Friday 25th April 2014

Some sightings through from Mary from earlier this week, she carried out a count on Loch Gruinart estuary on Wednesday with the following birds seen, 3 GND, 291 Shelduck, 8 Wigeon, 8 Mallard, 20 Eider, 141 Oystercatcher, 254 Ringed Plover, 641 Dunlin, 11 Barwits, 17 Curlew, 51 Redshank, 12 Turnstone,1 Long tailed Duck, 3 BH Gull, 186 Common Gull, 6 LBB Gull, 4 GBB Gull and 27 Herring Gull. Yesterday at Ardnave, Mary had a male Hen Harrier out hunting as well as a pr of Twite gathering nesting materials. In the evening, she had a gropper (grashopper warbler) singing behind her house down at Portnahaven and this morning there were 2 singing and further on in the village she heard her first Sedge Warbler for the year, with a distant Cuckoo also heard. The Rochdale birders had 21 Barwits up at Ardnave yesterday. Today, they heard a Whinchat at Gearach, saw a flock of 120 Golden Plover at Lossit and down in the field adjacent to the car park at Machir Bay 9 Dunlin and 20 Ringed Plover were present.