at Cornabus and Ian found a Great Skua near Ardnave Point.

Today witnessed further large numbers of Whimbrel on Islay, stopping off to feed on their way north. Clive McK. counted 122 feeding on leatherjackets on the fields around Creag Mhor (accompanied by a summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit). Ed B. commented that the 60+ Whimbrels feeding around him at Cornabus were being pestered by Common Gulls stealing their food.

Other birds of interest today have been a Peregrine hunting over Cornabus, a substantial tally of 50 Swallows at Claddach from Mary R. along with 2 Cuckoos at Port Wemyss plus two others - at Ballymeanach and Portnahaven. Fiona McG. notes 3 Sedge Warblers on the coastal trail at Port Wemyss to Portnahaven with Arctic Terns arriving on Orsay island. Paul Miles scores the first Spotted Flycatchers of the year on Islay - two at Lily Loch along with singing Chiffchaff.

"Bird of the Day" goes to James How who saw a Tree Sparrow in his garden at Gruinart - a scarce and irregular species on Islay.

Thursday 30th April

Another fine, dry and sunny day with slightly breezier conditions from the SE.

David Dinsley noted our first Swift of the year coming in high off the sea over Ben Mhor, The Oa.

Ian Littlewood counted 50+ Whimbrel heading north on Loch Indaal and Ella Simpson had a Corn Crake up at Conisby.

Wednesday 29th April

Another fairly warm, very sunny, dry and pleasant day.

Mary R. saw a male Hen Harrier this morning at Claddach along with a regular pair of Canada Geese flying between Claddach Loch and McKenzie Island. Nick Bone was watching a female Hen Harrier at Lossit at the same time, flying towards Claddach.

This afternoon Martin A. found an Osprey eating its catch of fish  on a fence post near Gartnatra and Clive McK. had a couple of Great Skuas up at Ardnave along with a Kestrel and a decent count of 70+ Whimbrel between Garra Eallabus and Ardnave. On Ardnave Loch he noted the 4 Scaup still present along with 6 Tufted Ducks.

Janice & Tim Scott are visiting and were pleased to actually see a Corn Crake at Portnahaven where they also heard a Grasshopper Warbler.

Visiting birder Ian Littlewood sent in records of birds seen this week including White-tailed Eagle and Hen Harrier at Bunnahabhain on 24th; Golden Eagle at Loch Ballygrant and Merlin near Loch Bharradail on 25th; White-tailed Eagle at Cnoc Cro a Mhail on 26th; 3 Corn Crakes at Portnahaven on 27th and "numerous flocks of Whimbrel ranging from 10-20 birds around the Rhinns with 52 at Kilchiaran Bay" plus Golden Eagle at Gearach  and Whinchat at Kilchoman today.

Tuesday 28th April

Another basically dry and sunny day, though cloudy at times with a cool, light easterly breeze.

Nick Bone reports a Corncrake at Lossit and Clive McK. saw 47 Whimbrel at Gareallabus, a White-tailed Eagle mobbed by Greylags and, most unusual, 2 pairs of Scaup on Ardnave Loch.

James H. heard a Water Rail and saw a late Jack Snipe at Gruinart in the morning, and took a look over Gruinart Flats later in the day, reporting a/the pair of Garganey still present along with a Ruff, 16 Whimbrel, a pair of Gadwall and 9 Black-tailed Godwits.

I noted a flock of 15 Whimbrel at Bruichladdich, then did a walk in the  Lily Loch area noting a pair of White-tailed Eagles flying about and 2 Great Northern Divers on the Sound of Islay. Billy Stitchell was also at Lily Loch during the day and sent in a couple of photos - one of possibly the same eagle and another typifying a pleasant spring day with plenty of bird song from summer migrants.

Sunday 26th & Monday 27th April

Two further days of pleasant, sunny and mild weather.

Thanks to Malcolm Ogilvie for doing the blog in my 3 weeks absence - and to Mary Redman for taking over from Malcolm when he was unavailable.

While I've been away there has been a major change in the island's birdlife as the wintering geese all got away to Greenland and a flurry of the summer visitors arrived. Reporting has quietened down a little since and there have been few posts over the last two days:

Yesterday Ed B. reported Arctic and Sandwich Terns at Kilnaughton and Louise M. had a Whimbrel in front of the Jura Hotel.

So far, there are no sightings posted today.