Sunday 10th May

Further bright sunny conditions with a moderate NW breeze, but clouding over towards the end of the day with a very brief sprinkle of rain.

I forgot to mention that I saw 2 Canada Geese on Nave Island yesterday.

Steve & Lyn Rogers were birding at Emerival/Kilnaughton Bay and finding 2 each of Common Sandpiper, Shelduck, Whimbrel and Oystercatcher there. Later there were a further 8 Whimbrel and a summery plumaged Great Northern Diver. At Ardnave, Paul Ward had a male and female Hen Harrier, small numbers of Ringed Plover and Dunlin and a Little Tern offshore. Kate Butterworth saw a Golden Eagle and male Hen Harrier at Lossit, while Martin A. had a flock of 13 Crossbills in woodland near Cluanach - that is quite a large count for this species on Islay and is in a location where Malcolm O. found them breeding in the 1990s.

Saturday 9th May

A dry, bright and sunny day with a moderate and cool breeze from the NW.

Not a great deal to report today: visitor Mandy Nogarede was pleased to find a couple of Choughs up at Sanaig. Val P. and I walked up to Ardnave point finding a flock of 35 Oystercatchers at Ardnave Loch then another flock of 55 towards the point. A Corn Crake was calling by the farm buildings at Ardnave and an adult White-tailed Eagle was watched at Gruinart slowly heading north. 

Thursday 7th & Friday 8th May

Winds still mostly light, but swinging round in all directions, but with continuing mostly bright and sunny weather throughout.

Yesterday Janice and Tim Scott  were at Saligo and Smaull where they counted 18 Whimbrels, had singing Whitethroat and Willow Warblers and heard 2 Corncrakes. David Shallcross found a Grey Wagtail at Bridgend and Kate Butterworth had a Grasshopper Warbler singing near Port Charlotte and a Golden Eagle on The Oa. I did a quick count of birds up on Loch Indaal finding 125 Bar-tailed Godwits at Gartnatra and a concentrated feeding group of 60 Red-breasted Mergansers just off Bowmore harbour.

Today, George Pike and David Shallcross noted sngle Whinchat, Hen Harrier and Golden Eagle on The Oa, while Clive McK. had 35 Whimbrel up towards Ardnave. James How gets the prize for "Bird of the Day" with a sighting of a Wood Sandpiper from the North Hide at RSPB Gruinart - a species far from an annual occurrence on Islay.

Wednesday 6th May

 Light SE winds and sunshine for much of the day.

David Shallcross counted c.100 Bar-tailed Godwits on Loch Indaal near to Bowmore this morning where there were 23 Knot, some in red breeding plumage. Later, up at Bunnhabhain,  he counted 3 Whinchats. Up at Gruinart Clive McK. was watching a Common Gull flying by when it glanced upwards. Clive did the same and found it was looking at an adult White-tailed Eagle being mobbed by an Osprey! Jack Mitchell saw probably/possibly the same Osprey at Loch Skerrols later in the day. Kath Butterworth heard a Corn Crake at Conisby and down at Bruichladdich had a Dunlin with a pink ring on the left leg and a yellow ring on the right with numbering 9U2. We'll try and find out where that bird originates from and let you know.

Tuesday 5th May

Light winds from the north kept the day cool, but it was bright, dry and sunny throughout.

At Laphroaig Mary Ann F. found a Treecreeper and at the opposite end of Islay, Mary R. recorded 30 Whimbrel at Claddach. Kate Butterworth was up at Ardnave and had an adult and two immature White-tailed Eagles, 30 Ringed Plover and 2 Little Terns with a male Hen Harrier at Kilchiaran. At Cattadale there was a Golden Eagle watched closely by David Shallcross, with another seen by Neville Hargreaves at Machir Bay. James How counted the Dunlin in Loch Gruinart, amassing an impressive tally of c.2000 along with 30 Whimbrel and 3 Little Terns.

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.