Friday 24th October

Gone from one extreme to the other... from an early entry, to a latish entry tonight, only common denominator was that I have been out both evenings...Yesterday the East Anglian birders had been over on Jura with their highlight being the sighting of a White tailed Sea Eagle. The Horwich birders yesterday and had been over at Loch Gruinart and then up to Ardnave later on. At Bun an Uillt, in a field there were 2 Whoopers while out on the estuary there were 34 in one group and 11 in another, both groups resting up. Later on and 2 more groups flew in from the sea, one of 30, the other counted 14 Swans in all. They had a Peregrine down near to Craigens and also a male and also a ringtail Hen Harrier out on the wing all morning from Craigens on up towards the locked gate before Killinallan. On Ardnave Loch, thee were both Mutes and Whoopers along with some juveniles and also a few Wigeon, but no Teal or the Lesser Scaup seen! There were 4 GND off Nave Island along with a Black Guillemot while a RTD was seen on Loch Gruinart from Ardnave. They also saw 5 Turnstone feeding amongst the seaweed close to Ardnave Point.. Other waders seen included 3 Ringed Plover, Curlews and Oystercatcher. A Snow Bunting was also seen down on the shoreline too. 15 Chough were counted near to Ardnave Loch and a Merlin was seen closeby. We saw a male Hen Harrier round the far end (East end)of Loch Gorm as we returned from Gruinart yesterday morning. James today had seen 2 Pectoral Sandpipers out in front of the old hide, on the reserve were 1025 Golden Plover, 119 Lapwing, 120 Whooper and a Gadwall. A count of geese tallied through at 13,595 Baries, 687 Whitefronts, 152 Greylags, 4 Pale bellied Brent Geese along with 4 large Canada Geese.