Wednesday 30th October

Quite a few birds for you, as when I came back in from our Islay bird nerds meeting, I was just knackered... a right good chance for us all there to hear about some interesting news..

Coming home last night, we saw a Barn Owl out at Sunderland Farm.. Phill Catton had seen a Tawny Owl when driving up from Port Ellen along the High road to the meeting, and then on his way home after the meeting, he had a Barn Owl when going home along the High Road. Yesterday, Philll had seen the following birds on the Oa, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, 4 Chough, 39 Golden Plover, a Buzzard, 2 Hen Harriers, 2 Cormorant and also 2 Snipe.

Yesterday, JD and Bob had a flock of 120 Fieldfare close to Grainel over at Gruinart. 

Also yesterday, the Rochdale birders had gone over to Jura, and they saw 4 Otters, a flock of Fieldfare, a Golden Eagle and also a Woodcock. Back on Islay, they had a White tailed Eagle in at Loch Skerrols and  Woodcock seen up at Gearach up behind Port Charlotte.

MB yesterday had a male Pochard and 6 Goldeneye (2 M+ 4 F). Off the Big Strand and up towards Laggan Point he saw 6 RTD, 8 GND, 9 Eider and also counted 23 Long tailed Duck (15M +8F). Down at the Airport, 6 Chough were present. In at Loch Skerrols, MB had a Hen Harrier, a juv Golden Eagle, a Peregrine and 3 flocks of  Fieldfare (25, 32 + 40). Up over, Carn nan Gillean, a White tailed Eagle and also 2 Golden Eagles. He had also spotted a Stoat at Erasaid. Along at the VC at RSPB Loch Gruinart, he saw 6 L T Tits, and then finally, he had a Hen Harrier along at Coull.

The team  from RAFOS had been down doing some counting of the Twite down on the Oa today with a count of 100 in the crop at Upper Killeyan and the flock at Kinnabus came to 135 Twite and also a Brambling seen among them too. On their way back up from the Oa, they had seen a White tailed Eagle seen down at Gartbreck. On the fields, there were over 2,000 Barnies, with a Grey Plover seen down on the foreshore there as well as 5 Ringed Plover, around 40 Teal, some Mallard and also 2 flocks of Herring Gulls totalling 100 birds. Back down at Machir Bay, one their members had seen 16 Chough, late afternoon.

Gary had been down on Machir Bay this morning, where he had 2 Sanderling with Reed Buntings, Twite and he heard the Snow Bunting up above in the dunes. 2 Chough flew overhead, noisey and nosey a ever. Over Coull Point, Gary saw a Golden Eagle