A slightly drier, sunnier day, but with 1-2 squally showers and a good westerly breeze.
My account of a couple of WTEs on Nave Island yesterday
prompted visitors Ed & Elaine Prince to get in touch with an exciting
account of their own earlier observations for Nave Island yesterday:
“We set off for
Ardnave point at dawn on Wednesday 20th, and were in position by 8 a.m. There
were 3 White-tailed Eagles on Nave Island when we arrived, all sub-adults, and
we were impressed with their aerial agility as they skirmished above the
island. We had spent much of last week watching two individuals on Loch
Gruinart doing nothing much for most of the time, apart from when they caught
and plucked a Barnacle Goose in full view, which was quite exciting.
We were crouched
behind a large rock on the beach, out of the wind, and as we watched the
three birds over the island, another flew in from behind us, right over our
heads. Shortly after this another arrived, then another, and this continued
again and again until we had a total of eight White-tailed Eagles on the
island. They all flew in right over our heads, in good light, and we can
confirm that in total there were two adults and six sub-adults. We can also
confirm that we counted all eight simultaneously on several occasions.
There was a great deal
of interaction between the birds, and we saw two individuals lock talons and
cartwheel towards the ground, releasing their grip at only the last possible
moment, in a display wildlife cameramen would die for. We left the point at 11
a.m. One or two of the eagles had left by this time, and the remainder were no
longer showing, so we speculate that their quarrels may have been centred
around ownership of a carcass on the far side of the island. This was supported
to some degree by the fact that when we returned at the same time this morning
in the hope of a repeat performance not a single eagle was to be seen, though
we did have twenty murderous Ravens, which was nice.”
I think that there have been 6 together previously but this
must surely be the highest count of WTEs together on Islay so far?
Details of Teresa’s colour-ring sighting of a Whooper Swan
have already come back. I contacted the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust last
night and they replied with the details this morning – that is service! I think
that David Dinsley must have done the same thing as he posted the basic info. this
morning on our WhatsApp site: “Great minds etc….”.
The full details are given below. The bird was caught at
Martin Mere in November 2017 and has been seen there each winter since. This is
the first sighting away from Lancashire, where it is presumably headed now.
24/11/17 – Caught WWT Martin Mere, Lancs.
20/03/17 – Seen WWT Martin Mere, Lancs.
28/10/18 – Seen Scansbrick, Lancs.
01/12/18 – 10/01/19 - Seen WWT Martin Mere, Lancs.
27/10/19 – 05/01/20 - Seen WWT Martin Mere, Lancs.
16/11/20 - Seen Scansbrick, Lancs.
21/11/20 – 26/11/20 - Seen WWT Martin Mere, Lancs.
07/12/20 – Seen Boundry Farm, near Martin Mere, Lancs.
20/10/21 – Seen Craigens,
Islay
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