Friday 20th February

Another mixed day with the weather again, but in between showers Margaret and myself managed to fit in a couple of beaches in the Beach bird survey. We had a look along the high water mark for any casualties/ dead corpses of any birds at Saligo and later on up at Sanaigmore. The good news was that we found nothing! On our way up to Sanaigmore, we saw a Golden Eagle being mobbed by a Buzzard, with a further 2 Buzzards and a Merlin as we headed along the road. At Sanaig, on the beach, there were 42 Oystercatchers. The Rochdale birders had a count of 410 Skylarks in a field at Sunderland .Albert Percival had seen Purple Sandpipers and Golden Plovers at Bruichladdich and more Golden Plovers at Ardnave. Mick saw a Peregrine through the patio doors of his cottage at breakfast time, "can't start a day better than that" Mick's own words... Up at Sanaig, he saw 3 Otters swimming together in the bay, further out he had 2 Gannets while back on shore he saw a Turnstone. Back inland he had 2 Chough, some Redwings and Fieldfares there as well. Back down beside Loch Gorm Mick had a male Hen harrier. Over from the Glen road he spotted a Golden Eagle. Down at Uiskentuie, the juv. Glaucous gull was still present as was the Brambling here at home. Finally, last Saturday, Alistair Hutchison had 6 Yellowhammers over at the back of Port Askaig.