Wednesday 30th July

Visiting birder Nigel, who is over staying at Port Charlotte for a few days had been out and about on the Rhinns. On Monday evening he had seen a Woodcock, later on up towards Gearach, he had a Short eared Owl and then further on a great sighting of a male Hen Harrier. Yesterday morning on the walk on the Oa produced no Golden Eagles, but the bonus was a Bonxie fly past The American monument! This morning Bob had 3 young Cuckoos on Bolsay moor. One of them was spoofing the Greylags on the ground, Bob thought that the geese could be thinking that it was a Peregrine. This evening, coming back home from Gruinart, we saw 2 groups of Pied Wagtails, one lot of around 10 at the far (Eastern) end of Loch Gorm, and then down at the reed bed at the Coastguards, around 15 were present. Earlier this evening we had 9 Curlew fly past over the dunes.