Wednesday 22nd December

Lots to report today, despite the dreich weather. Ian was up at Sanaigmore this morning and saw 9 chough. White-tailed eagles were creating bedlam at the Loch Indaal goose roost for much of the late morning, with 1 adult and 2 sub-adults continually harassing the geese for a good while. Gary later saw 4 just off the merse at Bridgend, and recently arrived visitor Phil Edwards also saw 2 immature birds. Phil also had 8 twite, 52 pb brents and a slavonian grebe off of Blackrock, and observed the following...

"Of ornithological interest was the behaviour of Goldeneyes and gulls in Loch Indaal.  The goldeneyes (a single female; 2 f.; and 1 m. 4 f.) were each associating with a single black-headed gull (3 gulls in total).  The goldeneyes would dive and always come back to the surface immediately adjacent to the gull which was with them.  Occasionally this meant the gull had moved slightly (so perhaps it could see where the ducks were) but often the gull would appear to stay in the same place and the ducks come back to it.  No idea what was in the association for either species, certainly the gull never got anything to eat, but they were at it for at least 30 mins.  I have never seen this before – have any of your “members”?"

Some of Phil's other recent sightings include 4 mistle thrush at Lyrabus (19th), 20 twite, 20 redwing, 2 WTE and a golden eagle around Smaull (20th), 7 whoopers, 8 goldeneye and a little grebe at Ardnave Loch and 60 goldfinch at Ardnave Point (21st).

Lauren and Mark counted Loch Gruinart itself yesterday, with the following highlights from an unusually busy count - 3 little egret, 305 barwits, 651 dunlin, 16 knot, 611 golden plover, 245 oystercatcher, 235 lapwing, 164 curlew, 2 greenshank, 175 wigeon, an otter and a partridge in a pear tree.

Token pics to brighten things up come today from Billy Stitchell on facebook, who had 6 buzzards squabbling over a rabbit, and Malcolm, who responded to my lack of Islay in December photos with a proper winter scene. Huge thanks to everyone for their sightings, emails and comments.