Sunday 25th March

A tremendous day with the weather, and really not that bad a day for some birding either.. Over at the Woollen Mill, we saw a Dipper on the water with Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit and Chaffinch seen on the feeders there. Along the road towards Keills, while having a catch up with some friends, a quick look at their feeders produced 6 Yellowhammer, 2 Reed Bunting, a female Bullfinch, Great Tit, Robin and Chaffinch. Back at home, we had 3 Greenfinch out on the feeders, and a pair of Fulmars cackling away over on the crag. Down on ground level, 7 Hares were playing around. I saw 25 Whoopers flying in from the South this morning, they landed down on the water o LochGorm to rest up before flying North again mid afternoon. Yesterday, Distillery Dave had a Yellowhammer down on some gorse bushes on the track leading to Laggan. He also saw a Barn Owl perched onto of a fence post alongside Loch Gorm. Along at Foreland, a Woodcock was seen. Lesley Silcock has now got 2 pairs of Siskin along with Goldfinches on her Niger feeders over at Kilnaugton Bay. Andy Mortimer and Martin Gooch, returning birders from last year Spring had seen a Merlin along at Rockside...Richard Belter also came back for another Islay fix. On the ferry coming over Richard saw RTD, GND, R b Merganser, Guillemot, Tystie, Razorbill, Eider and Shag. In at Finlaggan, he had a large flock of Barnies with a few Crossbills present at the big house at Finlaggan. Finally, Richard had 2  Slavonian Grebes out from Blackrock. Distillery Dave this evening saw a Glaucous Gull on the ploughing at Sunderland.