Tuesday 1st April

Today Malcolm had a phone call of a sighting of a new bird to Islay. So Malcolm and Peter set off and found the said bird over at Laggan. It turned out to be a Ruppell's Vulture which had flown off from the "World of Wings" centre close to Cumbernauld. It went awol back on Sunday 23rd of March, but Malcolm and Peter managed to capture it and all going well it will be returned there tomorrow. It flew off once before a few years back...Bob today had 6 Sand Martins and 3 Barwits out in front of the old hide at Gruinart. Peter from Sunderland had seen a juv WTSE up behind Port Charlotte yesterday and then one at Gruinart later on, possibly the same bird both times and the same bird that Emily had at Gruinart. Also at Gruinart yesterday, Peter had 2 Willow Warblers, the Green winged Teal out from the new hide. Today he had a Swallow at Saligo Bay and later on at Kilchiaran, a mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare. He also saw several Hen Harriers while he was out on the Rhinns today all ringtails, no males! The Dumfriesshire birders had 2 Golden Eagles a juv WTSE, pr of Dippers, female Wheatear, Kestrel, Peregrine, a distant Hen Harrier several GND and a Gannet over on the Sound of Islay today. Michael and Trish from Co Durham had counted 10 Chough down close to Lossit Bay, a male Hen Harrier just out of Portnahaven and a steady passage of Gannets and Awks past Rubha na Faint. Before I forget, the rainfall for March tallied out at 4 inches exactly, slightly damper than the previous March tallies for 2012 and 2013!