There were no reports of birds today - another day when the weather forecast didn't quite match up with the actuality of sunny spells mixed with heavy, low cloud and odd rain showers.
For anyone reading the blog who is not a member of the Argyll Bird Club (ABC), you will probably not have seen the short note in the ABC publication "The Eider" about the colonisation of Islay by Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Below is an edited summary that might be of interest:
From the first definite record of a bird shot in 1887 to the sporadic occurrences with long gaps, of wandering Argyll mainland and possibly continental migrant birds (almost all out of the breeding season) from the 1980s right up to the early 2000s, Great Spotted Woodpeckers have clearly now established themselves as a regular breeding bird on Islay. Breeding may have first occurred from 2013 and certainly since 2019. The present situation suggests a continued increase in the numbers of resident pairs in the woodlands of Islay and I estimate that there are currently between 9-12 pairs now breeding at 5-7 locations right across the island. All but one of the sites now colonised are predominantly deciduous woodland, some with a scattering of exotic conifers. There are also extensive areas of non-native coniferous plantation forestry of varying ages across Islay. Only one of these is so far recorded as being a likely breeding site, though there are a few other records from coniferous plantations. This may be an indication of the species preferences for deciduous woodland as nesting habitat, or simply that few people on Islay venture into dense coniferous plantations, so additional territories go unrecorded.
An Islay Great Spotted Woodpecker making itself at home (Mary-Ann Featherstone)
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