Sunday 1st March

I will put you all out of your misery and tell what the rain guage claimed the rainfall came to for February... it only came to 4.4" a bit drier than last year when we had 7.2", enough said!! On Friday, Mary had seen 60 Chough, 6 Ravens and 3 Skylarks up at Ardnave. Round Ardnave Point, Mary had 34 Oystercatcher, 27 Sanderling, 4 Turnstone, 23 Common Gull, 13 Herring Gull and 19 Ringed Plover. Nearby 2 Skylarks were heard singing, is Spring round the corner?? Back closer to the steading, a Merlin put up a mixed flock of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. At the same location, high above there were 3 flocks of Lapwings flying, there were 60, 150 and another 100 in each. Peter Roberts had a "drift" of 5 Snow Buntings yesterday over on the Big Strand, down below the airport. Visiting birders Chris Mills and John Hopper had seen a 1st winter Iceland Gull flying West from the ferry as they came over yesterday. Other birds seen off the ferry were 4 Slav. Grebes, 2 BTD, 42 GND, 20 Black Guillemot, 25 RB Merganser, 13 Razorbill with a Greenshank seen at Kennacraig. Here on Islay, between Coastguards and Coull, there saw 2 different flocks of Skylarks of 100 and 200 birds in each flock, round at Saligo, a flock of 60 Twite were present. James yesterday had a LBB Gull on the reserve at Gruinart. Today, Pat and Angie from E. Yorkshire had seen a Glaucous Gull at the head of Loch Indaal where the River Sorn enters the loch. At Ballinaby they had a male Hen Harrier along with a large flock of Twite.