Tuesday 2nd June

Yesterday the Teme valley birders had been over the "other side" , down past Port Ellen. Out in the woods as they drove towards Ardtalla, they had seen a Cuckoo. At Claggain Bay, they reckoned that there could be more than 30 pairs of Arctic Terns present as they counted over 40 terns in the air at one time alone.. They also had seen 3 Hen Harriers, one at Coullabus, another towards Sanaigmore and the other Ballinaby. The Rochdale birders yesterday had seen a Sparrowhawk at Loch Tallant with 3 Hen Harriers as they drove along the "Glen road". On the Rhinns today, they saw 4 male Hen Harriers, a Peregrine and then a Merlin being harassed by a Hooded Crow! They were also telling me that they had been speaking to one of the locals here on Islay who told them, that he had seen 2 Wheatears being killed by Jackdaws... The weather last night as forecast was wet and rather windy... Our friends over at Mulindry e mailed through to say that their rainfall for May was 6.04 inches, makes it sound that we had a not bad time here on the West...