Thursday 5th November

Mike Bell's birds seen yesterday by him included the following... 

Ardnave Loch: 2 Little Grebe, 1 Goldeneye, 2 Long tailed Ducks

Traigh Nostaig: 2 Grey Plover, 1 Knot, 25 Sanderling, 6 Purple Sandpiper,  15 Turnstone, 2 Barwits with no Ringed Plovers seen... The wee waders proved to be very flighty with the Turnstone and the Purple Sands flying ovr to Eilean Beag. Also seen were 2WTEs flying South over the headland.

On the East side of Ardnave Point, Mike had a male Snow Bunting, the same bird that he had seen last week in the same location.

Around 10.45 Mike had seen 4 WTEs out on the wing flying over the Killinallan side of the loch.

A count on Loch Indaal from Port Charlotte round to Smelly corner gave Mike these birds...16 RTD, 11 GND, 8 Slavonian Grebes (all near to Blackrock), 11 Scaup, 91 Common Scoter, a flyby of a male Velvet Scoter, 53 Eider, a L t Duck (drake),and also 24 RBM. At Uiskentuie, Mike counted 18 Ringed Plover and also 23 Turnstone.

Finally yesterday, Mike had a juv. female Peregrine perched on a roadside utility pole as he drove along the east side of Loch Gorm.

Dave Pierce sent his birds seen by himself and his wife yesterday....

Observing from the doorstep at Cross House this morning just before 8, a juvenile White-tailed Eagle put up the Barnies from the Bridgend roost.  Moments later it had snatch one, flying with it to the shore to feed on. An hour and half later it was still at the kill. At the opposite end of the raptor scale a Sparrowhawk was over the house.

At Blackrock 10 Scaup were off shore with scattered Redshank on the landward side.

Later near Lochgruinart Cottage an adult male Hen Harrier was mobbed by 2 Sparrowhawks. A couple of hours later a grey harrier was hunting the floods in front of the RSPB hides, possibly the same one.

On Ardnave Loch a pair of Long-tailed Ducks were a pleasant surprise plus a female Goldeneye and a Little Grebe. A juvenile White-tailed Eagle flew from the east side of Loch Gruinart to Ardnave Point.

Returning to Bridgend over 200 Golden Plovers were in the bay.

James today had carried out a count of the following birds on the reserve at Gruinart

Barnacles 16,035,  White fronts 644. Also he counted the Golden Plover flock - 2010