Monday 30 December

Thanks to James to writing the blog while I was down South in Surrey enjoying Xmas, think I missed all the stormy weather although there was frost on the cars when we headed for Gatwick yesterday morning.... we are not used to frosts over here!!! Down there, we saw Foxes(2), Molehills, Grey Squirrels, Green paratkeets, Green woodpecker, Magpies, Jays, Nuthatches, which we not see here on Islay, the odd Magpie yes, and the even rarer (to us) Green woodpecker. Yesterday Malcolm had a first winter Glaucous Gull in his garden at Bruichladdich, visiting birder Marc Eden had 7 Purple Sandpipers at Bruichladdich along with the Glaucous Gull, 130 Scaup on Loch Indaal with 5 Long tailed Duck also present there. Going over the moor to Gruinart, a Golden Eagle was seen above Cnoc Don, further on a flock of 60 Skylarks were noted and then on the rape field at Corsapol, 80 Twite were seen. Other visiting birders, Graham and Catherine Whitby had seen a Greenshank at Bun an Uillt.