Tuesday 9th December

Luckily for you all out there, I kept some of Mary's birds, as I have not heard of any new sightings for today apart from Margaret seeing a hen Pheasant getting blown along at a high speed in the wind... The plane came this morning and again this evening, but we have not had any ferries coming today at all, and already tomorrow's ferries are already cancelled and the schools might even be closed as well. Mary managed to carry out her webs count yesterday, so here are her tallies... Loch Gruinart held 50 Whitefronts, 5 Pale bellied Brent, 215 Wigeon, 10 Mallard, 40 Pintail, 9 Shoveler, 9 RB Merganser, 2 Goosander, 3 Cormorant, 1 Little Egret, 5 Heron, 1 Dabchick, 238 Oystercatcher, 5 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 228 Barwit, 189 Curlew, 2 Greenshank, 33 Turnstone, 11 BH Gull, 22 C Gull, 36 H Gull, 1 LBB Gull and 4 GBB Gull. On the floods at Gruinart, her count was 7 Whooper, 34 Greylag, 6 Wigeon, 275 Teal, 99 Mallard, 25 Pintail, 11 Shoveler, 795 Golden Plover (+ around 150 in nearby fields), 96 Dunlin (an additional 28 in a nearby field) and a Moorhen. Up at Ardnave, Mary's birds were as follows, 6 Mute, 7 Whoopers, 12 Wigeon, 80 Teal, 17 Mallard, 8 Tufted Duck and 6 Goldeneye. Thanks Mary.