Sunday 28th October

James headed over on the ferry from Port Ellen to Kennacraig this morning and from the ferry he saw a total  of 52 GND,  6 RTD and also 2 BTD.

Mike Bell is back over on Islay this week and we met in with him earlier this evening...So here  are his birds seen today. Down on Machir Bay, he had 1500 roosting Barnies, 14 Whoopers flying West out to the sea, 79 Curlew, 24 Ringed Plover with 11 Reed Bunting spotted in the reed bed there. On Loch Gorm, Mike counted 81 Tufted Duck and 2 Goldeneye. Sunderland Farm held 110 Whoopers. Up at Ardnave, there were 19 Whoopers, 173 Redwing, and 15 Fieldfare, over at Traigh Nostaig, Mike saw 27 Ringed Plover, 1 Grey Plover, 5 Turnstone and also 27 Rock Pipit. Off Nave Point he saw 2 GND, and then coming back down from the top of Nave back to his car he had a Snow Bunting, 9 Sanderling with 25 Chough seen as well. Over the Gruinart reserve he saw over 1,000 Golden Plover in the air with 840 Teal, 21 Pintail and 8 Shoveler present as well. From Gruinart, he also saw a ringtail Hen Harrier with a distant White tailed Eagle and then a distant Golden Eagle seen. Highlights from a drive round Loch Indaal, from Port Charlotte round to Bowmore produced the following, 67 RTD, 17 GND, a single BTD and also 34 Slav Grebes, including a raft of 19 seen off Blackrock, 140 Eider, 63 Common Scoter, 7  Lt Ducks (including 6 drakes), 33 Scaup at Blackrock, 93 R b Merganser with 8 Goldeneye seen off Bowmore. On the flats at Bridgend, Mike counted 25 Ringed Plover, 24 Dunlin, 38 Barwits, 6 Pb Brent Geese and also 24 Whoopers.

Up here at home, we have had several pairs of Stonechats , a pair of Reed Bunting, and also 20 Redwings as well. Mind you, the weather has ben a lot kinder to us all today..

If you are around on Islay, the monthly meeting of the Islay Bird nerds will be on Tuesday evening, in the Lochside Hotel in Bowmore at 7.30 pm. See you there then, no excuses accepted!!!