Tuesday 3rd November

This morning, Peter had seen a juv White tailed Sea Eagle over the North end of Loch Gorm. Today, Mike heard a Brambling in the wood down at Kilchoman. On the pool, in the dunes behind Machir Bay, he counted 570 Greylags and 90 Teal while on the beach on Machir Bay itself were 53 Curlew and 800 Barnies. 40 Whoopers flew off one of the lochans at Rockside. The 3 Pinktooted Geese were still there amongst the Whitefronts there. A Hen Harrier was at Killinallan with 3 Goldeneye out towards the mouth of Loch Gruinart. Along the beach there were 93 Ringed Plover, 85 Sanderling, 71 Barwits, 16 Turnstone and 27 Curlew. Inland he had seen 4 flocks of Twite, totalling 145 in all. Mike had 2 Greenshank out on the floods at Gruinart and also a female Bullfinch seen while walking along the "Woodland trail", along at Erasaid, 200 Fieldfares and 20 Redwing were present. On Loch Indaal between Bruichladdich and round to Bowmore, Mike saw 3 RTD, 19 GND, 9 Slavonian Grebe, 51 Pale bellied Brents, 436 Wigeon, 48 Scaup, 24 Common Scoter, 132 Eider, 58 RB Merganser and 11 Long tailed Ducks including 8 drakes. There was a count of 1200 Golden Plover on the merse at Bridgend. George Jackson (visitor) was up here at home this afternoon and rung 11 House Sparrows, a Dunnock and also a Goldfinch, boy were the wee birds wary of the mist net and took great delight to avoid being caught!