Forgot to add last night, my mum reported 'loads of geese' at Claddach Loch, plus a single whooper swan. She could hear the gabbling away from the house so walked up to look. More barnacle geese have been arriving this afternoon, I counted 3 small skeins flying south off the Frenchmans at lunchtime and curving in towards land against the wind. James had a high count of 1915 barnacles at Loch Gruinart, plus a red-breasted goose among them.
Photo by Sam Hood.
While I was out late morning, I took the dogs and my wee lad a walk on the beach near the Coal yard, I heard a strange sound like a distant jet only to be narrowly missed by a low flying peregrine! What a speed it must have been going at! I must have stepped into its path judging by how close it came and how sharp it turned upwards away. The oystercatchers ahead of me can thank me next time. A little later, 3 Arctic tern flew low over us, seemingly to see what we were doing. As I got into the car, a lone swallow flew over. Earlier at the road end of Gartmain Farm, just outside Bowmore, I had a nice sighting of 3 yellowhammer flying out from the gorse bushes heading into a bare rowan tree.
A friend in Portnahaven told me about 3 white-tailed eagles on McKenzie Island. So if you're a visitor looking for a good place to catch sight of them, its a good place to start!
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